The impact of EU Green Claims legislation for the superyacht industry

by Water Revolution Foundation | 27 Mar 2024 | Insights

Authors: Awwal Idris (Environmental Expert, Water Revolution) & Nikos Avlonas (President, Center for Sustainability & Excellence)

It’s increasingly common for buyers to encounter advertisements promoting products as sustainable or eco-friendly. Such claims, often referred to as “green claims,” are being noticed in the yachting industry as well. With numerous producers, manufacturers, and suppliers eager to gain a marketing edge by labeling their products as green or sustainable, the new Green Claims Directive will influence how companies, also in the superyacht and maritime sectors, can communicate about the environmental credentials of their products or services. This new directive seeks to eliminate the deceptive practice known as greenwashing.

Addressing greenwashing with the Green Claims Directive

Greenwashing is a trend where companies deceive consumers with exaggerated or misleading environmental claims to influence their purchasing decisions. To address this issue, the European Union has introduced the Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices (Directive 2005/29/EC). This legal framework aims to safeguard consumers from deceptive green marketing tactics, and would also impact the superyacht industry in a number of ways.

Many EU member states have already integrated the provisions of the Green Claims Directive into their national laws and regulatory frameworks related to consumer protection and advertising standards. However, the extent to which these laws are enforced and the effectiveness of enforcement mechanisms can differ between countries.

How it could impact the superyacht industry

Clarity in Advertising: The directive would require that any environmental claims made by superyacht manufacturers or sellers be clear, accurate, and substantiated. This means that vague or exaggerated claims about a yacht’s environmental friendliness would be prohibited, reducing the potential for greenwashing.

Increased Accountability: Superyacht companies would need to provide evidence to support any environmental claims they make about their products. This could include data on emissions, fuel efficiency, use of sustainable materials, or any other eco-friendly features. This increased level of accountability would prevent companies from engaging in greenwashing.

Consumer Protection: The directive aims to protect consumers from being misled by false or exaggerated environmental claims. Superyacht buyers would have more confidence that the environmental benefits touted by manufacturers are genuine, leading to better informed purchasing decisions.

Reputation Management: Superyacht companies found to be engaging in greenwashing could face damage to their reputation and credibility. With increased scrutiny and regulations in place, companies would be incentivized to ensure their environmental claims are accurate to maintain trust among consumers and stakeholders.

Shift towards Genuine Sustainability: The directive could drive a shift towards genuine sustainability efforts within the superyacht industry. Companies may invest more in environmentally friendly technologies, materials, and practices to differentiate themselves in the market without resorting to greenwashing tactics.

Moving forward

Overall, the Green Claims Directive will likely have a positive impact on reducing greenwashing in the superyacht industry by promoting transparency, accountability, and genuine environmental stewardship. Third-party proofing of claimed sustainability credentials will shape the communication practices of the superyacht industry in 2024 and beyond, and all communication experts in Europe may need to attend courses in order to educate themselves on the legal risks of greenwashing.

Assessing environmental impact through water scarcity footprint

by Laurie Foulon | 5 Mar 2024 | Insights

When we talk about footprint, do you think carbon? We tell you all about the Water Scarcity Footprint which is also used to assess a yacht’s environmental impact, in Part 4 of our Environmental Indicators series! (find Part One to Three of our Series starting here).

Water stands as one of the planet’s most precious resources, serving as an indispensable element vital for sustaining life. It plays a pivotal role in supporting human existence and maintaining biodiversity, crucial ecosystem functions, upon which we all rely. Therefore, it is imperative to measure water consumption in product manufacturing to identify processes that utilise significant amounts of water and to explore solutions for ensuring its efficient use.

The water scarcity footprint helps assess how particular water use contributes to or exacerbates water scarcity in a given area. We assess this impact by considering the quantity of water consumption and the water stress index (WSI) of the region from where the water is extracted, to determine the impact of freshwater consumption in view of its deprivation potential.

Water Stress Index for yachting

In yacht manufacturing for example, water consumption is significantly high for the extraction and production of materials. The amount of water consumed when producing yacht-building material is more than double than during the operating phase of the yacht. Further, hull construction requires water in various stages such as composite-moulding process, curing resins, and more. While these stages do not use large volumes of water individually, they become high over the course of yacht production. The water stress index can thus be an important metric in quantifying how much water is consumed and identifying hotspots where efforts to minimise water use can be implemented.

The Water Stress Index takes into account factors like available water resources, population, and industrial demand for water in that area. Of course, water resource exploitation may have a different impact depending on the extraction area.

Water scarcity impact

If the water scarcity impact is high, it indicates that your product or solution is exerting considerable strain on an already water-stressed region. Consequently, it may be prudent to explore more sustainable water sourcing or conservation measures to mitigate one’s heightened environmental damage. Conversely, if the water scarcity impact is low, it suggests that your product or solution exercises a relatively minor impact on water scarcity in that region, which can be a positive indicator of sustainability.

The indicators for WSI reflect the cumulative amount of direct and indirect emissions to help us understand how a product or solution’s water use might impact water shortages.

Learn more

Get in touch with us at info@waterrevolutionfoundation.org to find out more about the scientific methodology used within our programmes and how you can get involved. Stay tuned to hear about the remaining indicator: the EcoPoint!

Measuring direct emissions into the atmosphere

by Laurie Foulon | 23 Dec 2023 | Insights

Welcome to part three of our series on guiding you through Environmental Indicators relevant to a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology (find Part One of our Series here: Climate Change indicators and Part Two here: impact on human health).

Emissions with direct effect on human and planet health can be released in the atmosphere via acid deposition (Nitrogen Oxides), combustion of fuels containing sulfur (Sulfur Oxides), or release of coarse particles into the air (PM10). All three indicators have an impact locally (on human health) and regionally (resulting in modification of the environment). We know too well the impacts of bad air quality on human health, and these indicators are therefore critical in our measurement of solutions on air pollution.

Let’s take a closer look:

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

NOX are a group of highly reactive gases produced by various natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) sources. They strongly affect the air quality in our immediate surroundings, leading to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter (resulting in POP – see Part 2 here), and contributing to acid rain or deposition, ozone depletion, and eutrophication of soil and water (for more on eutrophication of oceans, read our Part 2 here).

We know that the subsequent impacts of acid deposition and eutrophication onour soil and water can be significant, having adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems in rivers and lakes, damage to forests, crops and other vegetation. Furthermore, by contributing to the formation of atmospheric aerosols and particulate matter, NOx emissions can lead to the formation of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and affects human respiratory systems. When the environment is affected by NOx, it results in Summer smog, Winter smog, and Acidification in the environment impacted by its release.

Sulphur dioxide (SO2)

Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a colourless gas with a pungent odour, released into the atmosphere from both natural sources, such as volcanic eruptions, and anthropogenic (human-caused) sources emitted by the combustion of fuels containing sulphur. 

Sulphur dioxide is a pollutant that contributes to acid deposition, which, in turn, can lead to potential changes in soil and water quality (eutrophication due to excessive nutrient input, as discussed above). Its effects can be counterbalanced by implementing flue gas desulfurization systems in power plants, and regulations on emissions from transportation sources. Winter smog and acidification are among the results of its presence in our atmosphere.

Particulates (PM10)

Dust from roads, farms, dry riverbeds, construction sites, and mines are types of PM10: particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less. These are coarse (bigger) particles, which can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat. While fine (smaller) particles (PM2.5) are more dangerous and penetrate into the deep parts of your lungs — or even into your blood, it is important to measure the level of PM10 into the surrounding air.

Scientists have defined that a level of PM10 below 12 μg/m3 is considered healthy with little to no risk from exposure. If the level goes to or above 35 μg/m3 during a 24-hour period, the air becomes unhealthy, causing a risk exposure for people with existing breathing issues such as asthma or lung diseases.

With deposits accumulating onto surfaces, including vegetation, soil, and water bodies, PM10 also impacts soil erosion, water quality, aquatic life cycles, and can carry contaminants into ecosystems. It can lead to winter smog.

Learn more

Get in touch with us at info@waterrevolutionfoundation.org to find out more about the scientific methodology used within our programmes and how you can get involved.

Discover the other indicators here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

Evaluating impact with Environment & Human Health Indicators

by Laurie Foulon | 31 Oct 2023 | Insights

We continue our series on guiding you through Environmental Indicators relevant to a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, this time diving into factors with a direct effect on the environment & human health (find part one of our series here: Climate Change indicators).

These indicators help assess the impact from three different aspects: the reaction of sunlight with emissions from fossil fuel combustion, the retreat of oxygen in freshwater systems and the consequential suffocation of its fauna and flora, and the reduction in the pH of the ocean. Let’s take a closer look:

Photochemical Oxidation Potential (POP)

On Earth, pollution mixed with heat and sunlight creates a concentration of Ozone (O3 gaz) in the atmosphere (stratosphere + troposphere). This gaseous element, when released in the stratosphere, acts like sunscreen for all living organisms, shielding the Earth’s surface from most of the sun’s UV light (unless it creates depletion in the atmospheric layer, see here for Ozone Depletion Potential). 

However, when this concentration remains at ground level in the troposphere, it affects the air that we breathe as humans and therefore starts becoming a health hazard. When inhaled, ozone reacts chemically with many biological molecules in the respiratory tract, leading to a number of adverse health effects.

We call this secondary air pollution Photochemical oxidation, also known as Summer Smog. Chemically speaking, photo-oxidant formation is a photochemical creation of reactive substances: it is formed in the atmosphere by nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight, often the consequence of emissions from fossil fuel combustion. POP calculates the destructive effects of ozone in the troposphere over a time horizon of 100 years.

Eutrophication Potential (EP)

Eutrophication calculates the destructive effects of ammonia, nitrates, nitrogen oxides and phosphorus (emitted in air and waters) on freshwater systems. In inland waters, it is one of the major factors that determine the ecological quality of an aquatic environment.

This process of pollution occurs when a lake or stream becomes over-rich in plant nutrient – as a consequence, phytoplankton increases, and the water becomes overgrown in algae and other aquatic plants. The plants die and decompose, robbing the water of oxygen so that ultimately the lake, river, or stream becomes lifeless.

While eutrophication occurs naturally in freshwater systems, man-made eutrophication occurs over millions of years and is caused by organic pollutants from man’s activities, like effluents from industries and homes.

Acidification Potential (AP)

Acidification is an environmental problem caused by acidified rivers/streams and soil due to anthropogenic air pollutants such as ammonia, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide. When acids are emitted, the pH factor falls and acidity increases, which for example can involve the widespread decline of coniferous forests and dead fishes in lakes in Scandinavia.

In the ocean, we define acidification as a reduction of the pH over an extended period of time, and it is caused primarily by an uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere: the ocean absorbs the extra amount of CO2 emitted in our atmosphere. We are already observing this change in the deep ocean, especially at high latitudes.

It affects marine organisms, with a consequence on the ecosystems they belong to in and above water: disrupting the food chain (increase of the mobilisation and the leaching behaviour of heavy metals in soil), altered prey availability (for example, krill for whales), impact on habitats (lower pH destroys coral reefs), but also the amplification of noise pollution by a modification of the underwater acoustics.

As an indicator, Acidification Potential calculates the impact of the potential change in acidity in the soil due to the atmospheric deposition of sulfates, nitrates, phosphates, and other compounds.

Learn more

Get in touch with us at info@waterrevolutionfoundation.org to find out more about the scientific methodology used within our programmes and how you can get involved.

Discover the other indicators here: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.

Assessing environmental impact with Climate Change indicators

by Water Revolution Foundation | 12 Sep 2023 | Insights

Within the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, 10 environmental indicators are used to evaluate the impact of superyachts, beginning with those related to climate change. 

These indicators measure the effect on the climate, specifically the Greenhouse effect, from two different perspectives: one considers the emission of greenhouse gases such as methane, CO2, and nitrous oxide, while the other examines chemical compounds relevant for Ozone layer depletion.

Global Warming Potential
The Earth receives energy from the sun through solar radiation, with about half of this energy being absorbed by the earth’s surface. The other half is reflected back into the atmosphere as infrared radiation or heat. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap this radiation in the atmosphere, thereby heating the Earth. Consequently, the more GHGs that are present in the atmosphere, the warmer the Earth’s temperature becomes. This process is known as the greenhouse effect.

In order to make meaningful comparisons between GHGs, scientists have adopted CO2 as the benchmark for measuring their heat-trapping abilities. CO2 is a clear, odourless gas produced during carbon combustion and in the respiration of living organisms. The heat-trapping potential of a gas, measured against CO2 over a fixed period, is known as Global Warming Potential (GWP). CO2 is used as a benchmark to measure the GWP of substances, which is expressed in kg of CO2eq. 

Ultimately, GWP evaluates the potential impact of different gaseous emissions on climate change by calculating the radiative force over a 100-year time horizon. 

Ozone Depletion Potential
In the stratosphere, an ozone-rich layer called the Ozone layer exists. The formation of the ozone hole is directly linked to the stratosphere’s temperature. Once temperatures drop below -78°C, polar stratospheric clouds tend to form, exacerbating ozone depletion over both of the Earth’s hemispheres. 

The Ozone layer acts like sunscreen for all living organisms, shielding the Earth’s surface from most of the sun’s UV light. Its depletion could cause serious damage for humans, animals, plants and materials. Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) calculates these destructive effectives over a time horizon of 100 years. 

Learn more
Get in touch with us at info@waterrevolutionfoundation.org to find out more about the scientific methodology used within our programmes and how you can get involved.

Discover the remaining indicators here: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.