ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN MANUFACTURING
Mercury Marine has used 100 % recycled content for more than a decade to cast engine parts in its
Fond du Lac manufacturing facility. and about 1 % are in rigid plastic packaging – a target for certain state mandates requiring increased recycled content.
“ With Europe’ s Extended Producer Responsibility( EPR) directive and emerging U. S. state requirements regarding plastic packaging, reducing plastic packaging has become a big topic,” Koenig said. Manufacturers in other power-products industries are looking at EPR practices, working to stay ahead of potential government mandates.
Across the Lowrance and Simrad businesses, sustainable packaging is standard. Exterior primary product packaging is made from cardboard or paper, styrofoam is replaced by compostable materials and plastic bags are replaced with water-soluble polymer bags.
“ Yamaha Motor has a commitment to zero waste by 2050. A big part of what’ s between us and that goal is plastic,” Grier shared.“ Right now, across the globe, about 80 % of our waste is diverted from the landfill and we are continuously looking for ways to increase that number. That includes activities like the work at our manufacturing facilities and our engine cover recycling program.”
Sustainable materials
Dedicated to using recycled and sustainable materials in its boats,“ We’ ve prioritized efforts that address materials with the largest mass, or those that are most carbon intensive,” Koenig said.“ For example, all Brunswick fiberglass boats have transitioned from using balsa wood in structural core components to a material called Kerdyn, which is made from recycled plastic bottles.”
The company has also worked with its supply chain to increase the use of recycled content in aluminum. In 2024, about 40 % of the aluminum used in Brunswick’ s aluminum boat brands was sourced from recycled content.
Lund Boats is transitioning to a sustainable material, working towards a wood free lineup.“ We also continue to work with partners towards developing an alternative to fiberglass and resins that meet the performance specifications for the harsh conditions under which boats operate,” Koenig said.
Mercury Marine has used 100 % recycled content to cast engine parts at its Fond du Lac facility for more than a decade. The recycled content in aluminum components manufactured outside of the U. S. for larger horsepower engines increased from 26 % in 2021 to 34 % in 2024.
Yamaha currently uses cellulose nanofiber( CNF), a sustainable material derived from renewable wood sources, in its jet boat and WaveRunner lineups, and for the covers of its 1.9-liter engines.“ It’ s the one we’ ve made the most progress with,” Grier explained.“ On the motorsports side, the same material has been used in other applications, so as far as bringing it further, I can’ t speak to that, but it wouldn’ t surprise me.”
www. boatingindustry. com july / august 2025
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