Environment

As a responsible business we are doing everything we can to minimise our environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Keeping it Local

There are plenty of good reasons for a vertically integrated business model. Our boats and components are made in Plymouth, and not only do we make the hull and superstructure of the boat, we also craft our own moulds, using the most efficient modern method of resin infusion, thus producing significantly less wastage. The majority of components are all built in-house, such as electrical wiring looms, furniture etc. This allows us to employ the best skilled craftsmen and gives us control over production supply and ensures the highest design, materials, craftmanship and build quality. The environmental impact is also huge because for a lot of companies the carbon footprint from shipping parts is huge. We are continuing our efforts to keep our impact to a minimum.

Crestomer Waste Update

In commitment to work towards challenging company waste targets and to ensure legislative obligations were being fulfilled, a campaign was developed to improve the disposal of the hazardous product, Crestomer. The campaign focused on improving procedures to prevent wasted product being generated and to ensure its correct and appropriate disposal. In an effort to introduce a positive change in habits, allocated disposal points, competitions and regular briefings with the workforce were applied and created. The workforce was encouraged to squeeze all the product out of the liner bags to reduce unnecessary waste.

After 12 months of regular monitoring through environmental inspections and data analysis, positive progress was recognised across the business with the company saving 1.4 tonnes of Crestomer from 2022. This has saved the product not being wasted and going to energy from waste incineration. All sites worked incredibly hard to achieve this result, the campaign will continue to be monitored with aims to further reduce the amount being wasted.

Life Cycle Assessment - Year 1 and 2 Summary

During the first year of the research project, a major finding was the high variability of the background LCA data for GRP materials, which leads to significant uncertainty and could be counterproductive in LCA comparisons within the industry. There is a strong recommendation to develop a specific database for marine yacht materials that is consensually built and tailored to industry needs. This initiative should aim to standardize data to improve the comparability and reliability of LCAs across the industry.

During the second year of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) project, significant advancements were made in understanding the environmental aspects and impacts throughout the product lifecycle. A detailed analysis allowed for the refinement of the study's system boundaries to better align with its goals and to focus on key environmental aspects. This phase also included the completion of the data inventory phase, where a meticulous materials flow analysis ensured that all inputs and outputs were accounted for.

The findings exposed gaps in understanding specific onsite and offsite environmental aspects, revealing a broader lack of consideration for certain impacts in the manufacturing and operation of GRP yachts. Additionally, challenges encountered during the data inventory phase highlighted the industry's immaturity in handling LCA and sustainability data. Moving forward, these insights underscore the need for a standardised LCA methodology specific to GRP yachts and greater involvement and communication from major industry suppliers to foster sustainable progress through more reliable and comprehensive environmental impact assessments.

Linear economy model

Life Cycle Assessment - Year 3 Update

The last phase of the LCA project encapsulated critical outcomes and significant insights from the study. Impact hotspots were identified and compared across various dimensions, including life cycle stages (such as use life versus manufacturing), input materials versus energy usage, yacht operational profiles, among others. This comprehensive comparison ensured a deeper understanding of where the most significant environmental impacts occur.

Additionally, the results from the impact assessment were linked to the manufacturing process and the design phase. This link was crucial for ensuring that the LCA results were interpreted correctly and effectively within the context of the actual production processes. Such alignment helped in setting a baseline or reference line for the environmental footprint of the products, which, in turn, enabled the development of a targeted action plan. This plan involved simulating various solutions based on their potential to reduce the quantified impacts, thereby fostering more sustainable practices.

Moreover, this phase included a thorough review of both current and forecasted sustainability and environmental regulations. This review was aimed at understanding how the findings from the LCA could inform and meet related regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance and promoting environmental responsibility. This strategic approach highlights the proactive measures taken to integrate sustainability into the core business practices, leveraging LCA as a tool for informed decision-making and continuous improvement in environmental performance.

Linear economy model

A qualitative assessment was conducted to prioritize which boat line should take precedence in the LCA study. 30 relevant selection criteria were identified and narrowed down to five by evaluating the impact of each criterion per craft. The F55 craft class of Princess Yachts was selected as the pilot boat for the LCA study.

The LCA screening case study examined the cradle-to-gate environmental impact of manufacturing GRP hulls, focusing on the drivers of environmental burdens associated with the process, as well as the elementary flows of these burdens.

An initial assessment of four impact assessment methods and categories was provided. Additionally, a preliminary evaluation of the environmental effects associated with the unit weight of glass fibre and resin (the primary materials used for GRP boat hulls) was conducted. The findings show that resin contributes significantly more to global warming and ozone depletion compared to glass fibre, with respective factors of two and eight.

Circular economy

Investing in Renewable Energy

As part of the business' ongoing commitment to reduce its environmental impact we are investing in renewable energy. Photovoltaic solar panels have been installed across two Princess sites. The panels at our Newport Street site cover the area of 5 tennis courts with the potential to power 104 homes per year and offsetting carbon emissions equivalent to nearly 5,000 trees. The new panels being installed at our Coypool facility will have 5.5 times the capability which will significantly increase our environmental impact reduction.

When in operation, it is estimated that the solar panels across both sites will generate 2,165,583 kW of power annually, enough to power over 900 UK homes!

Newport Street green space

Princess Yachts’ environmental policies are not just focused on waste management or renewable energy, a significant portion of that falls under biodiversity and conservation. From the company’s partnerships with organisations such as the Marine Conservation Society and projects around the Plymouth Sound to our own internal company initiatives such as the introduction of beehives in the Newport Street Green Space. Encouraging pollinators will help green spaces on site thrive and inspire more vegetation and wildlife. As part of the project, employees have been volunteering as beekeepers, helping to maintain and care for the bees and with the hope to be harvesting Princess honey too.

Sustainable teak

Princess Yachts has committed to the abolishment of using teak sourced from Myanmar to be complete by Q3 2023.

Resourcing activity is the result of over 2 years work, exploring multiple suppliers/plantations and revisiting our quality control processes to ensure suitable teak product can continue to be fitted to our class-leading yachts.

All natural teak decking product is now sourced from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified plantations, giving full traceability, and evidencing responsibly managed and sustainable, carbon-capturing forests. Geographically diverse sources, include Costa Rica, Ghana and Indonesia.

PYL has also continued with the roll-out of synthetic decking materials as an option, to give a low-maintenance, long-lasting alternative. We are innovating with these materials rather than solely treating them as a like-for-like substitution.

The company is continuing to explore alternative options which could further reduce lifecycle impact in both natural and engineered materials.

Quiet Operation

Princess Yachts is taking the first steps towards electrification by reducing our reliance on diesel generators. We have launched a system capable of running all hotel services overnight using battery power alone – including the air-conditioning and stabilisation – in low-power operation modes. This has required us to optimise our energy management with the use of the most efficient batteries along with the development of low-power modes for the systems they are powering.

The system was first launched on the X80 and we expect it to be popular as it is rolled out across the range. We are working with our Naval Architects to deliver significant hull form efficiency gains, with focus on reducing energy loss, fuel consumption, and Co2 emissions over the yacht's lifetime.

The system includes:

An overnight battery with 150kWh capacity
A 48v li-ion battery pack, 36kW bank of inverter/chargers,
2 x 8kW 48V PTO gearbox driven generators, high efficiency 18kW 48V bow and stern thrusters, (48V electro-hydraulic fin stabiliser system when selected) and all necessary power electronics.

Sustainable materials

From 2024 Princess Yachts will offer Ash furniture timber as their eco friendly option. Ash is sustainable because it is fast growing and more locally available in Europe than other types of timber. Princess Ash is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified to ensure the Ash comes from sustainable forests where new trees are planted to re stock the woodlands and, importantly, where it grows in balance within its ecological environment and does not deplete the natural resources such as water, whilst benefiting the lives of local people and workers.

Princess Yachts now use Ash hardwood for all their interior furniture capping/edging trim and ensure that the ply backing to all of their furniture veneers is 70% PEFC/FSC certified, the maximum certification that can be obtained at this time. From 2024, Princess Yachts internal helm seats are to be upholstered in Ultrafabrics Volar Bio, a sustainable alternative to traditional leather. Building on decades of innovative engineering, this premium, high performance upholstery fabric combines renewable and plantbased materials to deliver a 29% biobased construction, reducing dependency on finite resources.

Crafted using a unique resin, blended with corn by product and wood pulp, Volar Bio supports emission reductions and renewability by utilising biobased content which produces significantly fewer emissions than recycled materials. The result is a sustainable, robust alternative to leather, without sacrificing on performance, comfort or beauty.

Along with our continued partnership with Vi-spring to offer sustainable mattresses on boat lines 55ft and above as standard, 2024 will see Princess Yachts offer internally developed sustainable mattresses across all boats under 55ft, inclusive of crew areas. Made up of recycled fibres over sustainable pocket springs, with a wool quilt ticking finish which allows the mattress to be 100% recyclable. Additionally, an extensive collection of soft furnishing options, carpets and finishes offering sustainable credentials have been curated and are available for specification through the Princess Design Studio.

Creating a Circular Economy

Princess Yachts are committed to creating a circular economy and as part of this mission, have collaborated with with ‘Dart & Grey’ an emerging fashion brand, creating a circular business model that repurposes surplus materials from the manufacturing sector into luxury garments and accessories.

The collaboration between Princess Yachts and Dart & Grey began with a pilot project at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival, aiming to create high-end fashion items using surplus materials from the yacht manufacturer. The items made from the sample materials were displayed inside the Princess S80 which made her World Premiere at the show. Dart & Grey sample pieces including clothing items, as well as travel and handbags will have been created using surplus materials from the new S80.

Hull form efficiency and design

Contemporary advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations have played an increasingly important role in hull development and the optimisation of efficiency to reduce energy loss, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions over the yacht's lifetime,.

As a result, Princess Yachts have been working to produce new generation hull forms that are 7 to 10% more efficient than pre-existing designs. At 16 knots and above, the new and improved hull requires 7-10% less power to achieve a given speed (or is 7 – 10% more efficient) and below this speed, this efficiency gain increases significantly.

This has been achieved through a relative increase in displacement, resulting in the ability to produce larger yachts that emit similar fuel burn as craft far smaller in size. The reduction in energy loss seen in the fitting of ‘new generation’ hulls to models including the Princess Y85 and X90 has been a significant milestone for Princess Yachts in our mission to reduce the company's carbon footprint through improved regulation of products.

Renewable sources

Recognising that areas of high-marine growth often see harmful/toxic cleaning processes on seawater lines and/or sub-optimal air-conditioning performance (which can lead to greater power consumption and reduced service life).

Partnering with the Electrosea brand, Princes Yachts now offer an alternative for these regions. Selected systems use an electrolytic process to generate chlorine in the seawater lines to prevent local build up of growth. The level of chlorine generated is about the same level as that found in tap drinking water, also owing to the short half-life of chlorinated seawater, 66% is oxidised in less than 1 minute.

We have seen increased demand to reduce reliance on generators and manage localised tail-pipe emissions. To support this we have created hotel-service battery options which can significantly reduce generator hours, through use of potentially cleaner shore power charging (for example in the UK for 2023 40.5% of our electricity is generated via renewable sources) or by running the generators for shorter periods of time with a more efficient load profile to run the boat/charge the battery pack, supported by the battery pack the rest of the time.

As we have recognised from our own experience, even diligent recyclers can be scuppered if the opportunity to recycle is removed. Princess yachts has brought in development standards to ensure that all new models since 2021 have partitioned galley bins, to facilitate waste separation and responsible recycling.

Beach Clean

On the 23^rd September 2022 Princess Yachts held their first beach clean at Teats Hill (Coxside) Beach in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The event brought 12 employees from all 5 sites together, in an effort to raise awareness about marine pollution and support the local community. The following year, the business held their second formal beach clean from the 15th - 24th September in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), where volunteers were able to hand collect, segregate, recycle and dispose of waste correctly, increasing awareness and understanding of waste management whilst supporting the local community.

Over the two events, volunteers hand-collected a total of 14 bags of litter from the beach, preventing pollution and harm to our oceans and wildlife. The litter consisted of plastic drink bottles fishing equipment and fragments of plastic and glass. From the litter collected, a data set was generated which the MCS will use in a high-level report to guide decision makers and encourage further conservation work for marine environments.

Energy - Big Switch Off and submetering

In an effort to save valuable resources, reduce the company’s environmental impact and work towards challenging energy reduction targets, Princess Yachts have been running the ‘Big Switch Off’ campaign. The aim of the campaign (advertised through a computer screen saver and company briefs) is to encourage everyone to do their bit and work together to turn lights, office appliances and other non-essential equipment off every day, ensuring massive efforts are made when employees are away from work on holidays and during the annual company shut down in December.

Submetering is installed at the Coypool site and at end of October the baseline will be established with a report recommending some quick wins and detail on electrical consumption and potential future investment. The company is currently awaiting proposals for sub-metering at further sites including Newport Street and Langage.