The opening conference of this year’s edition was fully focused on sustainability challenges and solutions, bringing together journalists, industry professionals, and yacht clients from across the globe.

"A journey that started six years ago, when talking about sustainability was the ‘elephant in the room,’ with only a few attending sustainability conferences, has now evolved into a central topic for our industry," said Robert Van Tol, Executive Director of the Water Revolution Foundation, during his speech.

The session marked a key starting point for sustainable innovations, beginning with “How to Reduce the Carbon Footprint of Older Generation Yachts?” presented by Jean Marc Bolinger, CEO of MB92 Group. Bolinger emphasized that refitting older yachts is one of the essential eco-solutions for the industry. He stressed that yachts need to align with global sustainability efforts using a structured, tailored approach, comprising a short-term improvement plan, medium-term optimization strategies, and a long-term conversion plan. With generational shifts in yacht ownership, there is a growing need to make yachts more sustainable, and this goal will require a powerful combination of medium- and long-term efforts. The first step is to begin immediately with a short-term improvement plan, focused on collecting yacht consumption data to identify the most inefficient practices.

In the session titled “Enhancing Sustainability Through Eco-Responsible Onboard Practices” Robert Van Tol introduced the 3R model (Reduce, Remove, Repair) to emphasize how onboard behavior impacts a yacht's sustainability performance. He shared data showingyachts spending 10% of their time in motion, with 0.1% of that time at maximum speed. This highlights how trough an eco-responsible onboard practice an environmental better performance can be reached and operational costs can be conseguently reduced.

Technological innovations in the superyacht sector have also accelerated advancements in other industries, as explained by Giedo Loeff, Head of Research and Development at Feadship. Loeff walked attendees through the innovation process, from conceptual principles to prototype validation and final application, underscoring the sector’s role as a driver of broader technological progress.

While these innovations are specifically designed for the yachting industry, they hold the potential to influence other sectors, contributing to a more comprehensive global approach to sustainability.

Nicole Cescutti