NCL to eliminate plastic water bottles by 2020

Norwegian Cruise Line will eliminate plastic water bottles across its 16-ship fleet by Jan. 1, 2020, beginning with the soon-to-launch Norwegian Encore.

To achieve this goal, the cruise line has partnered with JUST Goods, Inc. (a company founded by actor Jaden Smith, son of actor and musician Will Smith) to introduce water contained in a plant-based carton: made of 82 per cent renewable materials, the paper carton is made from trees grown in responsibly-managed forests and the cap and shoulder are made from a sugarcane-based plastic.

JUST’s water is bottled at facilities in Glenn Falls, NY; Ballymena, Northern Ireland; and Ballarat, Australia, thus allowing the company to meet demand around the world without shipping water from a single production source.

“This latest effort - the elimination of single-use plastic bottles across our fleet - is just the latest environmentally responsible action we are taking to reduce our footprint and encourage others to protect our natural resources,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “While we are aware that this is just the beginning of what we and others need to do to be good stewards of our environment, we are committed to our Sail & Sustain initiatives and will continue to innovate for the overall benefit of the planet and its future."

The decision to ditch plastic bottles is the latest initiative by NCL under its Sail & Sustain environmental program, which saw the cruise line eliminate single-use plastic straws in 2018.

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