The Roadmap 2050: design Sector Targets
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The Roadmap to 2050 is designed to serve as a compass for navigating uncharted waters—together. It outlines a collective, coordinated approach with quantified goals that engage and empower every stakeholder in the yachting industry. By committing to this roadmap, yachting companies can future-proof their operations, not only advancing decarbonisation but also moving towards a regenerative future.
2025
50% of yacht naval architects adopt ISO TS23099 to minimise operational energy 50% of designers submit most commonly used materials for impact quantification
2030
40% of new yachts below YETI reference line
Use 20% recycled and recyclable materials on new & refits
2035
60% of new yachts below YETI reference line
Use 40% recycled and recyclable materials on new & refits
2040
80% of new yachts below YETI reference line
Use 60% recycled and recyclable materials on new & refits
2045
100% of new yachts below YETI reference line
Use 80% recycled and recyclable materials on new & refits
2050
100% of new yachts have YETI score 0
Use 100% recycled and recyclable materials on new & refits
Sector specific targets: Design
Generally, 80% of an object’s impact throughout its life time comes from choices made during this design phase, this also counts for yachts. This goes beyond the pure design, and includes contractual specifications and results of engineering. Main contributors are then hull & superstructure, interior & exterior material type and quantities, engines and equipment, etc.
With the large majority of yachts currently in build still being conventional, the tides are still not turning. Projects currently on the drawing board will therefore need to move away from conventional practices, minimize energy consumption from propulsion and the hotel load first and foremost, and perhaps reconsider specified range and speeds to be more in tune with how yachts are actually being used.
Only then alternative fuels, photovoltaics, wind assistance and other renewable energy sources become viable.
Eco-design should result in regenerative virgin materials, or otherwise through the use of recycled materials and also prepare for their end-of-life and be recyclable again, interiors do generally not last as long as the yacht itself does.
The collective path forward
To effectively track progress, yachting needs a centralised, standardised data monitoring system.
This system should be designed for collective benefit—allowing participants to track their own progress, benchmark it against their peer group and as such contribute to monitor the overall sector trajectory toward net-zero.
Selecting the right KPIs, determining the scope for the data submission to enable comparison, utilising existing sources, and setup a frequent data collection mechanism for monitoring is what needs to happen within 2025 with a critical mass of industry players.