Norwegian, JUST Goods to Eliminate Single-use Plastic Bottles

Norwegian Cruise Line announced its partnership with JUST Goods, Inc., which will enable the cruise line to replace all single-use plastic bottles across its fleet by January 1, 2020, beginning with its newest innovative ship, Norwegian Encore.

In 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line eliminated single-use plastic straws across its 16-ship fleet and private destinations, and as a result of this most recent initiative, it will replace more than 6 million single-use plastic bottles every year. These efforts are driven by the company's Sail & Sustain Environmental Program, which commits to minimize waste to landfills, reduce its CO2 emissions rate, increase sustainable sourcing and invest in emerging technologies.

"We are a leading company—one that is in the business of creating memorable experiences for our guests," said Andy Stuart, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, in a statement. "It is imperative that we take meaningful steps to preserve our oceans and the destinations we visit. Partnering with JUST is one of my proudest moments, as the head of our pioneering brand. This latest effort—the elimination of single-use plastic bottles across our fleet—is just the latest environmentally responsible action we are taking to reduce our footprint and encourage others to protect our natural resources. While we are aware that this is just the beginning of what we and others need to do to be good stewards of our environment, we are committed to our Sail & Sustain initiatives and will continue to innovate for the overall benefit of the planet and its future."

Envisioned and founded by American rapper, songwriter, actor and activist Jaden Smith and family, JUST takes an innovative approach to sourcing and packaging the world's most valued resource: water. The company focuses on an impact model, taking into consideration both how the water is sourced and packaged. JUST is 100 percent spring water in a plant-based carton. The carton is made of 82 percent renewable materials—the paper carton is made from trees grown in responsibly managed forests, and the cap and shoulder are made from a sugarcane-based plastic. It is refillable and recyclable. JUST has a global presence with bottling facilities in Glenn Falls, N.Y.; Ballymena, Northern Ireland; and Ballarat, Australia.

"It's critical that businesses take a leading role in efforts to lighten the impact we have on our planet," said JUST Goods, Inc. CEO Ira Laufer in a statement. "We created JUST to do just that—to be a better option in a category that has created a lot of the damage and continues to do so. The JUST team couldn't be happier to now share this goal with our partner, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). We're deeply appreciative of Norwegian's commitment that's so similar to ours—the company is pushing the boundaries of what's always been done because it knows we all need to do better. We're thrilled to be taking steps in the right direction alongside NCL."