Baltic Yacht’s sustainability deep dive in the DDSM project
For Baltic Yachts, the Data-driven Sustainability Management (DDSM) project created the time and space needed to turn sustainability from a project-by-project effort into a thread that runs across the company.
Baltic Yachts is a global leader in advanced composite yacht construction with more than 50 years of craftmanship experience. Prior to joining the Data-driven Sustainability Management (DDSM) project in SHAPE, sustainability efforts at the company were often tied to individual projects rather than approached at a company level.
"We hadn't quite found the common thread," says Pamela Honga, Head of Quality, Sustainability and Occupational Safety at Baltic Yachts. "The yarn needed to be untangled."
Revisiting the lifecycle question of a yacht
One of the more concrete data-challenges they had to work through was how to calculate the lifecycle impact on their yachts.
In a previous discussion we had with Pamela Honga, she shared how Baltic 46 Queen Anne, the first Baltic Yacht ever built, is still sailing 50 years later. So, the lifetime of a yacht depends on several factors, mostly on how well it’s been maintained. Therefore, defining the system boundaries for the calculation can be tricky.
Through the DDSM project, Baltic Yachts worked together with researchers from Åbo Akademi and University of Turku, where they landed the ownership period as a workable unit.
"We arrived at the idea that yacht owners change, so we defined a time interval based on how long we think an owner owns a yacht before buying a new one."
Baltic Yachts has now completed an LCA on one of their yachts. Through this work, the data becomes actionable in a new way, enabling them to present customers with concrete options already at the design stage.
"We have gained so much more knowledge in terms of how we can design, present, and create added value," Honga says.
3 takeaways from the DDSM project
By the end of DDSM, Baltic Yachts had:
Completed first LCA on one of their yachts
Ran an internal communications effort on sustainability with production staff
Built and implemented a sustainability strategy, policy and Steering Group
The DDSM project ran through a period of significant regulatory uncertainty. The word "sustainability" itself started wearing thin, broad enough to mean different things to different people, and used often enough to start generating fatigue.
"It's such a powerful word that covers a large area. In a way it creates a lot of understanding, but on the other, it creates more questions."
For Baltic Yachts, the foundation built through DDSM means the work continues regardless of what language is in fashion or which regulations are being revised. They are currently active in several new projects, such as materials initiatives focused on reuse.
The value of ecosystem collaboration
Openness and a willingness to share your ongoing work was what made the DDSM collaboration valuable. Because partner companies came from entirely different industries, there was no sense of competition. Instead, common challenges became easier to spot.
“There were things all the companies were dealing with, just at different stages. So, when someone said, ‘we had a big problem with this,’ you could think, ‘okay, we need to make sure we handle that properly too.’”
At the final project meeting, participants were asked what had been most valuable. The answer was the same across the group: collaboration between companies.
When asked what they wanted more of, nothing changed. It was more collaboration between companies.
“The value lies in the collaboration and the support you get from others who are in the same boat. It helps strengthen your ideas and your progress, and gives you new perspectives.”
Baltic Yachts participated in the Data Driven Sustainability Management project as part of the SHAPE Ecosystem, coordinated by Åbo Akademi University. The project ran from 2023-2025.