By
Laura Hyde |
Sustainable interior design is no longer a secondary consideration in cruise ship refurbishment projects; it is fast becoming a central driver as operators face and respond to increasing regulatory pressure and evolving passenger expectations. As such, companies with sustainability embedded in their operations, such as Aquafil, are playing an increasingly influential role within the industry.
Over the last 12 months, Aquafil has worked with AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises on several ship refurbishments, each centring on the installation of the Bloom Back carpet, which is International Maritime Organization (IMO) certified. Developed by Italian carpet manufacturer Radici Marine, the carpet uses Aquafil’s ECONYL regenerated nylon 6 through its Born Regenerated to be Regenerable (R2R) initiative.
“Our partners at AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises recognise they can achieve circularity without compromising on aesthetics, quality or durability, which are non-negotiable in the cruise sector,” says Cristina Stefani, marketing strategist for circularity projects at Aquafil. “As well as collaborating with AIDA Cruises, the first mover in this context, on the AIDA Evolution initiative, Aquafil has also been chosen for the refurbishment projects of the first three AIDAselection vessels: AIDAdiva, AIDAluna and AIDAbella. Currently, the project is moving into an intensive phase of defining technical specifications and supply requirements for the next four sister ships in the series: AIDAblu, AIDAsol, AIDAmar and AIDAstella.
“To date, we have also completed installations across Costa ships Costa Serena, Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana. To date, the total volume for Bloom Back R2R carpet covers across both Costa and AIDA is roughly 70,000 square metres. This represents a significant achievement, considering our entry into this market was only two years ago. Looking ahead to our partnership with Costa, we are confident that our collaboration will intensify, as there are currently two major new refurbishment projects under development, as well as one already in the final approval phase. These projects represent a shared commitment with Costa to transforming the fleet through innovative, eco-conscious design.”
Public spaces onboard several Costa Cruises ships now feature Bloom Back carpet, which was created by Aquafil and Radici Marine (Photo: Aquafil)
Following the success of these projects, Aquafil is focused on evolving beyond the role of a material supplier to becoming a strategic partner in cruise circularity design. “We are actively participating in the eco-design phase through our Born R2R initiative, working directly with carpet manufacturers, architects and owners to review and adjust technical specifications,” explains Stefani. “There are three main barriers to scaling circularity in the cruise industry. Firstly, the industry relies on long-established procurement specifications which don’t prioritise end-of-life recyclability and as such, many cruise lines are locked into multi-year supply agreements.
“Secondly, the infrastructure for taking back materials is still evolving, so the transition from ‘install and discard’ to ‘install and recover’ requires a coordinated effort – I am so thankful we found an excellent partner in that with Oceancircle, which provides sustainable waste management by collecting and processing discarded materials into valuable resources within a circular economy model.
“Finally, circularity is often viewed by stakeholders as a ‘nice to have’ concept rather than a standard operational requirement. However, we are demonstrating that circularity is the most effective tool for cruise lines to future-proof their fleet against evolving regulations and rising environmental expectations.”
Aquafil is working through the challenges tied to legacy supply chains, pre-existing contracts and technical specifications often defined years in advance by “letting the results speak for themselves,” says Stefani. “By showcasing our extensive, high-traffic installations already in place, we are proving true circularity is not a future concept, but a current, high-performance reality. It shows that you can achieve impressive interior design while adhering to the strictest principles of the circular economy.”
Stefani sees Aquafil’s role expanding to offer more than just carpets. “We are working intensively to expand our circularity projects into several other high-impact product categories, inside and outside the cruise market,” she says. “However, in the marine industry, to meet the rigorous IMO requirements, we need to be very careful and cooperate with partners starting from the research and development phase. Furthermore, we are examining the entire vessel interior under the lens. From upholstered furniture to decorative textiles, our next challenge is to see if every nylon component onboard can be tracked, recovered and regenerated.”
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