Hurtigruten Expeditions, the world’s most sustainable adventure travel company, is pleased to announce a new partnership with German upcycling endeavour, BRACENET. Going forward, the cruise line will upcycle old fishing nets and other marine waste to create lanyards, bracelets and keychains for its guests and crew, underscoring its commitment to embrace every possible opportunity to ensure its environmental impact is net positive.
Dedicated to ocean protection through recovering and upcycling marine waste, the new partnership will see BRACENET create lanyards for all Hurtigruten Expeditions guests and crew. These will hold key cards used throughout the sailing, forming an essential part of the onboard experience.
Half of all lanyards will be made from mooring ropes, while the other half will be created from old fishing nets. Mooring ropes, which are used to secure ships in harbours, often face wear and tear due to friction caused by a ship’s movements. Rather than dispose of these, Hurtigruten Expeditions will give them a new practical lease of life, while simultaneously raising awareness of the problems that marine waste causes in the world’s oceans.
“Every Hurtigruten Expeditions crew member, as well as all guests, will receive these upcycled lanyards,” says Stefan Engl, Hurtigruten Expeditions’ VP Hotel Operations, whose team has been leading the partnership with BRACENET. “Apart from being a practical accessory to attach essential cards and tickets, we hope that by being wearable, they will also initiate conversations about the impact of unmanaged waste on the unique nature and animal life guests see during their expedition and the conscious steps they can take in contributing to preservation efforts.”
At the end of each cruise, guests have the option of either returning the lanyards for future passengers or taking them home as a memento of their journey, with most guests opting to do the latter.
The new venture marks the latest in a growing list of sustainability initiatives integrated into Hurtigruten Expeditions’ onboard experience. The partnership complements the company’s Green Stay initiative, which sees Hurtigruten Group make a donation to charity for every night guests opt not to have their cabins cleaned, reducing water, power, and detergent consumption. The company also actively manages and monitors food waste, aiming for a 30% reduction. These efforts all form part of the cruise line’s comprehensive approach to minimising its footprint, which also includes various Citizen Science projects, like beach clean-ups.
Hurtigruten Expeditions has positioned itself an industry pioneer in the area of sustainability. Launching the world’s first hybrid-powered cruise ship in 2019, it continues to lead the way, forging a path towards emission-free travel by 2050 and achieving zero waste by 2030. As early as 2018, the company was the first to ban the use of single-use plastics and heavy fuel oils. This latest endeavour provides another clear demonstration of Hurtigruten Expeditions’ commitment to ensuring every possible aspect of its business is an opportunity to protect and preserve the planet’s natural beauty.
