BioBlu Aims to Create a Healthy Relationship Between Yachts and Nature

BioBlu advocates for a re-interpretation of yachting’s relationship with people, the planet, owner and ocean by placing an appreciation and respect for nature at the heart of its vision. Created in 2021 by its two co-founders Matt Morley and Paolo Bonaveri with the purpose of helping the yachting industry lessen its impact on the environment via biophilia (the human-nature bond), wellness design and sustainability features, BioBlu’s mission is to improve the health of owners and guests on board a yacht as well as the health of the sea around them.

Inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai - a reason for being - BioBlu’s team of professionals, each with a specific area of expertise, collaborate with yacht builders, brands, owners and captains to deliver solutions for a greener, healthier and more responsible industry.

The yachting industry is entering a period of transition that will require sector-wide cooperation to lessen its impact on the environment; BioBlu is on hand to support and indeed guide that process. On a more scientific basis, BioBlu took inspiration from the World Green Building Council Health & Wellbeing Framework, that is in turn grounded in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, specifically: Good Health & Wellbeing (Goal 3); Affordable & Clean Energy (Goal 7); Responsible Consumption & Production (Goal 12); Climate Action (Goal 13) and Life Below Water (Goal 14).

Applying these global sustainability standards to the yacht industry focuses attention first and foremost on a yacht’s energy use, water efficiency and waste management, but the story does not end there. The role of sustainable materials, opportunities for biophilia (connection to nature) and enhanced onboard health and wellbeing features are also fundamental to this 360-degree vision. Project remits might therefore include advising on eco-friendly or marine-inspired interior materials for a green yacht, collaborating with a shipyard on a superyacht’s mental and physical wellness features, completing a yacht Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for a yacht builder to understand its full environmental impact, creating biophilic office interiors for a refit yard and helping an owner’s rep roll-out a suite of plastic-free operational policies.

“Sustainability needs to shift from niche concern to de facto modus operandi for the yachting industry both on land and sea. Our goal is to speed that process by drawing inspiration from the green building and luxury automobile sectors in particular,” say Matt Morley and Paolo Bonaveri, BioBlu co-founders.

BioBlu Consultancy

Each BioBlu project begins with an initial stakeholder consultation to establish the sustainability and wellness brief by incorporating client preferences, objectives, timeline, budget and resource requirements as well as any project constraints, be they technical, legal or environmental. Through close collaboration with partners in the superyacht, automotive, luxury and sustainability sectors, on both land and sea, the team then look to make a measurable impact in the following areas:

Systems: onboard water filtration systems; onboard waste management systems; onboard indoor air purification systems; wellness lighting systems on board.

Space: yacht gym design and fitness equipment selection; biophilic interiors for green yachts; creation of ergonomic workspaces onboard.

Décor: provision of sustainable, natural and non-toxic furniture and materials.

Onboard protocols: policies to reduce the role of single-use plastics such as water bottles, toiletries, packaging and provisions, as well as microplastic from washing machines; roll-out of eco-conscious cleaning protocols on board.

Life Cycle Assessment: facilitation of yacht carbon offsets; B2B sustainability reports for yacht brands; assistance in the development of new eco-friendly products; Life Cycle Assessments for a yacht. Life on board is evolving in line with an owner’s needs, meaning a yacht is increasingly akin to a private island of safety, wellbeing and productivity as length of stays aboard are extended. This in turn requires enhanced space management, increased comfort and facilities whilst avoiding additional impact on the environment.

Turnkey Project Management

We deliver healthier, more efficient and more sustainable refits through our turnkey project management service combining concerns for form and function, engineering and interiors, wellness and sustainability.

This process recruits all of our collective expertise in eco-friendly yacht technology, engineering systems and healthy materials. The six steps of this process after establishing the wellness and sustainability objectives are:

• Planning

• 3D Development

• Product Development

• Materials Selection

• Production

• Installation

Commissioning BioBlu adopts a holistic approach to each project, following a mantra of ‘no challenge is insurmountable’, seamlessly integrating into larger teams with their laser focus on achieving the objectives relating to people and the planet.