Burgess has announced the launch of the Marine Conservation Programme in association with Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE). The programme with offer clients the opportunity to counteract the environmental impact of their yachting activities by donating a Marine Conservation Fee. The programme is opt-in for clients; the hope is that over the course of months and years it will become standard practice for many clients. In addition, the Burgess Strategic Board has also agreed to donate proportionally to the impact of company travel. The new initiative was devised by the Burgess CSR team, Burgess Blue Oceans and represents an integral part of the business’ wider CSR strategy.

“I am excited to be able to offer this initiative to our clients. The team has been working hard to ensure we have a policy that is workable, transparent and supports an organisation that has done great work in their field,” comments Jonathan Beckett, CEO of Burgess. “I am very hopeful for a high take-up from our charter clients initially, followed by the other departments as we roll this out.”

The funding pipeline from Burgess to BLUE has two sources. Firstly, the programme for clients entails the optional payment of a Marine Conservation Fee that serves to counteract the impact of their cruising and which is calculated according to the business they do with us. The fee goes directly to projects in the Mediterranean and Maldives. Secondly, Burgess will donate proportionally to the impact of company travel. This goes to the BLUE core funding, which keeps the organisation running.

“BLUE is delighted that Burgess is encouraging their clients to take account of their environmental impact through this exciting initiative,” says Clare Brook, BLUE’s CEO. “Burgess’ donations will support BLUE’s projects in the Maldives and the Mediterranean, working to safeguard marine life from overexploitation. We look forward to what this partnership might bring.”

In recent years the superyacht industry has been making a concerted effort to account for the direct impact that it has on the environment, this new initiative from Burgess is one more step in the right direction for the superyacht market.

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