The cruise line is the first to sign the UK Chamber of Shippings new initiative, which goes beyond targets set by the UK government.
The new charter attempts to precede government targets on the eradication of single use plastics by aiming to scrap such items by the end of 2021.
In its 2019 Sustainability report, MSC Cruises revealed that in 2019, their ships eliminated 97 million items of plastic from service after identifying nearly 40,000 different single-use plastic items in its hotel operations, shops, restaurants and kitchens.
Nearly 20 million plastic straws were replaced in the following year, with nine million compostable straws, plastic coverings for over 10,000 sunbeds were removed and 12 tons of plastic packaging for detergents were replaced with eco-friendly alternatives.
MSC Cruises' director of sustainability, Linden Coppell, said: ?We are honoured to be one of the charter?s first signatories and we applaud the UK Chamber of Shipping in launching its initiative. The pledge goes beyond the UK Government?s commitment to ban single plastic items which we hope will encourage more organisations to do more to combat what is of real global concern. According to research by the British government, 80% of plastic enters the marine environment from land-based sources, especially via rivers, but clearly all of us in the shipping community must play our part.?
The pledge was revealed during MSC Cruises' 'Single-Use Plastic in the Marine Environment' webinar, hosted by the UK Chamber of Shipping on December 15 from 10am.
