Sustainability and the cruise industry: a triple bottom line assessment of the North American cruise lines

Abstract

The global cruise industry has experienced an unparalleled growth rate of 2,100% since its primary inception in 1970. Additionally, the North American cruise industry serviced an estimated 13.2 million cruise passengers in 2008. Parallel with the industry’s remarkable size and growth, the industry is accompanied with a pressing environmental and social footprint. Waste discharges, air emissions, pollution, and coral reef damage as well as labor and human rights issues have been among the many publicized adverse impacts of the cruise industry. It is often asked, "Can the cruise industry successfully address sustainability through the Triple Bottom Line? What approaches do the cruise lines adopt in managing for environmental and social impacts?" Emerging on the horizon is new movement of sustainability management—the Triple Bottom Line. This business theory seeks a holistic management approach of addressing economic, social and environmental bottom lines. As a more narrowed technique of sustainability management, the Triple Bottom Line rests on the concept that a healthy corporation will not gain profit and economic prosperity, without equitable and environmentally sustainable business practices. While sustainability and the Triple Bottom Line movement began as a voluntary approach to corporate management, the movement is increasingly becoming a convention of competitive businesses. This research proposes the advancement of the Triple Bottom Line in cruise line management and seeks to reveal what actions are currently being executed to manage for the Triple Bottom Line in the cruise industry. This thesis first seeks to thoroughly map the Triple Bottom Line and relevant sustainability metrics of the North American cruise industry and proposes the use of a Triple Bottom Line scorecard. Second, this research includes cruise customer survey results that highlight the influence of Triple Bottom Line sustainability management on cruise customer purchasing decisions. Lastly, this research includes an assessment of three cruise lines and evaluates their placement on a sustainability continuum (Willard, 2005). The purpose of this research is to highlight the application of the Triple Bottom Line management in the North American cruise industry and to motivate further research of sustainability management in the maritime industry.