she says. “It is the only environmental model that truly keeps materials out of landfills by ensuring they remain in continuous use – whether through reuse, refurbishment or take-back programmes.” This commitment is shaping how Butler and the Holland America Line team assess the line’s projects and relationships. “We are actively pursuing take-back programmes and circular partnerships, pushing ourselves to rethink interiors not as one-time installations, but as part of an ongoing material lifecycle,” she says. “Our commitment is to long-term sustainable design.” The ferry sector is similarly focused on circularity as a long-term goal. Markus Backlund, onboard product manager at Wasaline, says: “Circularity should be a central sustainability goal for passenger ship interiors, as it helps reduce waste, extend the lifecycle of materials, and lower the overall environmental impact throughout the long lifespan of a vessel.” For Backlund, this means making material selection and interior design work together from the start. “Our approach focuses on selecting durable, modular and certified recyclable materials, as well as designing interiors that allow for easy disassembly and material renewal,” he says. “This enables components to be repaired, replaced or reused rather than discarded.” He adds that supplier engagement is equally important. “We prioritise collaboration with suppliers who offer verified take-back or refurbishment programmes, ensuring materials can reenter the value chain at the end of their use phase.” Despite the commitment among SMI Declaration signatories, obstacles remain in the way of progress towards full circularity. Certified circular materials are often more expensive than alternatives, while the need to stay on trend can get in the way of longterm strategies. “Certain design concepts have short lifecycles due to rapidly changing trends, which can require frequent updates and limit longterm material use,” says Backlund. Nguyen believes the industry can overcome these obstacles as long as there is sufficient will behind it. “The more specifiers demand products that meet sustainability criteria, the more options will become SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES RESPONSIBLE SPECIFICATION DESIGN PRINCIPLES CONSTRUCTION PRINCIPLES MAINTENANCE PRINCIPLES DISMANTLING PRINCIPLES RECYCLING PRINCIPLES 57 Achieving circularity will require action across the passenger shipping industry
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