THE VERIFICATION PROCESS

There are more sustainable solutions available today than most yachting professionals are aware of. If these solutions were to be implemented, an overall reduction in environmental impact could be immediately achieved.

Why verify solutions?

It’s in everyone’s best interest if the database can guarantee that all listed solutions are indeed sustainable. That’s why our verification process uses a science-based, clear and transparent method to assess and verify the products and services that are claimed by their manufacturers to be sustainable. Not only should the solutions help accelerate sustainability in the superyacht industry, but they should be examples of the best practices currently on the market.

What methodology is used?

The verification process obtains a quantified evaluation of a solution’s impact on the environment as well as on human health. The process follows the same methodological framework used for our Yacht Assessment Tool with calculations based on the impacts measured through life cycle assessments.
Life cycle assessment is the scientific methodology for assessing the potential environmental impacts associated with a product or a service. It’s the most widely recognised methodology for such assessments because of its holistic approach that takes into considering the entire life cycle of a product or service, including raw material extraction, processing, manufacturing, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling.
This approach delivers complete information about all of the impacts caused by a product or service over its life. It’s for this reason that the United Nations and European Commission have acknowledged the efficiency and importance of the life cycle assessment methodology.

What results are needed for a solution to be verified?

The life cycle assessment approach uses a comparative analysis with a similar product or service – the category standard – that serves as a benchmark. This is the starting point to determine whether the submitted solution indeed produces fewer impacts than the mainstream alternative product. Verification will be granted if the results of the comparative analysis show a sufficient reduction on the following ten environmental indicators:

For a solution to be verified, it must show a reduction of impacts on at least five of the nine light-blue environmental indicators. These indicators reflect the two most important challenges of sustainability: climate change and loss of biodiversity. Along with the light-blue indicators, the solution must also show a reduction of impact on a sixth indicator – the dark-blue eco-point. This indicator provides an aggregated result consisting of three different categories of impact: human health, ecosystem quality, and resources. So, should a solution show an improvement on at least five of the nine light-blue indicators, as well as the dark-blue indicator, it will meet the criteria for verification.

How it works

The verification process is made up of four steps:

STEP #1

Solution submitted

The verification process begins with the supplier registering and submitting their solution for verification. As part of the registration process, the category that the solution belongs to will be identified.

STEP #2

Data collection

Following registration, we will provide the supplier with a data collection sheet that is specific to the product or service category of the solution. We will also share our agreement which explains the terms and conditions, ensures that your data and IP are protected and makes clear the outcomes of the process. The data collection sheet is a simple spreadsheet that is to be filled out with the data needed for us to make the assessment. Collecting this data is a straightforward but labour-intensive process and we will be available to guide suppliers along the away. Please note that suppliers will need to dedicate enough time to complete this task so that we have all the required data needed.

STEP #3

Assesment

Once the data has been collected, we will begin carrying out the assessment. Following the ISO 14040-44 standard, a life cycle assessment will be performed using our Yacht Assessment Tool. This is a lengthy process that will take between one to four months to complete and involves a rigorous appraisal of the solution, assessing ten different environmental indicators over a solution’s entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through its end of life.

STEP #4

Verification

After the analysis is complete, the outcomes will be shared with the supplier, including an explanation as to whether it met the threshold or not, as well as constructive feedback on how to further improve. After all, we’re here to help everyone to improve their sustainability. Note that the results of the analysis are not intended to be published. If the solution was found to be verifiably sustainable, the solution will be included in our database and the supplier granted use of our verification stamp.