Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has announced new vegan and vegetarian menu options for more eco-conscious dining. It will implement a Leanpath food waste reduction system on every ship across its fleet by the end of this month.
This is a part of Uniworld’s larger sustainability strategy, “How We Tread Right,” overseen by Sustainability Officer Julie Higgins. Uniworld’s sustainability plan consists of 11 measurable goals, including reducing 50 percent of food waste by 2025, eliminating single-use plastics, achieving net-zero by 2050 and offering guests experiences in the destinations they sail by allowing them to support local communities throughout their river cruising journey.
Uniworld’s April 2023 sustainability updates include:
Vegan and vegetarian menus – Uniworld is now offering extensive vegan and vegetarian menus across its fleet, providing guests with all dietary needs and preferences a range of options throughout their trip
Leanpath progress – By some estimates, food waste is responsible for 6 percent of global greenhouse emissions. In August 2021, Uniworld employed food waste reduction system Leanpath solutions, to improve kitchen efficiency and prevent food waste on a large scale through an automated food waste tracking system. By the end of April 2023, the system will be implemented across the entire Uniworld fleet. Since first implementing Leanpath, the line has prevented 29,004 pounds of food waste from occurring, avoiding nearly 100 tons of carbon from being emitted across the six ships currently operating the system, as of December 2022
Plastic elimination – As of 2023, Uniworld’s rooms and suites are completely single-use plastic free, with reusable water bottles gifted to all guests. There are refillable Asprey pumps in every bathroom, which contain soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash, instead of using individual containers for these products. The laundry bags found in-room are reusable and Uniworld has also implemented bamboo room key cards
“Make Travel Matter” onshore experiences – Uniworld plans to offer these experiences on at least 50 percent of itineraries by 2025, with three new offerings launching this year. The line offers “Make Travel Matter” experiences on itineraries throughout India, Europe and the Middle East. These experiences are chosen against a set of criteria aligned with the United Nation’s Global Goals, allowing guests to positively engage and give back to the communities, wildlife and land in the destinations they visit. The new experiences in 2023 include a “Chocolate Tour in Switzerland,” a “Cheese Tour in the Netherlands” and a “Rotterdam, City of the Future” experience that focuses on combating climate change in the Netherlands, complete with a visit to a floating farm, a circular beer brewery that helps feed its cows and more
Travelers can view Uniworld’s sustainability progress through its “Impact Report.”
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