AIDA cares is the annual sustainability report published by AIDA Cruises since 2007. The aim of this report is to inform all interested parties about the commitment of AIDA Cruises to society and the environment. AIDA cares 2017 contains all the important topics that determine our daily business activities. In the reporting, we are based on the international standard GRI 4.0. All the divisions of AIDA Cruises and Carnival Maritime GmbH participated in the preparation of this report.
2016 was another successful year for our company. Along with the 20th anniversary of our first cruise ship AIDAcara, AIDA Cruises also celebrated the 20th year in its company history on June 7, 2016. More than 900,000 guests have given us their trust and spent their holidays on board one of our ships. Thank you for your trust!
Each day 9,000 employees from more than 40 countries on shore and aboard our ships, supported by our appreciated sales partners and global service providers, are offering their commitment, passion and their very best professional skills to guarantee safe ship operations and go above and beyond the expectations of our guests day by day.
In the last two decades, cruises have become one of the most modern, innovative and versatile holiday formats in Germany. AIDA Cruises sees one of its key responsibilities as making cruises even more sustainable. Keeping nature intact is the foundation of our business model and a basic requirement for us successfully to continue offering cruises in the future. We set our own goals and are proactively working on improving environmental protection.
AIDA Cruises has been investing in the development and implementation of new, environmentally friendly technology for many years. When we commissioned our 11th fleet member AIDAprima in spring 2016, we once again demonstrated our innovative power. AIDAprima is the first cruise ship in the world which can be operated with low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG) while docked at five European ports. This year, on June 30th, we welcomed the 12th member of our fleet with its sister ship AIDAperla.
We will be able to operate the next AIDA generation, which is currently under construction at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg, with 100 percent liquefied natural gas (LNG) at sea and when docked at port. The use of LNG eliminates emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides, while emissions of nitrogen oxides and CO2 are sustainably reduced.
A variety of procedures enabled us further to improve our eco-balance on all ships in our fleet. After the successful test phase in 2016, AIDAsol is now operated with shoreside power in Hamburg Altona. Many other measures on board our ships have contributed to further reducing the water consumption and use of resources while improving energy efficiency. Additionally, we are supporting the preservation of cultural and biological diversity and dedicating ourselves to our employees, guests and society with a wide range of projects and initiatives.
The introduction of AIDA Selection trips last year enables us to offer a new travel program with the ships from the first AIDA generation. Our goal is to give our guests a better understanding of the typical cultures and traditions in the various countries that we sail to and enable unforgettable experiences of nature.
These are just some selected examples of our sustainable operation. In our sustainability report “AIDA cares 2017,” we will give you comprehensive and transparent information about our commitment in the past year and show all relevant key indicators.
You can find detailed information about our commitment to the environment and society in this report and on our website www.aida.de.
I hope you enjoy reading these informative insights into the world of AIDA Cruises.
Best regards,
Felix Eichhorn
President AIDA Cruises
In collaboration with B.A.U.M Consult, AIDA Cruises conducted a fresh materiality analysis over the course of the last year with the aim of identifying the most significant economic, environmental and social impacts of our business activity, and thus the key areas of activity of our commitment to sustainability, and of reporting the findings of this analysis in a transparent manner.
The analysis was carried out by interviewing departmental managers, with the intention that senior managers would be able to assess the areas of activity relating to sustainability in accordance with the following criteria:
Each criterion was graded with a 1 for yes, or a 0 for no. Each aspect could score up to four points.
13 issues were rated as significant. Issues relating to the environment and preventing emissions were rated particularly highly. The issues identified as being of particular importance are given special consideration in this AIDA cares 2017 report and are be presented in summarized form.
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