Dear IMPA SAVE supporter,

As we slowly approach the end of 2023, we thought it fittingto write to you and inform about some important milestones that have beenachieved this year with your help.

We won!

If you have not already heard the fantastic news through thegrapevine, your IMPA SAVE initiative has recently been awarded the CrewConnectESG Champion Award in Manila, in recognition of our industry’s efforts towards getting to zero single-use plastic drinking water bottles onboard ships. In receiving the award, I felt that this is a testament among peers that we are doing the right thing, moving the needle on environmental action. We want to thank you for tagging along on this ambitious journey and for being brave enough to change the status quo.

Progress to date

We now have 98 industry pledgers, with 46 courageousship-owners and -managers, and 52 ambitious maritime suppliers. At least threecompanies have already kicked all single-use plastic drinking water bottlesonboard their vessels, and many more are getting close to zero. We have started talking more with pledgers about their companies’ efforts this year in IMPA’s Supply Chain and SustainabilityMagazine, so make sure you pick up your copy if you are an IMPA member, andsee how others are doing. The IMPA SAVE Council, including myself, also took the stage and spoke about SAVE at many of our events this year, and you canvisit IMPA’sYouTube channel to listen to some of the presentations.

Beyond this progress, however, we have surely changed manymore hearts and minds, and we are confident that others are being impacted andpushed when seeing everyone’s green efforts.

And more winning!

Additionally, the new IMPA SAVE Water that launched earlierthis year in partnership with LY Company was recently selected as one of thefinalists in the 2023 Global Water Drinks Awards; the beverage industry bothrecognised and celebrated the work of IMPA SAVE, and the judges had some nice feedback for this initiative: “Small idea that can really help”. The IMPA SAVEwater is now available in Rotterdam, Singapore, Algeciras, Houston, Genoa,Curacao, and no fewer than 9 ship chandlers, 2 catering companies and 1ship-owner is onboarding or is in the process of onboarding water in carton foremergency stock.

 

All in all, this has been a great year, however we must not dawdle. We need to do more; quicker, faster and better. Next year, wewill start looking at new milestones, as well as be preparing our very firstIMPA SAVE annual sustainability report where we will communicate everyone’sefforts with the initiative so far, and will rely on your communication andreporting for this (a request for which will come soonest from the SAVE team). Please do tell us your numbers, help us gauge where we are and what more is needed.

 

I want to thank you once again for your participation inthis fantastic initiative that we have built together, and ask you that youshare this programme with your peers; tell them to join us. All hands on deck,because together, we can move the needle on sustainable development.

Wish you a wonderful rest of December, and let’s meettogether in the new year, ready. There is a lot more work to be done.

Mikael Karlsson

IMPA SAVE Chair and IMPA Special Ambassador for Sustainability, and

Head of Business Development, Northern Marine Group