OPEN LETTER to YACHT OWNERS
Dear Yacht Owners & Family Offices,
All New Year Resolutions encourage us to reflect on our achievements and focus on doing better for the future.
The Water Revolution Foundation would like to support you in your “Yachting Resolutions” towards more sustainable sailing, with what we think are fundamental goals for owners and the industry alike.
We would like to share with you and recommend the following four steps focused on superyachts delivering a more positive impact:
1. Assess your yacht’s environmental performance.
The Yacht Environmental Transparency Index (YETI) recognises yacht owners for their efforts and investments in more environmentally-friendly vessels. As the first industry-developed tool, designed to voluntarily benchmark all yachts against a target reference line, it is the result of 5 years of research dedicated to help owners and managers understand their yacht’s efficiency compared to the rest of the fleet, and explore tangible improvements. Obtaining a YETI score is very easily done.
3. Commit 0.5% of your yacht’s annual budget to Ocean Conservation
Everything on planet Earth relies on the health of the oceans, and yachting is no exception. Let’s be true ocean stewards and structurally dedicate 0.3-0.5% of the annual yacht operational budget to restoring ocean health. For example, our Ocean Assist Programme is yachting’s first collective marine conservation and blue carbon capture fund sustained by an independent scientific advisory board. Funds allocated to the significant projects result in certified “Ocean Assist Units” that you can apply to your yacht’s ESG status.
4. Investigate the benefits of alternative fuels, such as HVO, as the cleaner future fuel for your yacht.
Ask your Yacht Master / Manager to look into replacing fossil Diesel with Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as your clean and smart fuel, without any modification needed, reducing your impact on the planet.