Disney cruise line environmental management. Part I: environmental policy and waste management on cruise itineraries

Abstract

This article, which is part of a complex three-piece original work, presents in a logical manner the environmental policies of the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) company, as well as the cruise itinerary waste management plans for the enterprise’s ships. In the follow-up paper, we will highlight waste management on the DCL ships and, in the third and final paper, we will analyse water management, including waste water, on board of these ships.
The purpose of this complex paper is to present the cruise ships’ environmental impact prevention methods, by analysing the environmental policies and the main processes for dealing with the generated gaseous, liquid and solid waste (both along the cruise itineraries and on board); the study will focus on the DCL company, one of the world’s leaders in entertainment, also known as one of the market’s most environmentally-friendly players. The article, through its originality, will complement the relatively deficient scientific environmental studies available on this topic. The three-piece paper brings important information based on records and regulations introduced to ensure the proper use of the waste management system on both cruise routes and on board the ships, as well as details on the collection circuit, precautionary measures, risk factors, etc. looking to raise awareness and to optimize environment conservation procedures.
The paper is based on the analysis of the work carried out by in-house environmental personnel, the company’s internal regulations, as well as the data and field observations collected by the environmental protection staff.
The paper’s conclusion is that the DCL company aims to minimize the environmental impact of its cruise ships by focusing on new technologies, increasing energy efficiency, reducing the amount of generated waste, educating its employees and customers, while also promoting environmental conservation around the world. In 2013, DCL was declared the most environmentally-responsible cruise line. The company complies with all national and international environmental regulations and laws. The following potentially-polluting elements and activities, which can be considered to be pollution indicators, are strictly regulated by the DCL company in order to ensure that their environmental impact is as low as possible: discharging water and bio-residue (sludge) from the purification system; unloading treated bilge water; discharging ballast water; incineration; cleaning the incinerator chimney; incinerator ash; alkaline batteries; ship painting and polishing; used fuel; fuel emissions; opacity; washing the ship and the ship bridge; unloading food waste; unloading pool and spa water; fireworks.
The key words underpinning DLC’s eco-friendly approach to its activity are: keeping records, monitoring, verification, awareness, constant communication.

DOI: 10.15551/lsgdc.v45i0.08