Monday, April 22 was Earth Day, and the luxury river cruise line, AmaWaterways was proud to reaffirm its commitment to sustainability. The cruise line shared short video, revealing its current initiatives toward sustainability. Among its initiatives is to eliminate single-use plastics, while generally contributing towards the preservation of Earth’s precious water resources. Moreover, AmaWaterways is taking major steps towards a more sustainable future for the environment, river cruising and the visited communities.

AmaWaterways and sustainable travel

In honor of Earth Day, Kristin Karst, co-founder and Executive Vice-President of AmaWaterways, made a statement:

We are seeing a renewed interest from our travel partners and guests about sustainability, which we felt made it timely to introduce our new video on the topic. Protecting the environment and enriching the communities we visit is an ever-present responsibility.

It is important to provide education and support documents to help travel advisors respond to their clients’ questions and direct them to the products and suppliers that meet their requirements. We are proud of our initiatives, and we will keep building each new ship and itinerary with sustainability in mind.

A video shared by AmaWaterways revealed the cruise line’s methods for reducing overall plastic consumption. In its staterooms, refillable glass water bottles are used, along with refillable Pure Herbs soap and shampoo dispensers. When touring, guests are provided with biodegradable Tetra Pak water containers for refreshments with no waste.

Meanwhile, luggage tags are crafted from 100 percent recycled plastic bottle material and are delivered to guests’ staterooms on board river cruise ships in Europe, to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Moreover, with the innovative myAmaCruise app and electronic travel documents, paper waste both pre-cruise and onboard is avoided.

AmaKristina and the prestigious Green Award in Europe

AmaWaterways’ commitment to sustainability has already been recognized. AmaKristina was the first river cruise ship to be awarded the prestigious Green Award in Europe, for its quality, safety and environmental performance. Since then, 19 ships in the company’s European fleet have received the Green Award certification.

As an example of the cruise line’s commitment to sustainability, each of its ships can connect to shoreside electric power. This further reduces fuel consumption and noise levels while the river cruise ship is in port. Moreover, AmaWaterways has successfully lessened unnecessary food waste from large buffets by serving a la carte lunches on board its European ships.

Eco-friendly features in Africa

Meanwhile, the cruise line isn’t just concentrating on its European cruises, as Zambezi Queen and AmaMagna also reveal eco-friendly features. When sailing the Chobe River in Africa, Zambezi Queen uses a five-stage water purification plant. This system uses river water in the showers and taps onboard. Moreover, during the night, the river cruise ship operates on battery power from solar panels.

The AmaMagna was fitted in 2023 with solar panels on the awnings of certain staterooms, producing energy equivalent to charging 20 Teslas an hour. Meanwhile, the ship operates a 10-engine diesel/electronic hybrid system for less fuel usage and reduced noise levels. Moreover, while the ship is twice the width of traditional river cruise ships, this engine configuration can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

“Travel, when done responsibly, is a force of good in the world,’’ said Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and President of AmaWaterways. “The beautiful natural surroundings along the banks of the world’s iconic rivers like the Danube, Rhine, Nile, Mekong and Magdalena River in Colombia are precious resources, and it is up to AmaWaterways – and all river cruise lines – to do everything we can to preserve these environments for future generations to enjoy. We have taken measures to drastically reduce overall plastic consumption on our ships, and we continue to explore new ways to enhance our efforts in all other areas of sustainable tourism.”

Readers can watch the new Sustainability on Board video here. Also, learn more about the company’s commitment to sustainability on the AmaWaterways website here.