Emma Fairbairns, Shore Manager of Hebrides Cruises one of our gold members shares her thoughts on the journey they are on to become more sustainable.
What is the driving force behind Hebrides Cruises’ commitment to sustainability?
Hebrides Cruises was established by my father Rob, in 1994, says Emma through a love of the sea and nature and thanks to his extensive experience in the marine and shipping environment. When my dad started the business, he’d been living in Tobermory on Mull for 20 years, earning a living hand-diving for scallops and providing marine services to commercial diving companies. He has always had a deep-rooted passion for the sea and seeing the devastation that the scallop dredging boats were causing on the seabed, started a lifelong interest in protecting the marine environment.
I joined the business as Shore Manager with responsibility for all operations of the business and over time, more crew came on board; all close friends who shared my dad’s vision. The business expanded to two vessels and my husband James, from a Hebridean seafaring background came on board. James has been instrumental in building on the goals and aspirations of the company in terms of a delivering a very high level of guest experience and wildlife encounters whilst putting sustainability at the heart of everything we do, and with great passion.
What initiatives has Hebrides Cruises implemented to reduce its carbon footprint?
We have a comprehensive approach to carbon management. Our chefs plan their menus around local, seasonal produce to minimise food miles, supporting Highland farmers and producers and we have built up strong relationships with suppliers over many years.
Our deep relationships with local suppliers and artisan producers in the Highlands & Islands showcase a broad range of the Hebrides’ culinary delights and allow Hebrides Cruises to create a continuously diverse and enriching gastronomic experience for our guests, highlighting the unique flavours and traditions of our region.
We’re also exploring opportunities to build on the interactive element to the cruises, giving guests the chance to learn from our chefs about the art of Scottish cooking, sustainable practices and the stories behind the local provenance used in our menus.
We’ve taken measures to avoid excessive plastic packaging and have implemented a linen and towel policy to save energy and water. Additionally, our vessels are equipped with solar panels and LEDs, and we’re continuously exploring new technologies like lithium batteries for greater efficiency. We also use local companies for vessel maintenance.
We are constantly looking at ways we can improve how we operate to remove any negative impact on the environment. We have now discovered environmentally- conscious wine with a suitably maritime name and focus. Sea Change is a range of ethically sourced, environmentally conscious wines that support ocean conservation through direct partnerships with key ocean and marine focussed charities. A monetary donation goes direct to the charities for every bottle sold. The range is also designed with a minimum environmental impact.
Sustainability is of course a challenge for any cruise operator, however, by working closely with Green Tourism Hebrides Cruises has been able to increase scores on each of the main categories of its Green Tourism Evaluation, receiving a Green Tourism Gold Award for the third consecutive year in July 2024.
As a cruise company, reducing energy and carbon is a challenge we are tackling successfully. We chose our third boat, Lucy Mary because of her green credentials, in particular low fuel and energy consumption. All Crew members are involved in The WiSe Scheme, for minimising disturbance to marine wildlife; Rob Barlow has completed the Gold WiSe Standard.
Hebrides Cruises is deeply passionate about the natural environment and will not embark on any form of business growth which will have a negative impact on the environment.
How does your team contribute to Hebrides Cruises’ sustainability efforts?
Our crew is pivotal to our sustainability mission. Every team member is selected not just for their skills but also for their commitment to environmental sustainability. Our team is continuously looking for new and innovative ways to improve and maintain our green credentials and will be introducing new sustainability initiatives over the coming months such as installing lithium batteries with a Bluetooth monitoring system, which will monitor each battery and its capacity levels.
This will allow us to set up the best charging mode, therefore having the most efficient output aboard. We also plan to install a water maker on Elizabeth G and a new A+ energy rated oven aboard Emma Jane and we’re consulting with our Green Initiative Crew member, Lynsey for her annual checklist on anything she feels could be improved.
Many of our staff, like our Wildlife Guide Lynsey, regularly suggest new initiatives, such as multi-use water bottles for guests, which have been well-received. Our crew’s enthusiasm for conserving nature inspires our guests, encouraging them to participate in our efforts actively.
What role do guests play in Hebrides Cruises’ sustainability practices?
One of our major objectives is to provide cruises which promote marine conservation by helping to educate and engage our guests. Because everyone in our company is passionate about nature and wildlife, responsible wildlife watching is intrinsic to what we are about and being a sustainable company is fundamental to what we do.
The driving force behind the rebranding and reimagining of Hebrides Cruises in 2014 was my dad’s desire to engage our guests in the conservation of the natural marine environment they were experiencing. Through a close relationship with Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), the company teamed up with wildlife experts and scientists to join the company as wildlife guides.
In 2016 Hebrides Cruises, with wildlife guide Lynsey Bland, was instrumental in helping HWDT develop and test at sea the innovative new Whale Track App, designed to gather data on cetacean activity on the west coast of Scotland. In 2021, my dad and James investigated the idea of a new cruise itinerary ‘Whale Watching in the Northern Minch’. There is little research on cetacean activity in the Minch area, but anecdotal evidence exists that species were there. The cruise has the normal level of luxury and set sail in August 2022. The sightings were outstanding, as was the 2023 cruise, providing vital data for the Whale Track App and providing food for thought for another, more ambitious, cruise itinerary.
A significant leap happened when we teamed up with Dr Conor Ryan, a specialist whale scientist. Conor proposed a cruise searching for whales around the continental shelf-edge west of St. Kilda, a research project which has never been conducted. To document this migratory route will be a highly significant contribution to the scientific knowledge of whales and their potential recovery, 70 years after whaling ceased. The new 10-night cruise ‘In Search of Giants: Expedition Cruise’ set sail in August 2024 and provided valuable research into the migratory routes of whales in the west coast waters.
Guests aboard not only experience amazing exceptional wildlife encounters on cruises such as this but help influence the survival of marine species by taking part in this vital research on whale migration.
It’s fair to say that our guests are integral to our sustainability goals. We provide a charter for responsible tourism, guiding them on how they can minimise their environmental impact while visiting the Hebrides. Many guests are keen to engage with these practices and often share valuable feedback and suggestions.
Can you discuss the significance of the Green Tourism Gold Award for Hebrides Cruises?
Our passion for sustainable cruising is at the heart of everything we do, so we’re immensely proud to retain the Green Tourism Gold Award at very high pass rates in all categories again for the third year running.
Hebrides Cruises has introduced new green initiatives over the past year which have ensured that we’ve been able to maintain the highest ratings of all aspects relating to our sustainability, with improvements in key areas such as energy, waste, water and carbon reduction.
Retaining the Green Tourism Gold Award for the third consecutive year not only highlights our ongoing environmental initiatives but also underscores our commitment to providing an eco-friendly experience for our guests.
How has Green Tourism supported Hebrides Cruises in building on your green credentials?
Our Green Tourism assessor suggests ways to improve our Green Action Plan. Providing company policy, new systems and targets in areas that we want to improve upon really focuses our mind on certain areas of the business to ensure they are the best we can be. Green Tourism has supported Hebrides Cruises by hosting engaging seminars that companies can take part in throughout the year – these have been really useful to us.
Their team has also helped with content for our socials to help us to share all our green initiatives with our online audiences. They offer ideas and advice on how to build on our green credentials and help every year when it comes to updating and applying for our yearly assessment.
The one-to-one support to help us update our case studies has been invaluable and any queries and questions we have are answered so promptly and helpfully which really does give businesses confidence to provide the best submissions possible.
We never feel rushed and know that support is always there, and we receive such helpful, positive feedback from the team when we’re going about our annual assessment, knowing that their advice will help us to keep moving forward in our aims to be as sustainable as possible.
How can other tourism businesses learn from Hebrides Cruises’ approach to sustainability?
I believe it starts with a genuine passion for protecting our natural world. By integrating sustainability into every facet of the business and engaging both staff and guests in meaningful ways, organisations can create a culture of environmental stewardship. I’d advise starting with small, impactful changes and building upon them. Collaboration with Green Tourism provides valuable insights and support and effectively offers a dashboard on sustainability progress which is hugely encouraging in terms of setting out goals and having a path to achieving them.