Royal Malta Yacht Club Launches Sustainability Compass
The Royal Malta Yacht Club today launched its Sustainabil‐ ity Compass, an initiative that underscores the Club's commit‐ ment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) princi‐ ples. This initiative aims to min‐ imise the Club's environmental impact, uphold strong social re‐ sponsibility practices, and en‐ sure transparency and accountability through exem‐ plary governance.
The purpose of this initiative is to inspire generations of re‐ sponsible sailors, by nurturing a culture of respect for our seas. This will be achieved by educat‐ ing and empowering Club mem‐ bers, sailors, RMYC Sailing School students and the wider community about the Club’s sustainability values which en‐ compass the respect for our wa‐ ters, inclusivity in action, fostering of friendship and team work, and creating a legacy through sailing.
This first sustainability report reflects the Club’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, aligning with the principles of the Corporate Sus‐ tainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and drawing on estab‐ lished global standards. The first part of the process started with the gathering of data, set‐ ting ambitious yet achievable targets through 2030, and out‐ lining clear action plans. The report provides a comprehen‐ sive overview of the Club’s sus‐ tainability efforts with goals set for 2030, progress made in 2023, if any, and clear action‐ able targets for 2024.
“The report details our collab‐ oration with World Sailing, part‐ nerships with Zibel and the
Rolex Middle Sea Race, and the contributions from various de‐ partments and stakeholders within the Club. This report serves as a baseline, and we re‐ main dedicated to ongoing im‐ provement, as we navigate a more sustainable future for the Club and the marine environ‐ ment” remarked Melanie Vella, Sustainability Consultant.
The five pillars around which this initiative will revolve around are the Natural Envi‐ ronment: prioritising the pro‐ tection and preservation of natural surroundings through sustainable practices; Educa‐ tion & Training: enhancing knowledge and skills related to sustainability amongst Club members and the community; Events: implementing sustain‐ able practices in Club events to minimize environmental impact; Community Engagement: foster‐ ing strong relationships and col‐ laboration with the local community; and Governance: en‐ suring transparency, accounta‐ bility, and integrity in all Club operations.
RMYC Sustainability Officer Mark Vella went on to explain that “As we build capacity and implement robust data collection systems and governance, partic‐ ularly within the events field, we will progressively expand our focus areas. This will enable us to address emerging sustainability challenges and opportunities more effectively.”
The Club will also be launching a social media education cam‐ paign which consists of the 5 Sus‐ tainable Actions for Sailors. These actions provide sailors with a fun, engaging, and action‐ able list of daily habits to kick‐ start their sustainable sailing journey. For this campaign a number of club members and sailing school students were roped in as ambassadors for this initiative.
Cultivating a sustainable com‐ munity has long been on the Club’s agenda and it has a long‐ standing positive relationship with the Local Council of Ta’ Xbiex. "We value sustainability efforts driven by the RMYC in our local community. Together we can build a more inclusive com‐ munity where we all care for our natural environment and our coastal areas," said Mayor Max Zammit, who was present for the launch.
This collaborative effort focuses on promoting sustainability and fostering a love for sailing within the local community and signi‐ fies the power of local partner‐ ships in fostering a thriving and sustainable Ta’ Xbiex.
“The RMYC Sustainability Com‐ pass represents a significant step forward in our commit‐ ment to fostering a sustainable future for sailing and our com‐ munity. We look forward to the journey ahead and the positive impact we can achieve together” remarked Club Commodore, David Cremona.
The RMYC Sustainability team is led by Melanie Vella and in‐ cludes Club Commodore David Cremona (local Engagement Ini‐ tiatives), Mark Vella (Environ‐ ment & Governance), Georges Bonello DuPuis (Events Sustain‐ ability), Ruya Cakmakli (Train‐ ing & Education), Edgar Warrington (Inclusion & Gover‐ nance), and Andrew Schembri (Zibel NGO representative).