Carnival Corporation has announced a major milestone in its sustainability drive, revealing it has already exceeded its 2024 target of a 40% reduction in per-person food waste a full year ahead of schedule.
The company reported a 44% reduction compared to 2019 levels and is confident of hitting its long-term target of a 50% reduction by 2030.
The results stem from the company’s ongoing ‘Less Left Over’ food waste reduction strategy, which aims to minimise food and ingredient waste across all its cruise brands.
Since the programme’s inception six years ago, Carnival has saved more than US\$250 million through enhanced food planning, preparation and service practices for the 13.5 million guests it hosts each year.
A combination of real-time analytics, smarter ingredient purchasing, dynamic menu planning, and what the company calls “prep-to-plate operational precision” has helped drive efficiencies throughout its operations.
Chief Executive Josh Weinstein said the progress was delivering wins for both the planet and the company’s financial health.
“[Our strategy] is powered by dozens of large and small programs and technologies across our cruise lines to cut food waste by 50% by 2030,” Weinstein said.
“But more than that, it’s also a global rallying cry that is turning everyday actions into lasting impact by nurturing a shared mindset among our 160,000 talented team members – a mindset that values creativity in delivering amazing meals for our guests and crew while getting the most out of our resources.
The company has also ramped up crew training to encourage team members to take ownership of portion control and waste reduction, empowering them to serve “just right” portions that satisfy guests without excess.
To further tackle waste, Carnival is donating surplus ingredients to a growing network of community food banks and has launched a new upcycling initiative. Examples include converting used coffee grounds into vegan soaps and transforming used cooking oil into biofuels, which are now being used in the company’s land-based tour operations in Alaska.
More than 90 food dehydrators and 630 biodigesters have been installed across Carnival’s global fleet to further reduce onboard waste. These devices use natural bacteria to break down uneaten food and other difficult items into organic pulp, which can be used as compost or offloaded for other sustainable uses.
The company’s broader environmental goals include achieving net carbon-neutral ship operations by 2050 and further expanding its circular waste and resource strategies across its operations.
