SCENIC
While many countries in the developed world may take clean drinking water for granted and have access to tap water that is perfectly safe , many people in developing countries still struggle to find a clean , accessible supply .
Onboard the Scenic ships , there was also the challenge of removing all singleuse guest plastics , which added an extra dimension to the drinking water challenge .
“ The amount of single-use plastics that are used globally is a great concern , especially water bottles ,” says Jordan . “ So water bottles were one of the very first things we tackled . But this is something that needs to be thought about very carefully – and I think that can be applied to a lot of things in the realm of sustainability . There ’ s no point in a place like Vietnam , or elsewhere in Southeast Asia , giving everyone a plastic refillable bottle when you ’ re not providing the means to refill it .”
Jordan says education is key – not just for the local communities who are being asked to change their habits , but also Scenic ’ s guests and staff .
Scenic ’ s approach was to provide guests with stainless steel refillable bottles and to provide refill options on all vessels and vehicles , but even that proved challenging .
One of the big problems Jordan encountered was guest perception – and convincing them that bottled water was the safest option .
“ That was a big hurdle to overcome ,” he admits . “ We have very advanced systems on our ships for the water refill stations – including reverse osmosis , ultraviolet and carbon filtration that are regularly tested at international institutes to confirm its quality . “ But we needed guests to understand that , and we needed them to know that the safest option for them and the best option for the environment was what we were providing .”
Jordan also highlights the black market for water in Southeast Asia , with ‘ fakes ’ readily available , resealed bottles , and
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