The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust wins silver environmental accolades
26 January 2022
We have presented two sites managed by The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust with a silver level National Award for Environmental Excellence® - the business standard that enables organisations to benchmark their environmental achievements and improvements.
The accolade recognises the steps which The Royal Yacht Britannia, the visitor attraction which sees more than 350,000 people visit on an average year, has put in place to minimise its impact on the environment.
A silver accreditation was also given to Fingal, a former Lighthouse Board tender acquired by the Trust in 2014 and converted into a luxury floating hotel with 22 cabins, stunning ballroom and stylish restaurant and bar.
Both ships, each with their own unique history’s, were audited by our trained assessor in November 2019. Following this, a report detailing findings was shared highlighting the extremely well maintained and attractive public areas at both sites, the energy-saving practices and plans for further initiatives, the use of local suppliers, and the sustainable commitments being promoted to crew on both ships.
The awards provide The Trust with a baseline for improvement and the opportunity to showcase areas of excellence as it works towards achieving a higher standard.
Due to Covid-19 and the necessary closure of the sites, ambitious plans for improving the sustainability of the visitor attractions had to be paused, however, since the sites reopened in May 2021 a Green Team has been put together and members are determined to build on previous good practices and now implement recommendations from the audits.
Robert Gill, Head of Visitor Experience, commented: “We are proud to receive this prestigious accreditation from Keep Scotland Beautiful. Our employees and customers are at the heart of all we do. This silver accreditation recognises our current environmental commitment and provides scope for us to further improve over time."
Barry Fisher, our Chief Executive, said: “We are thrilled with the achievements of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. Their efforts should be commended, and we look forward to supporting their long-term efforts, particularly at such a challenging time for the sector.”
“We have been working closely with businesses and organisations across Scotland, helping them to take direct action to improve their local environment. National Award for Environmental Excellence® provides an exciting opportunity to assess and recognise their efforts and support those who are starting to make meaningful environmental commitments.”
National Award for Environmental Excellence® is open to companies and organisations throughout Scotland and acts as a benchmark for environmental performance. All entrants are assessed by the trained auditors and can be awarded Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum level. In 2021 the award was updated to include a new element on carbon management to support businesses and organisations to achieve carbon reduction goals as Scotland moves towards a net-zero nation.
Photo by Phil Wilkinson.
