What Are the Best River Cruises for the Environment?

River cruises can be a relaxing and scenic way to explore Europe and beyond, but not all cruises are created equal when it comes to sustainability. Choosing the right river cruise operator can reduce your environmental footprint and support local communities along the riverbanks. 

Cruise ships, regardless of size, dump waste into our rivers and oceans, generate air pollution, contribute to climate change, and disturb local communities and marine wildlife. River cruises are often seen as better alternatives to ocean cruises due to their smaller size, but there is a lot to consider when it comes to environmental damage and impact to pick the best river cruises. So, before you book that cruise, find out what kind of effect it’s having on the places it travels to. 

What makes a river cruise eco-friendly? 

An eco-friendly river cruise implements practices that minimize environmental impact while benefiting local communities: 

• Energy-efficient vessels: Using modern engines and low-emission technologies reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Shore power technology uses electricity at ports to power cruise ships while they are docked, instead of burning fuel the whole time. 
• Waste management systems: Proper treatment of sewage and graywater protects rivers and wildlife. 
• Reduced single-use plastics: Onboard initiatives limit disposable items and encourage reusable alternatives. 
• Sustainable food and sourcing: Meals are often locally sourced, reducing carbon emissions from transport and supporting local economies. 
• Energy and water conservation: LED lighting, water-saving fixtures, and efficient heating/cooling systems lower environmental impact. 

Best river cruises for the environment 

We compiled information on some of the biggest river cruise lines to compare their impact and commitments to sustainability.   

By adopting advanced water treatment and shore power, the following river cruise lines have shown progress towards cleaning up their act. Additional technologies for each company can be seen in the Friends of the Earth river cruise report.   

• Scenic: Scenic is one of two cruise lines that publishes a public sustainability report. This report publishes greenhouse gas emissions, energy usage, and total waste for their ships. Their ships treat waste and drinking water on-board and have hulls designed to reduce drag and energy consumption.   
• AROSA: A-ROSA has reported that all 17 ships in their fleet are shore power capable and use wastewater treatment systems. They also plan to start releasing a public sustainability report sometime in 2025.   
• Luftner: All Luftner ships have been given the green award, which is an international certificate program launched in 1994 to recognize high safety and environmental standards. It is assumed that their whole fleet has the same green technologies implemented.   
• American Cruise lines: American has reported that all their fleet is shore power capable, but it is unclear how many are able to plug in.   

Best river cruises for sustainable technology 

The following cruise lines don’t have known shore power or water treatment in place. While some of these lines do have at least some sustainable initiatives, others either didn’t report their sustainability practices or don’t have any public environmental commitments.   

• Viking: Viking is the largest river cruise line in operation, with a big global reach. They have solar panels and hybrid engines on some ships and reportedly use local ingredients for food. This makes them slightly better than the other lines in this section, but the large number of ships and lack of clean technology is concerning.   
• Uniworld: Uniworld gets some credit for being one of two river cruise lines to publish a public sustainability report. However, they also have few, if any, protections in place and most of their reported plans only revolve around food waste. While this is a good step, it isn’t enough to reduce pollution in a meaningful way. Time will tell if it’s all talk or if they’ll implement more sustainable practices in the future.   
• Scylla: Scylla doesn’t have any public information on its environmental impact on the website, so it’s hard to know what protections they have in place, if any. As of 2024, their ships all reportedly run on renewable fuel.   
• Vodohod: Vodohod also doesn’t have any public sustainability information on the website. They only cruise in Russia and have a fleet of 13 vessels. 

Top rivers for sustainable river cruises 

Several rivers are popular among eco-friendly travelers: 

• Danube: Scenic cruises with low-emission vessels and community-supported excursions 
• Rhine: European river routes with certified sustainable operators 
• Seine: Offers cultural experiences with reduced environmental impact 
• Douro (Portugal): Vineyards and historic towns with responsible tourism initiatives 
• Mekong (Southeast Asia): Focused on river ecosystem conservation and local village support 

River cruises vs ocean cruises 

Ocean cruises are the ones most people think of when they consider taking a cruise. Ocean-going cruise liners operate mostly in open ocean and have more of a presence in the Caribbean or Mediterranean, in addition to coastlines like Asia and Australia. The fleet size is generally bigger for ocean cruise lines – for example, Carnival Corporation has the largest ocean fleet with a whopping 106 ships and 10 cruise lines in operation. (Carnival Corp. cruise lines have also been involved in multiple environmental prosecutions, but that’s another story.)   

River cruises are just that: Cruises that operate mostly in river systems close to inland towns and cities instead of the open ocean. Because they travel in smaller waterways, river cruise ships usually have fewer passengers and aren’t as big in size.  

On average, river cruise lines have fleets of around 15-30 ships. Viking is the largest at 76. When comparing the environmental impact, ocean cruises have a much larger footprint than river cruises since river cruises tend to use cleaner fuel, don’t utilize harmful technologies like exhaust gas scrubbers, and have less human and operational waste due to their smaller size.   

What is the environmental impact of a river cruise? 

The results from the analysis we commissioned from Energy and Environmental Research Associates (EERA) indicate that river cruising (even the best river cruises) yields around 20 – 58% lower emissions per passenger each day than our prior estimates for ocean-going cruises. More specifically, the analysis found that the estimated emissions per passenger day for a typical river cruise are 176kg (0.176 MT) of carbon dioxide for a 1,500 gross ton vessel (approximately 128 passengers), and 338kg (0.338 MT) carbon dioxide for a 3,500 gross ton vessel (approximately 200 passengers). As EERA reports, this is because river cruise vessels generally travelat slower speeds, have shallower drafts, and encounter less hull resistance from currents and wave action.   

According to Friends of the Earth’s analysis of larger ocean-going cruises, one individual on a typical cruise ship emits roughly 421kg of carbon dioxide per day. Alternatively, one individual staying in a high-end hotel, using carbon-heavy transportation and choosing higher carbon activities, emits just 81kg of carbon dioxide per day. The carbon footprint of an average land-based vacationer is around 51kg, less than one-eighth of the average cruise goer. So even river cruises have a bigger carbon footprint than land-based vacations. 

Why choose a green river cruise? 

Selecting a sustainable river cruise helps: 

• Reduce your carbon footprint 
• Protect rivers, wildlife, and ecosystems 
• Support local communities and responsible tourism 
• Promote industry-wide adoption of eco-friendly practices 

By choosing eco-certified operators and conscious travel options, you can enjoy a beautiful river journey while leaving a positive impact on the environment and society.