MarineShift360 and GAC Pindar work together for recreational marine's Life Cycle Assessment tool

GAC Pindar transports high performance racing yachts all over the world for premier sailing events © MarineShift360

MarineShift360 has joined forces with leading marine logistics expert GAC Pindar to develop the first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool to help the recreational and performance yachting world reduce its use of resources and cut waste, pollution and carbon emissions.

The strategic partnership brings together MarineShift360's expertise in driving the shift towards a circular economy and GAC Pindar's insight and understanding of the recreational marine sector.

Consumer demand and expected changes to legislation are putting the marine industry under the spotlight and driving it to make advances in closed-loop product design, moving away from the linear 'take-make-waste' approach towards a circular economy.

MarineShift360 has recruited GAC Pindar in its bid to develop an LCA tool to help the industry identify the environmental impacts of their products. It quantifies the environmental effects of a product's full life cycle, from raw materials to disposal at the end of a product's life, enabling users to make informed decisions at the design stage to mitigate their impact on the environment. Its Founding Sponsor is 11th Hour Racing, an international organisation that harnesses the power of sport to innovate change for the health of our oceans.

MarineShift360 is working with Pilot Partners including Allen Brothers, Arksen, Emkay Plastics, GreenBoats, Marlow Ropes, Multiplast, OneSails, Princess Yachts, RS Sailing and Wessex Resins to tailor their LCA tool to the specific needs of marine businesses. The addition of GAC Pindar further strengthens its bid to empower the wider industry to make smart choices within design and manufacturing processes.

GAC Pindar is providing important data related to the complex transportation of equipment all over the world for some of yachting's biggest events including the Volvo Ocean Race and the latest series in supercharged fast-flying F50 catamarans. To understand the complete life cycle of marine equipment, the resources used for its transportation must also be considered. GAC Pindar's in-depth understanding of the planning and execution of logistics support for premier sailing events brings valuable additional expertise to the table.

MarineShift360's LCA tool will enable GAC Pindar to identify where a real, measurable impact can be made in the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and packing materials. As well as developing sustainable solutions for the transportation of marine equipment that go beyond carbon offsetting, GAC Pindar aspires to ensure best sustainable practices are applied throughout its supply chains so that multiple businesses around the world can take steps towards sustainability.

Jeremy Troughton, GAC Pindar's General Manager, says: "We are excited about working with 11th Hour Racing and Pilot Partners to develop a tool which can be used to guide the industry to a more sustainable future. As a key supplier to premier global sailing events, transporting equipment around the world, we are well placed to supply information for the MarineShift360 LCA tool. More and more of our customers are seeking greener logistics solutions and there is much we can do in the short term, such as consolidating shipments, using greener shipping lines and making smarter routing decisions earlier in the planning process."

It has never been more urgent for all businesses and manufacturers in the marine industry to audit and understand their own processes and the impact they have on the environment upon which it heavily relies. All businesses in the marine industry are encouraged to provide immediate input by taking part in a questionnaire on the MarineShift360 website, which will help ensure the data and processes modelled are useful industry-wide: marineshift360.org/questionnaire-form

To find out more about the tool and enquire about future partnership opportunities please contact