New research by Leeds Metropolitan University reveals that the cruise industry is ignoring its corporate social responsibility towards the environment, society and the destinations they visit.
The study, published this month in the journal Tourism Management, analyses the industry’s lack of corporate social disclosure and ranks companies through analysis of their corporate social responsibility reports and websites to provide the first cruise sector sustainability reporting index.
Sixty five per cent of the eighty cruise companies worldwide which were analysed do not mention corporate social responsibility on their websites, and only twelve brands publish corporate social reports- belonging to only four companies: Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean International, TUI and Disney Cruises.
More Must Be Done about Discharges
The report highlights that more must be done by the cruise industry in terms of the environmental impact of cruise ships’ discharges, as cruises usually operate in highly valued coastal water and marine ecosystems. The researchers point out that anti-fouling coatings, ballast water and sewage water all need to be addressed, especially since most is not (yet) or insufficiently covered by regulation.
Socio-Economic Impact
The study also examined the socio-economic impact of the cruise industry and highlighted previous research which reported evidence of frequent violation rights for disadvantaged groups including charges for medical examinations, visas, transport and administration putting cruise industry workers into a level of debt that cannot be repaid and is comparable to forced labour.
It also noted that there is limited public data to sustain the claim that cruise industry contributes to the economy by creating jobs and contributing to the local economy of the destinations visited. In fact, low spend cruisers are considered unproductive given the costs incurred by their impact. Additionally, earnings by the supply chain are limited, as the requirements for the cruise are complex, requiring larger number of forecasted supply.
