Biodiversity disclosure in the cruise industry: empirical research challenges

ABSTRACT

This study aims to discover the sustainable initiatives and practices adopted on-board cruise ships to protect and preserve marine biodiversity. Specifically, it focuses on waste issues to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 of the UN 2030 Agenda for mitigating marine biodiversity loss. Using a single-case study methodology, Carnival Corporation Plc’s sustainability behaviour has been investigated through both automated and manual content analysis of its sustainability reports (2020–2021–2022) and website. The results outline the waste management systems (SDG12) adopted on-board cruise ships to overcome marine biodiversity loss. At the same time, the extent of the benefits of these systems on marine biodiversity remains unquantified in the biodiversity disclosure within the Carnival Corporation Plc’s sustainability reporting according to international environmental standards. This study contributes to the cruise tourism literature focusing on the under-investigated positive impact of waste management systems on biodiversity.

KEYWORDS:

• Marine biodiversity
• waste management systems
• automated and manual content analysis
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
• Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by University Parthenope, Naples, Italy, Research Financial Resources, “Ministero dell’Universitì e della Ricerca con Decreto Ministeriale del 25.06.2021 n. 737 for research project entitled Transizione digitale per Modelli di Business Sostenibili e Resilienti nell’interfaccia nave-porto verso l’Agenda 2030 – P.I. Prof. Dr. Assunta Di Vaio” [737]. This work is an outcome of the "Blue Shipping & Cruise Lab" (BSCLab), Department of Law, University of Naples "Parthenope".