SUSTAINABILITY IN BOATING ustainability has become quite the buzz word in today ’ s world – both in the recreational boating industry and well beyond . The topic of sustainability and the notion of embracing sustainability is wide-reaching and often tough to narrow down .
Over the last few years , the recreational boating industry has certainly seen an increasing spotlight on sustainability with new team members or departments being created , new manufacturing methods and beyond .
“ There ’ s no standard definition for sustainability . That ’ s the challenge for any organization ,” said Jennifer Koenig , chief sustainability officer at Brunswick Corporation . “ For us , the important thing is to understand where we make the biggest impact and what is most important to our stakeholders and how we can contribute to preserving our waterways .”
Sustainability in manufacturing
When sustainability comes to mind in the boating landscape , many people immediately focus on the end product and user or working toward alternative propulsion types . And while these certainly make up a part of sustainability , they are but a small portion of the focus in the recreational boating industry .
“ Our philosophy is that sustainability is an integrated part of the business , not a separate function ,” Koenig said . “ By enabling sustainable functions across all of our teams , it leads to an overall sustainable operation company-wide .”
THE U . S . NATIONAL BLUEPRINTS FOR TRANSPORTATION DECARBONIZATION
1 icon represents limited long-term opportunity 2 icons represents large long-term opportunity 3 icons represents greatest long-term opportunity
Light Duty Vehicles ( 49 %) * Medium , Short-Haul Heavy Trucks & Buses (~ 14 %) Long-Haul Heavy Trucks (~ 7 %) Off-Road ( 10 %) Rail ( 2 %) Maritime ( 3 %) Recreational Marine ( 0.7 %) Aviation ( 11 %) Pipelines ( 4 %) ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
RD & D PRIORITIES
BATTERY / ELECTRIC
• Stationary battery use
• Grid support ( managed EV charging )
• National battery strategy
• Charging infrastructure
• Grid integration
• Battery recycling
* All emissions shares are for 2019 ** Includes hydrogen for ammonia and methanol
N / A
TBD
HYDROGEN
**
• Heavy industries
• Grid support
• Feedstock for chemicals and fuels
• Electrolyzer costs
• Fuel cell durability & cost
• Clean hydrogen infrastructure
TBD
TBD
SUSTAINABLE LIQUID FUELS
• Decarbonize plastics / chemicals
• Bio-products
• Multiple cost-effective drop-in sustainable fuels
• Reduce ethanol carbon intensity
• Bioenergy scale-up
CHART SOURCE : NMMA
Beach clean-ups make for a great way to bring a team together to protect marine environments .
Across the industry , manufacturers are taking in-depth looks at their production lines , suppliers and everything in between , and implementing a variety of new procedures , materials and more to make their operations more sustainable and environmentally-friendly .
“ There ’ s a ton more to sustainability than just what comes out of a tailpipe or lack thereof – everything from production to suppliers to manufacturing , there are so many ways you can minimize CO2 emissions aside from the product use itself ,” NMMA ’ s director of environment , health and safety compliance Jeff Wasil told Boating Industry .
Many manufacturers across the recreational boating industry – both large and small alike – are implementing and working toward a variety of sustainability-focused goals .
In its 2022 Sustainability Report – released in May 2023 – Brunswick Corp . announced a 13 % reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions instensity and established a strategic framework to include a 30 % reduction target for Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2025 .
Similarly , roughly one year ago , Yamaha Motor Corporation – not just marine – announced it has its sights set on making its manufacturing processes within Scope 1 and Scope 2 completely carbon neutral by 2035 .
“ The efforts we made within the last year are laying the groundwork for the future , ensuring the next generation can continue to enjoy healthy , thriving waterways and fisheries ,” said Martin Peters , Director , External Affairs , Yamaha U . S .
www . boatingindustry . com august 2023
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