Aurora Expeditions today (Oct. 14, 2025) announced a significant shift in its sustainability journey, moving away from traditional carbon offsetting toward a circular impact model focused on decarbonization and regeneration.
Instead of simply compensating for emissions after they occur, this new approach prioritizes:
◉ Reducing emissions at the source through smarter operations, cleaner technologies, and responsible decision-making. Examples include ships purpose-built for low-impact, fuel reduction and increased biofuel testing.
◉ Regenerating the environments and communities we touch by supporting conservation, restoration, science, and circular practices that give back more than we take.
“This new model moves beyond neutralizing harm and centers on actively creating positive environmental and social outcomes,” said Sasha Buch, Sustainability Manager at Aurora Expeditions.
Ocean Regeneration Program
The Ocean Regeneration initiative is designed to actively restore ocean ecosystems while removing harmful waste.
For every passenger who joins an expedition, including staff and special guests, Aurora Expeditions funds the planting of one unit of marine life and the removal of one kilogram of ocean-bound waste.
Based on 2026 forecasts, Aurora will support the planting of more than 7,000 units of kelp, seagrass, and coral, while preventing more than 7,000 kilograms of waste from entering the ocean.
These efforts are delivered in partnership with global organizations, including Seatrees, Veritree and CleanHub, connecting expeditions directly to positive impact in the destinations Aurora visits:
> Kelp forests in Canada and Portugal
> Seagrass meadows in Spain
> Coral restoration in Indonesia and Costa Rica
> Plastic waste recovery in Indonesia’s Coral Triangle and other coastal communities
“The partners we’ve chosen for this program were selected because they all work with local communities. We value the knowledge they bring and want to ensure economic prosperity for these communities along with long-term environmental protection,” said Buch. “The locations we’ve chosen complement our existing polar sustainable partnerships* as Aurora expands from polar to global expedition.”
Aurora Expeditions is also a certified B Corporation™, meeting high standards of verified social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
Alongside regenerative partnerships, its purpose-built expedition ships – the MV Greg Mortimer, MV Sylvia Earle and upcoming MV Douglas Mawson – feature the pioneering Ulstein X-BOW® design to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, virtual anchoring to avoid seabed damage, and single-use plastic-free initiatives across all operations.
By aligning every voyage with measurable positive impact, Aurora Expeditions continues to lead the industry in redefining what sustainable travel means – turning once-in-a-lifetime journeys into opportunities to regenerate the planet’s life support system.
* Existing Polar Sustainable Partnerships
Whale Research with The Friedlaender Lab
Penguin research with Oceanites
Underwater biodiversity surveys with Reef Life Survey
The Polar Collective for Citizen Science
Oxen Network for Inuit Community Engagement
(Aurora Expeditions Launches New Ocean Regeneration Program to Replace Carbon Offsetting)
Tags: Aurora Expeditions
Appeared first on: Latecruisenews.com
