Book for spring break 2025
Burgess' marine conservation programme.
Published 17 October 2022
One year after launching Burgess x Blue Marine Conservation Programme with Blue Marine Foundation, Burgess is now proudly a Major Partner of the charity - thanks to the success of its new business fundraising initiatives
The Blue Marine Foundation (Blue Marine) programme commits us at Burgess to recognising and managing the impact that we have on the environment, and to using our business model as a force for good. By the end of 2023 we aim to pay directly into Blue Marine’s conservation projects in yachting destinations in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean for every piece of business that we complete.
Each client that we work with is also invited to join this vital conservation effort by matching - or exceeding - the Burgess donation. The programme is optional for our clients, and we hope that it will become standard to contribute to ocean conservation as part of a yachting holiday.
Jonathan Beckett, Burgess CEO, says, 'I am excited to be able to offer this initiative to our clients. The team has been working hard to ensure we have a policy that is workable, transparent and supports an organisation that has done great work in its field. I am very hopeful for a high take up from our clients.'
At Burgess, we also contribute to Blue Marine by paying a fee against all our company travel, for our 220+ strong global team.
Burgess Partner for ESG Georgina Menheneott explains, 'We have committed to making our sustainability strategy central to how we do business. This year we have been breaking new ground with Blue Marine. We still have a lot more to do, but it’s been really exciting to see our words already becoming action.'
The Burgess x Blue Marine funding pipeline has two sources:
1. Marine Conservation Fee
Burgess puts money back into ocean conservation as a proportion of what we earn across the Burgess services. We ask clients to join us in paying a Marine Conservation Fee, which is calculated according to the business we do for them. The fee goes directly to Blue Marine projects in the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean.
2. A fee on all company travel
We also pay a fee to counteract the impact of our company travel. This goes to Blue Marine’s core funding, which keeps the organisation running.
Our commitment
The Burgess x Blue Marine initiative was born out of a desire to give back, to leverage the business to support ocean conservation was the natural next step. From the first discussions with the Blue Marine team through to launch in 2020, this work has been driven by the Burgess Blue Oceans team and supported by the Burgess Management Board.
'We pride ourselves on strong corporate governance in Burgess,' says Georgina. 'A project like this is only possible with dedication and hard work from the bottom up and an acceptance of our corporate social responsibility from the top down. We have a great team and in Blue Marine we have an ideal partnership.'
Clare Brook, Blue Marine’s CEO, says, 'Blue Marine is delighted that Burgess is encouraging their clients to take account of their environmental impact through this exciting initiative. Burgess’ donations will support our projects in the Maldives and the Mediterranean, working to safeguard marine life from overexploitation. Together we can and will affect postive change.'
Blue Marine’s mission is to see at least 30 percent of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70 percent managed in a responsible way. They work using a combination of top-down intervention to improve governance of our seas and bottom-up project delivery to help local communities who are at the front line of ocean conservation.
Key strategic interventions include securing marine protected areas to ensure the protection of at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030; developing models of sustainable fishing proving that low-impact fishing benefits marine life, local fishers and communities; and restoring marine habitats to revive and protect vulnerable and threatened species and to sequester carbon.
Burgess Blue Oceans (BBO) was born out of a need to make a change. The good health of the world’s oceans not only allows us to work in this exceptional industry, but also it is the source of all life on our planet. We know that our business has a direct impact on the environment and we have a responsibility to use our business as a force for good: To reduce that impact, and work to create a more sustainable superyacht industry.
The BBO team is made up of staff working across every Burgess service, representing each department from new builds and sales to marketing and finance.
Love the ocean
In whatever way we choose to be part of this exceptional industry, we can all be guardians of our oceans.
To find out more about Burgess x Blue Marine through yachts for sale and yachts for charter, please contact a Burgess broker. Alternatively, get in touch with one of our offices directly: London, Monaco, New York, Miami, Singapore or all other locations.
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