Become a participant

It is Green Marine International’s mission to advance sustainability in the maritime industry through a voluntary certification program that drives continual improvement. To meet this objective, Green Marine International has adopted a set of guiding principles.

In addition to respecting laws and applicable laws and regulations, every participant who joins Green Marine International (through the Green Marine or Green Marine Europe programs) agrees to:

• Champion Environmental Leadership:
  Demonstrate leadership by seeking and sharing best environmental and sustainability practices, promoting voluntary initiatives, and striving beyond regulatory compliance.
• Operate Responsibly:
  Conduct activities with integrity and foresight, consistently minimizing environmental risks and impacts while considering technical, economic, and social viability and the needs of present and future generations.
• Pursue Continual Improvement:
  Set clear performance metrics and ambitious objectives for ongoing, measurable improvement, embracing innovation and new technologies as they arise.
• Foster Inclusive Collaboration:
  Engage constructively with governments, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, NGOs, and other maritime stakeholders to co-create solutions and further evolve Green Marine International’s certification program.
• Promote Transparency and Accountability:
  Communicate openly about objectives, progress, and results, and commit to external verification to ensure program integrity and stakeholder trust.
• Demonstrate corporate leadership in the search for best environmental practices in accordance with a sustainable development approach;
• Carry out its activities in a responsible manner with a view to minimizing its environmental impacts;
• Aim for continual improvement of its environmental performance;
• Develop and promote voluntary protection measures;
• Integrate sustainable development practices that are technically and economically achievable;
• Collaborate with governments and waterway stakeholders in developing the environmental program.

In order to obtain Green Marine Europe label, companies must:

1. Adhere to Green Marine Europe’s guiding principles regarding the need to continuously improve their environmental performance;
2. Pay the annual membership fee assessed to Green Marine Europe candidates;
3. Submit an annual self-evaluation report signed by the Chief Executive of the company (or the most senior regional representative) to Green Marine Europe;
4. Agree to the external verification conditions established by Green Marine Europe;
5. Agree to the publication of their self-evaluation results in Green Marine Europe’s Annual Performance Report and ont the Green Marine Europe website (except new candidates for the results arising from their first year of participation);
6. Initially attain Level 2 or higher for at least one performance indicator and thereafter demonstrate continual improvement by increasing at least one level in one indicator every year until level 2 is achieved in each indicator.

• The company must commit to complying with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and to diligently address any instances of non-compliance.
• If any major non-compliances where significant environmental impact has or may occur and where requested by Green Marine Europe, the company will provide to Green Marine Europe details of how the company plans to resolve the situation. Such measures provide Green Marine Europe with assurance that the non-compliance is being addressed; however, through these actions, Green Marine Europe does not assume any accountability or responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the action plan and/or assessing its adequacy.
• In instances of gross negligence or failure to address one or more issues of noncompliance, Green Marine Europe’s Steering Committee will have the option to terminate the candidate’s membership in the program.

All decisions related to Green Marine Europe’s labelling policy are subject to the discretion of the Green Marine Europe’s Steering Committee.