With a focus on improving air quality, increasing recycling rates, reducing waste & packaging and encouraging sustainable travel, many of the ideas will require testing and RED FALCON will be used for this purpose. To raise public awareness, the ship has been rebranded with a green funnel and logo and the main passenger thoroughfare on B Deck will shortly display information about the measures being taken and how the public can get involved.

Fran Collins, Red Funnel's CEO commented: "Environmental protection and sustainability has been part of our brand ethos for many years. In the mid-90's, we voluntarily switched to using less-polluting low-Sulphur fuel which recently became mandatory in UK waters and in 2011 we were also one of first ferry companies to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation in recognition of our processes and systems to protect the environment."

"Our new 'Red goes Green' strategy incorporates discounts for electric vehicles, the trial use of eco-friendly Biofuel and a pledge to reduce waste, improve recycling and encourage changes in consumer behavior. In summary, it marks the next step in a journey with our customers, suppliers and partners to safeguard the natural environment and reduce our ecological footprint."

Headline initiatives in more detail:

Discounts for electric vehicles
Red Funnel will be one of the first ferry companies in the world to offer a discount for pure electric vehicles. Initially in place for bookings between now and the end of this year, for travel up to 31 March 2019, the owners of pure electric cars/small vans can enjoy a 25% discount when pre-booking online at redfunnel.co.uk/electric

Biofuel
From early October, the main engines and generators on Red Falcon will operate exclusively on Green-D Bio-Fuel. Red Funnel expects to see a significant reduction in the amount of Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Dioxide and soot particles in the exhaust gases which is good news for the environment. The long-term trial, one of the first in the marine sector, will help determine the impact, if any, on maintenance regimes, reliability and fuel consumption. See redfunnel.co.uk/biofuel 

Anti-idling campaign
In partnership with Southampton's Clean Air Network, environmental charity 'tec' and a local school, Red Funnel is up-weighting its anti-idling campaign to politely encourage more private and commercial customers not to idle their engines when waiting to board or disembark from the ferries. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the issues and improve the air-quality for customers and staff working at the terminals and on-board as well as those living and working in Southampton and East Cowes. See redfunnel.co.uk/anti-idling

Single use plastics and coffee cups
Red Funnel is striving to reduce and ultimately eliminate the use of single-use plastics in unison with the IW Council's plastic-free Island campaign. Plastic straws, cutlery and plates have already been replaced with ecofriendly alternatives and a reusable hot drinks mug made from recycled material will be retailed shortly. A discount on hot beverages is also available to customers who bring their own travel mug. See redfunnel.co.uk/plastic

Isle of Wight Beach Clean
As part of this year's Isle of Wight Day, Red Funnel is donating £15,000 to support the clean-up of the Island's entire coastline over the weekend of 22-23rd September and has published some attractive ferry offers to encourage beach-clean volunteers from the mainland to help with this mammoth task. Red Funnel staff will also be removing plastic and other litter from the beach at Ventnor and Steephill Cove on Saturday 22nd September. See redfunnel.co.uk/beachclean for more information.

Download our Environmental Strategy for more information about Red Funnel's environmental achievements and the raft of new initiatives which are being introduced today, and in the future. More information is also available at redfunnel.co.uk/green