As the industry engages more and more in sustainability, the discussion has moved on apace. Reuse joined recycle among the topics at the Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Europe (CSIE) 2024.
By Susan Parker
During the prestigious annual event, the topic of reuse, recycle, and redesign was much in evidence at a sustainable design summit working-group lunch. Groups of exhibition attendees took part in a raw-materials exercise to turn an aluminium chair into an indispensable resource. There was a veritable buzz as cruise line executives, designers, turnkey operators, and suppliers turned their hands to finding solutions.
According to David Peck, associate professor of critical materials and product design at TU Delft, there were only 1,300 working days left before the 2030 EU Critical Raw Materials Act came into force. “We need to try and find multiple strategies surrounding reuse. The regulations will encourage remanufacturing, multi-cycles, and recycle,” he said.
Much of the industry was already thinking along this line. My Nguyen, director of interior design, Holland America Line (HAL) & Seabourn, explained the brand’s experience of trying to keep aluminium furniture (a critical raw material) out of landfill during a refurbishment dry-docking in Singapore. This turned out to be a fairly complex operation, and only partly successful, but it was all part of Seabourn’s future thinking. “Our goal is to create a recipe book of what it takes to get furniture offloaded and recycled, [find out] who the players are, et cetera,” she explained. “It is better to be proactive now with pilot projects than to have to react to regulations that are coming anyway.”
Her colleague Collin Mark Hildebrandt, fleet director of technical operations at HAL & Seabourn, said it was not always possible to implement sustainability measures, because of the tight time schedules during dry-docking. “We are looking much more at reuse rather than recycle,” he said. “We used to throw everything out, but now we are catching up on recycling. For example, with carpets, we can replace them or clean them, so they look new again. But time and costs are not always there for us vis-à-vis sustainability.”
Lighting imperatives
Lighting design was a focus of discussion at CSIE 2024. We’ve heard a lot about this topic in recent years: for example, replacing halogen with LEDs to reduce energy consumption. Now there was talk of using them as a paintbrush to redefine spaces and nurture wellbeing.
Carly Smith, hotel interiors superintendent at Seabourn, had a lot of ideas in this area. “My interest is in how spaces make you feel, how we can design spaces better to be more inviting, to be neurodiverse,” she said. “Lighting also has health benefits to the body: for example, for those with jetlag, we maybe can have rooms where they would adjust to travel more seamlessly in the future; projection mapping could also be used to project art onto neutral spaces to create different atmospheres, or optimise spaces below decks or on inside cabins by creating virtual balconies, as Royal Caribbean has done.”
Sandra Correia da Silva, architect at Mystic Cruises, is unequivocal on the subject: “Lighting is the most important thing. If you have a nice space, it can be ruined by poor lighting.”
Dr Thomas Mueller, co-founder of Lichtvision Design, who had worked with AIDA Cruises, thought that lighting control would become more important in the future. He highlighted the benefits of having the option to change the light colours, using sensors to control different effects and energy use, and dimming lights during daylight to save energy.
Functional refurbishments
Discussing refurbishment projects, Jessica Payne, interior designer at Windstar Cruises, said that one of the larger challenges behind the scenes of any refurbishment is rearranging areas for functionality. Having brought design in-house for the first time at Windstar, she said she relied on suppliers to be “the third arm”.
Though not currently using such tools as AI in the processes, she saw the company moving in that direction: “I think it could be a good assistant. We are always looking at ways to be more sustainable.”
Back-of-house design was also under the spotlight, with galleys already benefiting from reduced-energy appliances and being located closer to the restaurants they served. Captain Adrian Hibbert, director of operations at Marella Cruises, pointed out how important it is not to “back areas into a corner when it comes to design, as tastes change”.
In a monthly trial on board two ships, one offering conventional buffet and the other a kitchen concept of nine offerings, Marella found it could save 13 per cent of food waste from front of house. Hibbert said: “When we took over Marella Voyager, this was an opportunity. We could build a separate galley, but also individual cooking stations for made-to-orders.”
Sustainable suppliers
There were important criteria to adhere to with suppliers. Working with local suppliers was essential. Lauren West, naval architect at AmaWaterways River Cruises, said: “We always work with designers locally. We want to have local experience on board, and we source locally. We build the ships and outfit them locally with local companies. It is partly for sustainability, but also for authenticity. Of course, we have our standards and our products, but we want to have a boutique feel and be tied to a destination in such a way. When it comes to refurbishing interiors, we are planning to use materials for heavy use and that will last a long time.”
Andy Yuill, managing director of SMC Design, said: “Whether it is a small- or large-scale refurbishment, it all comes back to understanding the guests. We are working with local companies that understand the culture.”
When it came to materials, there were a host of suppliers on hand offering a wide array of products, many with environmental credentials. Barbara Wiethoff, partner at JOI-Design, said: “The industry is making it easier for us, as there are more and more materials that fit IMO requirements and are made out of recycled materials. We use as much as possible of these materials.”
Gordon Boggis, CEO of Carnegie, a US-based supplier of innovative fabrics, was able to share news of a new contract, saying: “We are delighted to be working with the team at Holland America, who have begun installing the IMO- and Wheelmark-approved version of Xorel [a biobased textile 85 per cent made from rapidly renewable sugar cane]. It’s great to see this environmentally positive textile option being adopted by such an industry leader in sustainability.”
Sustainability was also a part of the ethos of Ulster Carpets, a family enterprise established in 1938, which was granted a Royal Warrant in January. “The whole operation is 100 per cent bio-renewable,” said Dominic Felloni, the company’s marine sales manager. He added that the wool they used was predominantly British and Irish sourced; 100 per cent of waste was diverted from landfill; the water used in manufacturing had been reduced by 40 per cent; switching to electricity generated by renewable sources had reduced the company’s carbon output by 950 tonnes a year; and it was not just the carpets: Axfelt, Ulster Carpets’ triple-layer carpet underlay, took the wool-rich waste carpet and yarn and transformed it into an underlay that also included recycled yarn and wool fibre, as well as rubber made from recycled lorry and tractor tyres.
On the subject of carpets, Radici Marine was another sustainable supplier showcasing at CSIE 2024. It had just secured its first cruise line contract. The company’s products included Bloom Back, a carpet made with Econyl yarn from industrial waste. The single-component structure combined primary fabric in polyamide 6 with a backing of the same material, making the product easier to regenerate at the end of its lifecycle. It could be treated with AlleRAD, an anti-allergen treatment for textiles, which reduced about 95 per cent of allergens from dust mites, pet hair, and birch pollen, without any negative environmental impact. “This is very new on the market. We have had good feedback from cruise lines that want it,” said Andrea Ceruti, VP of Sales.
Another sustainable fabric-treatment product was demonstrated by Jan Kaare Lidsheim, key account manager of Fiber ProTector Norge, who showed how soy sauce remained on the top of fabric treated by its protector spray but was absorbed by non-treated ones. The product could be used on all soft furnishings and could last up to 15 years. It was the only one in the world to be WoolSafe approved. Royal Caribbean Group and DFDS were the company’s maritime clients so far.
Other groundbreaking products in the marine market were also showcased at CSIE 2024, among them the fully ecological pool-water filtration system by ZUUVR Zero Cruise. Consultant Jacco van Overbeek explained that the product operated without chemicals, relying instead on a unique combination of ultraviolet disinfection, minerals, and beneficial bacteria. Crucially, the system was fully compliant with USPH regulations, ensuring it met the highest industry standards.
“This system not only offers a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional pool filtration but also simplifies maintenance and promotes long-term durability for onboard installations,” van Overbeek said. “It’s designed to be easily installed and integrated into existing systems. The unique real-time monitoring app allows the ship to see the condition of the pools any time anywhere.”
Sustainability journey
While the industry moves forward with new ideas, designs, and products in response to the growing calls for sustainability, the reality is that it comes with higher costs.
Mikael Thor, commercial director at Trident BMC, believed in sustainability as much as any other, and his company had measures in place such as reducing the number of transportations. But he was not the only one to add some realism. “All stakeholders must be parts of the sustainability journey and be willing to invest,” he said. “It needs to include the whole value chain. Even though there is an ambitious target, we must not forget to pursue initiatives which are a sort of low-hanging fruit. Transportations are, for example, one activity where rather easy measures, in terms of proper planning, would heavily reduce the environmental impact.”
Sustainability was most definitely a key word underlying all the discussions at CSIE 2024. “What is amazing is how vendors are combining sustainability with awesome eye-opening products,” said Hildebrandt.