Engagement and Education for our customer and our employees
We educate and empower our colleagues to identify and deliver on sustainability initiatives within our base and our office locations. As well as providing opportunities for our customers to experience a yachting holiday in a sustainable way.
Our OCEAN Promise identifies our 5 core pillars of focus. Below you will find more information around Engagement & Education initiatives:
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Brand Ambassadors and Partners
Selecting the right partners who share our core values is of utmost importance to us. That’s why we place great emphasis on aligning with like-minded individuals and organizations.
Dee Caffari
Our Sunsail brand ambassador, Dee Caffari, has made significant contributions in raising awareness about microplastics and ocean health. As a company, we prioritise action on waste reduction and actively engaging our customers in sustainability initiatives. Having a brand ambassador like Dee, who shares our passion and dedication to these causes, is crucial in amplifying our efforts and making a positive impact. Dee’s commitment and expertise greatly contribute to our ongoing focus on waste management and customer engagement in sustainability.
Check out Dee Caffari’s guide on how to reduce single-use plastic on your sailing holiday:
Staff Education and Engagement
Encouraging a more sustainable workplace
We genuinely want to create a fantastic company for customers to travel with and workplace for our staff, that is enjoyable and reflects the inspiring experiences that our brands and locations offer. However, we must ensure our approach to sustainability spurs positive change in the appropriate areas. Therefore, we have taken the time to learn what is essential to our customers, and our employees.
We have an extensive geographic reach, not just in the destinations we offer our customers but at our head offices too. Our locations include, the UK, USA, France, Germany, South Africa, and Australia, so it is crucial that our teams not only hear about sustainability, but also see these practices implemented within their offices. Below are some of the key actions we have taken within our head office locations:
Introduction to Sustainability Induction
As part of our standard induction for all new employees we now have a section that provides an ‘Introduction to Sustainability’. This introduces Our Ocean Promise and demonstrates to all new members of the team that this is an important area of focus for us as a business. It also invites new staff to ask questions about this topic and get involved if this is something they are passionate about. Ensuring our business is sustainable needs to be a priority to all staff no matter their role therefore prompting engagement and education will ensure sustainability is a lens everyone uses within their job.
Monthly Sustainability Newsletter
Our monthly sustainability newsletter highlights the progress we are making in this area. We share key changes from across the whole business, encourage staff to take advantage of their charity days and spotlight some of the great things team members have achieved during their charitable time. The newsletters play a key role in reinforcing a positive outlook, increasing engagement and education, and offering new insight for each employee on how they can make small changes to be more sustainably minded.
Charity Days for Staff
We have taken the time to understand what is important to our people to ensure our approach to sustainability drives positive change in the right areas. As such, as part of our internal engagement & education strategy, our people policies and processes underpin our ethos by creating a work environment that supports finding the right talent and rewarding and developing them in the right way to be the best that they can be for customers and clients.
So, we offer each employee up to 2 paid working days to go out and support the charity of their choice, whether it be a team or solo initiative – we are proud to support our staff in getting involved.
This wonderful initiative has been in place for more than 15 years. We have a list of how our global teams have utilised their charity days over the years, and continue to encourage more staff to take advantage of these days and give back.
A flavour of the kind of things our teams have been involved in over the years:
- Beach clean ups all over the world
- Volunteering in homeless shelters
- Skydives for charity
- Donating time to support our base teams after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Dorian
- Art project in South Africa
- Running the London Marathon
- Cycle races across the country
And many more…
Top Tips for our Customers When out on the Water
We all have an essential part to play in ensuring a sustainable future for our planet’s oceans, and the good news is there are things you can do on your next charter getaway to help ensure our seas can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Read more on eco-friendly sailing here:
- 10 tips for eco-friendly sailing | Sunsail
- How to Reduce Single-Use Plastic on Your Sailing Holiday | Sunsail
Sustainability Awards
Wanderlust’s Travel Green List 2024
We are incredibly proud to announce that just 2 years on from launching Our Ocean Promise, we have been selected as part of Wanderlust’s Travel Green List for 2024. This list recognises the best tour operators in the sustainability space making a difference. This recognition highlights our commitment to sustainable travel, enabling our customers to experience authentic sailing holidays responsibly.
The Green List is one of a kind, an annual celebration of the most promising and exciting initiatives in the world of sustainability travel for people and the planet. Wanderlust states; “Being part of the list is no small feat: it is a testament to the sincere effort and innovation in caring for how and why we travel.”
The judging panel says the following: The environmental impact of cruises is of growing concern for travellers, so it’s no surprise many are turning to sailing trips to minimise emissions. Even these aren’t always totally eco-friendly, though, particularly when petrol motors or generators are called into action. Sailing tour operators Sunsail and The Moorings have begun replacing their vessels’ outboard motors with electric alternatives – saving an estimated 7,273L of fossil fuel in 2023. And by fitting onboard water purifiers and increasing the generation of solar-powered electricity on boats used for skippered and bareboat yacht and catamaran trips, they’re reducing environmental impacts still further.
We are a proud recipient of this award, and excited to see where we go from here. Read more about the award, and the other recipients on the 2024 Travel Green List here.
WTM Africa 2024 Responsible Tourism Awards
WTM Africa’s Responsible Tourism awards were held on 11 April 2024 at the Cape Town Convention Centre. The awards spotlighted champions in the sustainability space for initiatives truly making a difference. Winners are judged on evidence and impact; the winners are chosen to inspire us all to prioritise sustainability. This recognition at WTM Africa reflects the commitment to responsible practices.
Sunsail and The Moorings achieved a notable accomplishment by securing the ‘One to Watch’ award in the Climate Change category of the Responsible Tourism Awards at the expo.
The judging panel stated: “They have increased their use of solar power and, by replacing traditional engines, reduced their customers’ fuel consumption by around 1.3 gallons per week, saving cumulatively over 1,600 gal/7,273L of fossil fuel in 2023.” We have also been encouraged to enter the further, Rest of the World, regional awards later this year – watch this space.
We are very proud to be a recipient of this award and will continue to work towards growth in this space. Read more about the award, the other recipients, and the categories here.
1st-Place at Southampton Boat Show Environmental Awards – 2023
Building from an outstanding 3rd-place achievement in 2022, in 2023, Sunsail and The Moorings achieved a notable accomplishment by securing the 1st-place in the Exhibitor Environmental Innovation Awards. The awards, now in their fifth year, recognise exceptional exhibitors, who have truly embraced environmentally responsible behaviour and sustainable work practices both at and outside the show, and this year we are pleased to announce it was Sunsail and The Moorings who clinched the winner’s crown.
This recognition can be earned by adopting practices such as designing reusable stands, actively sharing ideas and resources with others, or implementing a comprehensive green exhibiting strategy. The recipient of this award showcases exemplary dedication to promoting sustainability and serves as an inspiration to others in the industry.
“It has been a goal of ours for a number of years to win this award, so we are really proud of what we have achieved. Over the last 12 months since launching our Ocean Promise, we have focused, as a business, on adopting new technologies and ways that enable our customers to travel responsibly. We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised as the number one exhibitor in this area at the show.” – Laura Bowtell, Global Sales Operations and Sustainability Manager, Sunsail, and The Moorings.
“Holidays are a tricky area to be more sustainable, flights and not being able to control how much people motor when on a sailing holiday is a difficult issue to address. However, Sunsail and The Moorings have committed to making this happen and are doing this across a global reach. There are some good changes happening and these are all helping educate their huge audience to be more conscientious.” – Dee Caffari
We are very proud to be a recipient of this award and will continue to work towards growth in this space.
3rd-Place at Southampton Boat Show Environmental Awards – 2022
In 2022, during the Southampton Boat Show, Sunsail achieved a notable accomplishment by securing the third-place position in the environmental awards. This prestigious accolade is presented to exhibitors who demonstrate a strong commitment to environmentally responsible behaviour and sustainable work practices. Sunsail’s dedication to embracing eco-friendly initiatives and promoting sustainable practices within the marine industry has been recognised and commended through this achievement.
The sustainability award is presented to the exhibitor who makes the most significant contribution towards sustainability through their stand and operations at the show. This recognition can be earned by adopting practices such as designing reusable stands, actively sharing ideas and resources with others, or implementing a comprehensive green exhibiting strategy. The recipient of this award showcases exemplary dedication to promoting sustainability and serves as an inspiration to others in the industry.
The mandatory exhibitor obligations include:
- Promoting good environmental practices and sustainability.
- Maximising the use of reusable equipment for stand setup.
- Prohibiting the use of single-use plastic water bottles at exhibitor stands, outlets, and hosted events.
- Eliminating plastic straws from all stands, food outlets, and hosted events during the show.
- Designating a sustainability champion on each exhibitor’s stand to oversee waste management and recycling.
- Providing only sustainable and recyclable promotional giveaways.
- Utilising compostable, recyclable, or reusable plates, cups, and cutlery on exhibitor stands.
- Encouraging the use of e-tickets or QR codes for guest passes, tickets to events, or related activities; if printed, using recycled paper.
- Minimising the use of single-use plastic in all show-related preparations and operations.
- Reducing paper usage and printed materials by utilising QR codes whenever possible.
In 2022, we made remarkable progress in promoting sustainability at our stand. The materials used in constructing our stand are fully recyclable, aligning with our commitment to minimising environmental impact. Moreover, we adopted an eco-friendly printing process for our stand imagery, ensuring low energy consumption during production.
We have embraced a paperless approach, eliminating the use of paper throughout our operations at Southampton Boat Show, and established a partnership with Lost Years Rum, an exceptional spirit’s brand, that deeply aligns with our values, carrying out a significant mission of saving and safeguarding endangered sea turtles.
When serving drinks with our drinks partner, we ensured they were served in compostable cups, while our staff members were equipped with reusable bottles and had access to our water tanks. Throughout the duration of the show, we designated a sustainability champion who was readily available to engage with visitors and discuss our new framework, highlighting our commitment to a greener future.
Furthermore, we used a QR code that customers can scan to access our advice on being socially and environmentally conscious during their charter experience. This valuable resource covers a wide range of topics, including waste reduction and management, as well as guidelines on responsible behaviour around marine life.
This experience led us to recognise the necessity of developing a blueprint for a sustainable trade show. As we participate in shows worldwide, creating a comprehensive “code of conduct” and a list of considerations in this domain has proven essential in establishing consistency across all our engagements. This proactive approach ensures that sustainability remains at the forefront of our operations, regardless of the location or scale of the trade show.
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