Build Targets

By tracking energy, waste, and water use per gross tonnage (GT) built, shipyards can measure and reduce their environmental footprint over time. Construction waste is a meaningful part of that picture. For complex builds like superyachts, waste material typically runs 10–20% of total material input by mass, and for high-impact materials like teak and composite laminates, that figure can be higher still. It’s both an environmental cost and a financial one, which means reducing it is straightforwardly good business.

Starting in 2025, the 30 largest yacht builders will begin tracking and submitting annual data. KPIs and reporting are aligned with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which requires organisations to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under GRI 305: Emissions, which fully incorporates the methodology of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. From there, the targets ramp up every five years to eliminate emissions from energy, waste, and water use by 2050.

Through dedicated shipyard roundtables, the Foundation works with sustainability managers across the industry to align on data standards, reporting methodology, and KPIs. The minimum reporting framework is set collectively, so that every shipyard, regardless of size, is contributing to a dataset that tells a coherent industry-wide story. The more shipyards that join, the stronger that story becomes.