22 | WATERLINE September 2026 FEATURE ENVIRONMENT, DECARBONISATION & SUSTAINABILITY When the Marina Industries Association (MIA) launched the Marine Sustainability Pledge (MSP) in 2025, the idea was simple: build on the legacy of the Elimination of Single-Use Plastics Pledge and give marine businesses a broader, more future-focused framework for environmental leadership. Just over a year on, the Pledge has grown, building signatories stretching from the Whitsundays to Fiji, Thailand, New Zealand and the UAE, and now we have annual progress reports that demonstrate the proactive actions of the participants. The value of a pledge lies in accountability, and the 2025/2026 reporting round proves the model works. Rather than a one-off promise, the MSP asks signatories to report annually on tangible progress across the eight core principles: zero single-use plastics, carbon neutrality and renewable energy, water conservation, air quality, circular economy, marine habitat protection, community engagement, and transparency. The first reports received are honest, detailed and inspiring. Coral Sea Marina Resort delivered a standout year. The marina took home the Eco Excellence Award at the inaugural Whitsunday Business Awards, reaccredited as a Clean Marina and Fish Friendly Marina with a perfect 100% audit score, and was recognised as an EcoBiz Star Partner. Its Clean Up Australia Day events in 2025 and 2026 removed more than 380kg of litter with the help of over 90 local volunteers. Working with Reef Catchments and CQUniversity, the team established a second seagrass nursery and hosted a Seagrass Nursery Talk and Tour during the Great Barrier Reef Festival to bring the community into the science. Port Denarau Marina in Fiji demonstrated how far the Pledge can reach. The marina rolled out marine-conservation education programs for schools, transitioned to LED lighting, and swapped timber walers for composite materials to reduce deforestation. Its partnerships with the Mamanuca Environment Society, the Australian Marine Debris Initiative and SeaKeepers International, extend conservation to remote islands, and a new recycling program with Coca-Cola is on the way. Notably, the team has even taken its recommendations on marine-conservation regulation to Fiji's Parliamentary Standing Committee, showing leadership well beyond the marina gate. At The Quays Marina in Church Point, NSW, sustainability is being engineered into the infrastructure. The marina upgraded its solar array and inverters and invested in a UtiliOS water-monitoring system that isolates leaks before tens of thousands of litres are lost into Pittwater. Its next step is battery storage with the goal, weather permitting, of running the marina from sunset to dawn entirely on stored solar power and effectively going off-grid. Sydney's White Bay 6 Marine Park switched to a green energy provider and is tackling one of the industry's most stubborn challenges head-on: supplier packaging. The team has moved to suppliers who avoid wrapping every item in plastic, trialled reusable consumables, and is digitising checklists and safety data sheets to cut paper. Plans for the year ahead include sponsoring a fish-habitat restoration program with Club Marine and rolling out sustainability training at regular intervals for all staff. What unites these MSP signatories is not that anyone claims to have solved sustainability, it's that each business is measurably further along than a year ago. Several noted the same challenges: supplier packaging, the trade-offs of low-VOC paints, and the internal time and resources needed to drive change. The MSP was never about achieving all eight pillars at once. It's about setting realistic goals, celebrating progress, and embedding sustainable thinking into everyday operations. These reports are exactly that ethos in action, and they give the whole industry a library of practical ideas to borrow from. To every signatory who took the time to report this year, and to those just beginning the journey, thank you for leading. The MSP's value has always rested on the willingness of marine businesses to be transparent, to share what works, and to hold themselves to a higher standard. On the evidence of this first reporting round, that willingness is very much alive. To take the Pledge or submit your annual report, visit marinas.net.au/accreditation/marine-sustainability-pledge or email Chris Stone at manager@marinas.net.au A YEAR OF PROGRESS THE MARINE SUSTAINABILITY PLEDGE By Chris Stone, MIA Operations Manager The Pledge continues to gather momentum and since the conclusion of Marinas26 we have been delighted to welcome new signatories to the MSP network, including Ocean Marina Jomtien (Thailand), Royal Perth Yacht Club, Marlborough Sounds Marinas New Zealand (including Havelock, Picton & Waikawa Marinas) & Birkenhead Point Marina. To each of you: thank you and congratulations. Your commitment strengthens a movement that now spans the Asia-Pacific and beyond. The Quays Marina, Church Point, NSW
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