Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has made available its 2008 Stewardship Report, which highlights the company’s industry-leading environmental efforts, detailing its strategy in the areas of energy and air emissions, water and wastewater, waste and chemical management, community involvement and conservation, destinations and education. The report also reviews how the Above and Beyond Compliance philosophy, which guides the company’s environmental stewardship program, also influences all areas of the company, including safety and security, as well as medical and public health.

“Our goal with the 2008 Stewardship Report was to present how our company proactively addresses the environmental issues inherent in operating cruise ships, in a clear and straightforward way,” said Jamie Sweeting, vice president of Environmental Stewardship for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “Within the report, readers can learn about our global environmental activities, and how we tackle key environmental issues, from air emissions, water and energy use, and wastewater treatment, to chemical and hazardous waste management, environmental training and education, and contributions to conservation,” Sweeting said.

Some of the highlights of the report include an overview of the company’s 40-year history of environmental activities, which was formalized with the creation of the Save The Waves® program. Since its beginnings in 1992, the Save The Waves® program has evolved from a program focused on reducing, reusing and recycling waste, to a companywide philosophy that is integrated into the daily operations onboard all our ships. This includes environmental officers onboard each ship, a waste-management program that completely addresses each waste stream, environmental training for every crew member and land-based employee, and the creation of the Environmental Stewardship department. During the past two decades, Royal Caribbean has continuously improved the Save The Waves® program to ensure that not only employees, but also guests are directly engaged in environmental management efforts.