Norwegian cruise line and cargo operator Hurtigruten (Tromsø; www.hurtigruten.com) has a goal to become the "world’s first plastic-free shipping company." The company has announced that by 2 July 2018, it will remove "everything from plastic straws and cups, coffee lids and plastic bags" across its entire fleet of ships.

The company says that plastic straws will be replaced with metal straws and stir sticks will no longer be used. This also applies to other single-use plastic items that its 400,000 guests and 2,500 employees encounter on a day-to-day basis, such as cups wrapped in plastic, cutlery, bags, lids on coffee cups, toothpicks, aprons and single-use butter packaging. According to Hurtigruten's estimates, annual consumption amounts to approximately 960,000 straws totalling 2.8 t in bars and restaurants, 390,000 plastic cups totalling 5 t and 826,000 single-use packages of butter weighing 0.8 t.

CEO Daniel Skjeldam says, "We are operating in some of the world's most pristine waters, and are witnessing the consequences of plastic pollution every single day." The company will also impose the same rules at its land-based operations such as hotels and restaurants in Svalbard that are operated by subsidiary Hurtigruten Svalbard. "This is our first step," Skjeldam adds. "No one can win the war on plastic alone without allies," and the Norway-based company is also challenging its suppliers to reduce the use of plastic.

Hurtigruten joins a growing list of transportation operators making commitments to reduce or eliminate on-board disposable plastics, including low-cost airline Ryanair (Dublin / Ireland; https://corporate.ryanair.com – see Plasteurope.com of 21.02.2018) and high-speed train operator Eurostar (London / UK; www.eurostar.com – see Plasteurope.com of 15.02.2018). Spanish hotel chain Iberostar is also aiming to eliminate single-use plastics in all 36 of its hotels in Spain – see Plasteurope.com of 17.05.2018.