Riviera Travel, the parent company of Riviera River Cruises, has announced the implementation of a new environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.
The company has pledged to halve its use of paper and plastic by 2025 and reduce its carbon footprint by 20% by 2028. Riviera Travel said it will also issue a new ethics policy and sustainability checklist to its suppliers and partner with a charity that works with communities to develop solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy.
“At Riviera, we’re committed to sustainable, ethical and responsible travel,” said Marilyn Conroy, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing North America for Riviera River Cruises. “While we recognize we don’t have all the answers, we consider this the starting point for the next part of our company’s voyage. We’re determined to deliver on our pledges, and we look forward to working with others in the industry to bring about change.”
Calling its strategy “Doing the right thing,” the company is focusing its efforts on four areas – sustainability, carbon footprint, ethical operations and charity.
Among the pledges made by Riviera Travel as part of the strategy are:
- Halving the use of paper and plastic mainly by switching to electronic documents and brochures. Clients will still be able to receive printed brochures if desired.
- Reducing its carbon footprint by 20% by partnering with an environmental consultant to measure its footprint, offering more vegetarian and vegan meal options, and using greener energy sources aboard its ships.
- Issuing a new ethics policy and sustainability checklist to its suppliers that covers labour standards, human rights, animal welfare and renewable energy.
- And, through its new charity partner Practical Action, donating 1 GBP (CAD $1.64) for every client booked in 2024 and beyond, hoping to raise 100,000 GBP (CAD $163,950) per year to clean up rivers and reduce waste in Kenya.
Riviera River Cruises offers 22 itineraries on 10 European rivers and waterways annually.
More information on Riviera River Cruises' website.
