Can Luxury Keep Up with Climate Change? Insights from the Advanced Yachting Technology Conference
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
MONACO — Can a superyacht ever be truly sustainable? Or is the future of luxury no longer about owning more—but leaving a lighter footprint?
It is not a question the yachting industry could have avoided for much longer, and it became the thread running through this year's Advanced Yachting Technology Conference at the Yacht Club de Monaco.
Outside, the marina looked exactly as it always does in July. Inside, however, the conversation had moved well beyond beautiful hulls, bigger batteries and alternative fuels. The real subject was how an industry built around freedom at sea responds to a world where the rules of the sea itself are changing.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the discussion was how grounded it remained. There was little appetite for sweeping predictions. Instead, the conversation centred on practical challenges—from energy management and infrastructure to changing owner expectations and smarter yacht design.
One theme surfaced repeatedly: you cannot improve what you cannot measure.
For Maëlle Truchement, CEO and co-founder of NEMO, data has become one of the industry's most valuable resources.
"You cannot act on what you cannot measure."
It is a simple observation, but one that reflects a significant shift in the way yachts are designed and operated. Digital twins, onboard monitoring and artificial intelligence are not replacing naval architects; they are giving designers and owners a clearer picture of where energy is consumed, where it is wasted and where meaningful improvements can be made.
Yet the discussion never became purely technological.
Claire Ferandier Sicard, CEO of ETYC, reminded the audience that the industry's greatest asset remains its people. Yacht crews already operate under demanding conditions, often around the clock, and expecting them to become full-time sustainability managers is unrealistic.
"It's not their job to think about sustainability every minute. Their job is to serve the guests."
In her view, the best systems are the ones that work quietly in the background. If a yacht can automatically optimise its lighting, water and energy use, crews don't need another checklist—they can simply get on with their jobs.
The conversation also challenged another common assumption—that sustainability inevitably comes at a premium.
Several speakers pointed instead to the economics. Better insulation, more efficient air-conditioning systems and smarter energy management reduce fuel consumption and operating costs. Environmental performance, in other words, is beginning to make commercial sense as well as environmental sense.
That shift is becoming increasingly visible among owners.
According to Natalie Quevert, General Secretary of SEA Index, conversations have changed noticeably over the past few years. Owners are no longer asking about environmental performance after delivery; many want to understand it while the yacht is still being designed.
"Owners want to know. They want information so they can make educated choices."
Environmental credentials, she suggested, are gradually becoming another indicator of quality, alongside design, craftsmanship and performance.
For Iacopo Senarega, R&D Project Manager at Azimut|Benetti Group, much of the industry's progress will come through incremental improvements rather than headline-grabbing breakthroughs. Better insulation, more efficient cooling systems and continuous optimisation may not sound revolutionary, but together they can make a substantial difference over the lifetime of a yacht.
There was also a reminder that innovation does not always mean inventing something entirely new.
Martina Reche-Vilanova, Technical Manager at Southern Spars, offered perhaps the simplest observation of the morning.
"Every time you use your sails, it's fuel you don't burn. It's free energy."
It was a useful reminder that some of the most effective solutions have existed for centuries. The challenge now is finding ways to combine those principles with modern technologies and alternative fuels.
Towards the end of the session, I had the opportunity to ask the panel one final question.
What will define a sustainable yacht in 2035?
The answers differed in detail but shared the same direction.
Claire Ferandier Sicard envisioned yachts capable of producing, storing and reusing their own energy while reducing their dependence on external resources.
Natalie Quevert argued that environmental performance could soon become a passport of its own, allowing yachts with verified credentials to gain access to environmentally sensitive destinations and marine protected areas.
It is easy to assume that the future of yachting will be decided by hydrogen, methanol or artificial intelligence. The discussion in Monaco suggested something rather less dramatic. Better data. Smarter engineering. More thoughtful design. A little less waste.
Not the sort of changes that make headlines at yacht shows.
Perhaps the sort that matter far longer.
