keep doing what we enjoy doing . And we can ’ t let anyone forget that .”
www . boatingindustry . com august 2023 23
brought to you by
View article from Boating Industry here
SUSTAINABILITY IN BOATING
A Suzuki-powered SeaPro runs on EcoGen fuel on its journey from Florida to Washington D . C .
Volunteers with Yamaha Rightwaters show off a days work collecting trash in area waterways .
Marine Business Unit . “ There ’ s still much to be Within the program , Groupe Beneteau will done , and we remain steadfast in our efforts toward assess the CSR performance of its suppliers . carbon neutrality , conservation and sustainability , This assessment covers 21 sustainability criteria all of which remain at the heart of every Yamaha that are grouped into four themes : Environment , Rightwaters initiative .”
Labor & Human Rights , Ethics and Sustainable Earlier this year , Groupe Beneteau announced Procurement . The criteria are weighted depending on the size , business sector and geography of a ramp up of its focus on sustainability on the purchasing side of its CSR ( Corporate Social the company being assessed . Responsibility ) program , B-Sustainable by inviting its suppliers to register on the EcoVadis CSR ward with our commitment to incorporating sus-
“ This initiative represents a major step for-
rating platform . Groupe Beneteau set a target to tainability criteria across our entire supply chain ”, have 50 % of its supplier to be covered by the assessment approach by the end of 2025 . Purchasing . “ We are proud to work with
explains Delphine Planes , Groupe Beneteau VP suppliers
who share our commitment . We are convinced that this initiative will help further strengthen our supply chain and maintain the confidence and trust of our customers and partners .”
And while major goals like total carbon neutrality are huge for not only the industry , but the environment all around , it doesn ’ t happen overnight , nor with one swift action .
“ People that are new to thinking about operating sustainably , often think about it as an overwhelming task , but there is so much that can be tackled in a ‘ small step ’ way ,” Koenig said . “ Just start small , take a broad look at your operation , pick one area in sustainability and drive your focus into that . Once that is rolling , move onto the next small step .”
Koenig explained that Brunswick ’ s philosophy is that sustainability is an integrated part of the business , rather than a separate function . And by enabling sustainable functions across all of the teams across Brunswick , it leads to an overall sustainable operation company wide .
“ A lot of people want to think so big , but it ’ s the little things you do that will make the biggest impact overall ,” NMMA ’ s Wasil added . “ Don ’ t focus on trying to change something so massively overnight . Look at your production process and find ways to minimize small things like cardboard and plastic use or other things along those lines and look for solutions . If we all do those things together as an industry , it will make a huge impact .” very low hours used per year .
Yamaha ’ s Martin Peters indicated that the replacement rate for boats is about 2 % per year and the replacement rate for automobiles is about 20 %. “ If we electrify every single thing – which isn ’ t feasible , but let ’ s say we did – and we were to sell nothing but electrified products , it would still take more than 40 years to achieve carbon neutrality for the recreational fleet ,” Peters said .
With this in mind , the NMMA and a coalition of manufacturers have been directing efforts into the research of renewable or more sustainable fuels for use in marine applications .
At both the 2023 Miami International Boat Show and American Boating Congress , NMMA and industry stake holders hosted an event highlighting sustainable marine fuels . Wasil explained that there are currently three fuels out there ready for use in marine applications – a 100 % renewable diesel fuel , a partially-renewable biologically-derived gasoline and biobutanol .
Suzuki Marine put the EcoGen90 sustainable marine fuel from VP Racing to the ultimate test , leading up to the 2023 American Boating Congress . The team at Suzuki embarked on a 940-mile journey from Florida up to Washington D . C . aboard a 26-foot Sea Pro fueled exclusively by the EcoGen90 .
“ We undertook this voyage in support of NM- MA ’ s initiative to educate and inform the industry , policy makers and the boating public about alter-
Moving beyond electric
Recycling shipping materials and beyond have been a starting point for many manufacturers in sustainability .
While the push to explore electric power sources has been a high focus across not just the recreational marine industry , but many around it , the marine industry is exploring a variety of other sustainable sources to better boating ’ s environmental impact .
But before we dive into those new efforts across the industry , it ’ s important to set the stage for boating ’ s current impact .
At this point in time , recreational marine accounts for 0.7 % of all transportation CO2 emissions . And in addition to that , boating accounts for just ½ of 1 % of gasoline use in the United States .
“ Just because our impact numbers are small as an industry and recreation activity , we still need to do our part and work toward sustainable solutions ,” NMMA ’ s Wasil told Boating Industry .
Another important note is that there are roughly 12 million registered powerboats in the U . S . right now . And compared to the automotive lifespan , boats have a very long , useful life , with
www . boatingindustry . com powered boats across American today , so these new fuels offer a real opportunity for boaters and the boating industry to make an impact and lessen our environmental footprint . Not only are these fuels formulated with renewable content , but they also produce substantially fewer emissions and even provide boaters with enhanced performance and reliability . This is a win-win for boaters , the industry , and the environment .”
Wasil explained that NMMA is continuing to work with all of the industry ’ s leading manufacturers to explore sustainable marine fuel options as a means to decarbonize the existing boating fleet across the U . S .
“ Our job as an association is to bring the entire industry together to help solve common issues and problems . Approaching sustainability in our industry with a collective voice is what ’ s really important ,” Wasil said .
“ We need to keep evolving within relationships across the industry and beyond , because relationships are very important and are what allow us to share information and insights to continue moving all of us forward into a better future ,” Peters said .
Challenges ahead Despite successes and a variety of goals in place , there ’ s always room to grow . And as with most things – especially compared to other industries – sustainability in the marine space comes with
SUSTAINABILITY IN BOATING
The NMMA has been presenting around the US with partners on renewable and sustainable fuels . to be more sustainable , but one of the biggest challenges I see is that some states have a lot of support for renewable energy and some of them don ’ t ,” Yamaha ’ s Peters said . “ The regulations and the support for certain activities are all different from state to state . And that ’ s what I see as one of the biggest challenges , because the marine industry is spread across to just about every state in this country .”
However , industry advocates are working toward new levels of sustainability and a better understanding of regulations and support from legislation day in and day out .
“ We have to make sure that we know our members of congress in the districts where we ’ re located . We have to make sure that we advocate . We have to make sure that we build relationships at the state and federal level ,” Peters said . “ We cannot afford to not be active in these areas .”
Whether by a top-down overhaul of the way you do business , or implementing small changes step-bystep , our industry is banding together on sustainable efforts for a better tomorrow and to ensure our waterways are well-preserved for all to enjoy .
“ Success breeds success , so when you accomplish sustainability goals and milestones it only further fuels both your individual organization and the entire industry to continue forward in a sustainable journey ,” Brunswick ’ s Koenig said .
“ This is something that we have to educate
22 august 2023
native marine fuels ,” said George “ Gus ” Blakely , Suzuki Marine Executive Vice President Sales & Service . “ There are roughly 12 million gasoline its own set of challenges from a harsh operating environment to various regulations and more .
“ I think everyone is aware of the drive and need people about , the continued need for conservation . It ’ s a drum that we have to keep pounding ,” Peters added . “ The fundamental idea behind sustainability is we need the resource ( s ) to be able to
MEET
OUR TEAM
B R O K E R A G E S E R V I C E S
PROUD PARTNERS OF :
POWERSPORTS BUSINESS ACCELERATE CONFERENCE
November 5 - 7 , 2023 Dallas , Texas
AIMEXPO POWERSPORTS TRADESHOW
February 6 - 8 , 2024 Las Vegas , Nevada
For a confidential consultation and complimentary estimate of value on your business , please contact us :
Harley-Davidson & Powersports Division George C . Chaconas , Senior Partner , CBI / M & AMI Office : 813 . 569 . 6250 | Cell : 813 . 245 . 2535 Email : george @ performancebrokerageservices . com Address : 2102 West Cleveland Street , Tampa , Florida 33606
NORTH AMERICA ’ S HIGHEST VOLUME DEALERSHIP BROKERAGE FIRM 949 . 461 . 1372 • PERFORMANCEBROKERAGESERVICES . COM