Carnival Corporation today announced that it will significantly eliminate its purchase and consumption of non-essential single-use plastics by the end of 2021 in a prepared statement. 

The effort to reduce single-use plastics across its nine global cruise line brands is part of an expansion of Operation Oceans Alive, the corporation’s program to further its ongoing commitment to achieve and sustain environmental compliance and excellence, the company said. 

Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands already have plans under way, including initiatives to reduce or eliminate plastic straws, cups, lids, and bags, among other single-use items. The brands are also working to potentially eliminate individual servings of select packaged food items and other single-use plastics or decorative items used in food and beverage service as well as in staterooms.

The company is immediately focusing on reducing single-use plastic items not used for sanitary or public health-related purposes. As part of the company’s Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) Policy and to comply with national and international regulations governing cruise ship operations, there are some single-use plastic items that cannot be completely eliminated, including plastic trash can liners in common areas and sanitary gloves, among others.

“We recognize that to be a responsible global organization, a good corporate citizen and the environmental leader our guests expect us to be, we need to continue to take proactive measures to ensure sustainability is ingrained in all aspects of our operation across our nine global cruise brands,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer for Carnival Corporation. “Our Operation Oceans Alive platform and this initiative to dramatically reduce single-use plastics across our global fleet are just some of the ways we are committed to continuously enhancing our operations and focus on environmental compliance and excellence. Along with the support of our more than 120,000 dedicated employees, most of whom live and work at sea, we will do our part to preserve and protect the oceans, seas and destinations we visit around the world.”

Added Burke: “We know our guests share our commitment to protecting the world we live in, and we appreciate their support as we continue our ongoing efforts to be proactive stewards, ambassadors and guardians of our environment.”