Bronte Wells
Disney has long been criticised for its environmental impact, with its business model relying on long-haul flights and cruises. However, in recent years, the company has made efforts to improve its sustainability. Disney's environmental goals include reducing waste, cutting water use, protecting nature, and aiming for zero-carbon emissions at its offices and parks. Disney has also invested in carbon credits, reforestation, and environmental restoration, as well as solar panels and biodiesel. While these initiatives are positive, it's unclear how they impact the Disney Wonder and Dream cruise ships specifically. These ships have been criticised for their high carbon emissions, with the Disney Dream being named the worst polluting ship by Which?. However, Disney Cruise Line claims to comply with all air and water quality standards and has committed to reducing emissions beyond IMO requirements.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Average CO2 emissions per nautical mile | 1,481 kg |
| Fuel used | Hydrotreated vegetable oil, ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil |
| Environmental goals | Reduce water use, cut waste, protect nature, achieve zero-carbon emissions, buy green electricity |
| Environmental initiatives | Using recycled materials, designing packaging for reuse, composting, reducing single-use plastics, using biodiesel, investing in carbon credits, reforestation, solar panels |
| Wildlife conservation | Dedicated 1/3rd of its 40 sq. mile property as a wildlife conservation area |
What You'll Learn
Disney's environmental goals
Disney has outlined several environmental goals and initiatives to reduce its environmental impact and support a healthier planet for future generations.
Disney has also identified commonly used materials with significant environmental impacts, such as forest products, textiles, and plastics, and aims to reduce their environmental impact while making its manufacturing network cleaner and safer. This includes using recycled or sustainably sourced materials, designing packaging for reuse or recycling, and ensuring manufacturing facilities meet sustainability standards.
Disney's environmental initiatives also extend to their theme parks. For example, the train at Disneyland in California runs on biodiesel made from used cooking oil from the resort's restaurants.
While Disney has made strides towards environmental sustainability, some critics argue that their business model remains unchanged, relying on promoting trips to their resorts, which can contribute significantly to carbon emissions due to air travel. Despite this criticism, Disney maintains its commitment to environmental sustainability and continues to work towards a cleaner and healthier planet.
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Disney Dream's emissions
Disney has been criticised for the carbon emissions of its theme parks, cruise ships, streaming services, and merchandise. According to an analysis of European emissions data by Which?, Disney Cruise Line is the cruise company operating the worst polluting ships. The Disney Dream, the only Disney vessel in European waters last year, pumped out an average of 1,481 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile on its journeys.
However, Disney has clear environmental goals for 2030 and has been working toward zero emissions since 2009. They have invested in carbon credits, reforestation, and environmental restoration, supported the planting of over 9 million trees, and installed solar panels across the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. They also launched plastic-free packaging for a line of classic dolls and diverted 61% of total company operational waste from landfills.
In 2020, Disney retrofitted the Magic and Dream classes of ships to run on ultra-low-sulphur fuel, exceeding international maritime regulations. While sailing in Europe, the Disney Dream used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil and ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements. The Disney Wish, a newer ship, runs on low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG), which reduces harmful sulphur and nitrogen oxide emissions and onboard carbon dioxide emissions.
Disney has set ambitious 2030 Environmental Goals focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for direct operations, reducing waste, building more sustainably, and developing more sustainable packaging and products. They have announced two new solar facilities near Walt Disney World Resort, which, along with existing solar sources, will power up to 40% of the resort's annual electricity needs. They have also installed solar arrays at Castaway Cay and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Disney has outlined its commitment to creating lower-impact products, reducing waste, managing water usage, and protecting the oceans. They plan to use recycled paper and wood from verified sources and ensure that all plastic products and packaging are made from at least 30% recycled material. They are also working to minimise waste, water, and energy usage in new construction projects.
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Disney's business model
Disney's commitment to producing family-oriented content and products, offering unique experiences, and its iconic mouse mascot have solidified its position as a beloved household name worldwide. The company's ability to innovate and expand its coverage to new places has contributed to its stable brand name in global infotainment.
Despite its success, Disney has faced criticism for the environmental impact of its business model, particularly the promotion of long-distance travel to its resorts. While Disney has expressed intentions to reduce its environmental footprint and set environmental goals, its business model remains largely unchanged.
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Disney's environmental initiatives
Disney has been criticised for its large carbon footprint, particularly due to its encouragement of long-distance travel and its nightly firework shows, rides, and resorts. However, the company has also been recognised for its environmental initiatives and goals.
Disney has outlined several environmental goals, including reducing waste, water usage, and energy consumption in its buildings. For example, in the reopening of Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, the Café Daisy kitchen was redesigned to be more sustainable. Additionally, Disney aims to increase the use of solar energy at the Walt Disney World Resort, with new solar arrays being constructed to more than double its available solar energy resources. The resort already uses reclaimed water for 80% of its irrigation needs and 30% of its overall needs.
Disney has also committed to reducing emissions and purchasing green electricity. For instance, the train at Disneyland in California now runs on biodiesel made from used cooking oil from the resort's restaurants. Furthermore, Disney has invested in carbon credits, reforestation, and environmental restoration, supporting the planting of over 9 million trees and installing 292 solar panels at the Walt Disney World Resort.
In terms of products and packaging, Disney aims to use plastic with at least 30% recycled content or lower-impact alternative materials. They also plan to design packaging for reuse, recycling, or composting and use recycled, sustainably sourced, or lower-impact textiles. By 2030, Disney aims for 100% of its branded retail textiles to contain recycled or sustainably sourced content.
Disney Cruise Line has also taken steps towards environmental sustainability. While Disney Dream, the company's only vessel in European waters last year, emitted an average of 1,481 kg of carbon dioxide per nautical mile, the ship used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil and ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements. Disney Cruise Line complies with air and water quality standards and is committed to reducing emissions in line with the company's environmental goals.
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Disney's cruise line ranking
Disney Cruise Line has been ranked as the cruise company operating the worst polluting ships, according to an analysis of European emissions data by Which?. The Disney Dream, the only Disney vessel in European waters last year, pumped out an average of 1,481 kg of carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile on its journeys. However, Disney Cruise Line complies with all air and water quality standards and has committed to reducing its emissions in line with The Walt Disney Company's environmental goals. For example, while sailing in Europe, the Disney Dream used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil and ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements.
Disney has also set environmental goals across its wider business, aiming to reduce water use, cut waste, protect nature, and buy green electricity in the future. It has also set design standards to minimise waste, water, and energy use in the construction and operation of all new building projects.
Despite these efforts, critics argue that Disney's business model remains unchanged and continues to promote trips to its resorts, which can be environmentally damaging due to the carbon emissions associated with long-distance air travel.
In terms of the ranking of specific ships within the Disney Cruise Line fleet, there are various factors that guests consider when evaluating their experiences. Some sources suggest that the Disney Dream ranks as the best Disney Cruise ship due to its spacious layout, ease of navigation, and separation of adult-only areas from youth clubs. The Disney Fantasy is also highly regarded for its elegance, beautiful lounges, and expansive adult deck.
For guests who prioritise water play, the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure are recommended for their immersive elements and themed lounges. The Disney Magic is praised for its cosy and well-maintained art deco design, while the Disney Wonder, one of the smaller ships in the fleet, is considered a great option for families due to its size, ease of navigation, and fantastic theming.
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Frequently asked questions
Disney Cruise Line has been named the cruise company operating the most polluting ships. In 2023, Disney Dream, the only Disney vessel in European waters, pumped out an average of 1,481kg of carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile on its journeys. Disney Cruise Line complies with all air and water quality standards and has committed to reducing its emissions in line with The Walt Disney Company’s environmental goals. While sailing in Europe, the Disney Dream used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil along with ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements.
Disney has outlined several environmental goals, including reducing waste, managing water usage, and protecting the oceans. They have also invested in carbon credits, reforestation, and environmental restoration, and have supported the planting of over 9 million trees. Additionally, they have installed solar panels and promoted the use of sustainable materials in their products and packaging.
Some critics argue that Disney's business model remains unchanged and continues to promote trips to its resorts, which can be environmentally damaging due to the carbon emissions associated with long-distance travel. Disney has also been criticized for not calculating the emissions from people visiting its operations, which could reach up to 15 million tonnes.
