D-Marin, a brand managing a selection of premium marinas in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, has announced that it has further improved its sustainability results, confirming a strategic focus on measurable ESG impacts in the environment, community, and corporate governance. At the center of the plan are decarbonization through renewable sources, certification of environmental standards in marinas, application of clean technologies at sea and on land, and systematic improvement of employee and customer satisfaction.

EcoVadis as a sustainability system benchmark

In the context of global ESG performance measurements, EcoVadis has profiled itself as one of the most widespread platforms for sustainability assessment, with more than 150,000 rated companies in over 250 industries. D-Marin has progressed within its industry in past assessment cycles: according to publicly available data from 2024, the company won EcoVadis Silver and ranked among the leading approximately six percent of companies in the leisure segment, just one percentage point below the gold threshold. Such a rating is not awarded for individual initiatives, but because there is a comprehensive sustainability management system that operates through four key pillars: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement.

The EcoVadis methodology has been further refined in recent years, so medal thresholds are linked to relative positioning – in translation, it is about a place in the percentage top within all rated companies. Thus, criteria dynamically adapt to market practice, and every company must constantly prove progress to maintain or improve the level of recognition.

Blue Flags and environmental standards in marinas

In the D-Marin network, marina sustainability does not come down to infrastructure alone. In practice, this is manifested through Blue Flag certificates in a series of locations, where the program confirms standards of sea quality, safety, environmental management, and environmental education. In 2025, initiatives in the United Arab Emirates were additionally emphasized, where one of the marinas became the only one in Dubai with Blue Flag recognition, while another acquired Gold Anchor status, thereby highlighting standards of service, safety, and sustainability.

Along with the Blue Flag program, D-Marin systematically applies internal procedures for environmental protection: from waste and wastewater management to measuring and reducing energy consumption, and at certain locations, innovative solutions for cleaning the water area are also used.

Clean energy and decarbonization: from SBTi to GoO confirmations

The backbone of decarbonization comprises renewable sources and energy efficiency. The company has validated an SBTi target for reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% by 2030 compared to 2021. The lighthouse of this approach is phased investment in photovoltaics: already in 2023, D-Marin reported an investment of 1.7 million euros in solar power plants at the first locations in Croatia and Turkey, which together generated approximately 4.9 GWh of electricity and thereby covered 71% of own consumption in those marinas. The energy picture is further improving in Croatia, where all domestic marinas run on 100 percent “green” electricity confirmed through Guarantees of Origin. It is precisely this European mechanism, by which certificates for produced renewable MWh are “retired”, that gives a regulatory and transparent anchorage to claims about the renewable origin of electricity.

In the year ending December 10, 2025, D-Marin further highlights the expansion of solar installations and the preparation of additional projects on the network of marinas in Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Turkey. Cumulatively speaking, these projects lower the operational carbon footprint, simultaneously amortizing the risks of electricity price volatility and confirming the long-term path towards marina energy self-sufficiency.

Digital and physical solutions for cleaner water areas

To solve the problem of floating waste in ports and marinas – microplastics, bags, oil residues – D-Marin uses a combination of technologies and volunteer actions. In the latest reporting cycles, the introduction of the autonomous robot Jellyfishbot, developed in France (IADYS), which collects floating waste and film layers of oil, was presented. In several marinas (for example in Greece), the robot was presented to the public and the local community, and then included in regular water area maintenance. In parallel, the DPOL system is also applied – a passive, energy-independent collector of floating waste and hydrocarbons that uses natural currents and wind to continuously collect pollution at “critical corners” of the basin.

The combination of Jellyfishbot and DPOL represents a complementary approach: the first solution is mobile and quickly covers a larger surface, the second is a permanent “anchorage” that catches what naturally accumulates. In practice, this means less manpower engagement for routine cleaning of impurities, a visibly cleaner water area, and better starting conditions for biodiversity in and around the marina.

Biodiversity and “artificial nurseries” in ports

Port basins and marina piers are most often not natural habitats for fish and invertebrates – concrete and metal surfaces discourage colonization, and larval mortality is very high. To replace part of that lost function, nature-positive practices like Biohut systems (French Ecocean) are expanding in a series of European locations: modular “artificial nurseries” that offer shelter and food to young specimens. In the French marina Camille Rayon, which is today in the D-Marin network, this approach has been documented in use for several years. D-Marin connects its newer projects in Croatia, Italy, and Greece to this story, whereby ports – which are necessarily artificial ecosystems – are returned at least part of the function of habitat and corridor for early life stages of marine organisms.

In combination with water area cleaning and user education, such micro-interventions prove to be effective, scalable, and relatively cheap “biological infrastructure” for popular nautical destinations that suffer seasonal loads.

Low-emission mobility and infrastructure for users

Clean mobility in marinas is part of the same equation. The latest reports contain the expansion of the fleet of electric vehicles and micromobility (cars, scooters, bicycles), as well as charging stations for user and employee vehicles. in Piraeus (Zea Marina), one of the larger stations with multiple parallel 22 kW connections was installed, whereby charging access logistics were raised to a level in accordance with the traffic load of the marina. For guests, this means less dependence on the city's external infrastructure, and for the marina operator – lower emissions and better traffic management within the complex.

Waste, circular economy and resource management

On land, D-Marin focuses on the standardization of handling waste and hazardous substances, washing and treatment of wastewater from vessels, and higher rates of separation and recycling. “Upcycling” collaborations have also been announced (e.g., program partners who make new products from old sails), whereby marina users are actively included in the circular economy. Operationally, this means less mixed waste, more secondary raw materials, and a smaller carbon footprint resulting from waste disposal and transport.

Culture, people and experience measurement

The foundation of sustainability is organizational culture. D-Marin highlights ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 as standards for environmental management and health and safety, and customer and employee satisfaction is measured through standardized indicators. On the customer side, NPS grew from 2021 to 2023, indicating a rise in loyalty and recommendations among marina users. On the employee side, the company conducts eNPS surveys and records continuous growth in the observed period 2021–2023, along with intensive investment in education and a percentage higher share of women in management positions. In the same period, an anonymous line for ethical issues was introduced, aiming to additionally strengthen the speaking channel and ethical culture.

Network expansion and “green” standard for superyachts

Recent acquisitions and concessions – such as entry into the French market (Camille Rayon) and strengthening the portfolio in Italy (Porto Mirabello and other locations) – expand the geographic network and increase the number of users. This simultaneously raises responsibility: demanding superyacht routes require quality infrastructure, energy, water, waste-adapted protocols, and digital tools for managing the stay in the marina. D-Marin emphasizes that the “premium experience” standard also includes sustainable solutions: from the possibility of shore connection and energy consumption optimization to transparent reporting on electricity origin and waste management.

Why this story is important for nautical tourism

Nautical tourism, especially in sensitive coastal ecosystems of the Mediterranean and the Adriatic, is simultaneously an economic opportunity and an environmental challenge. Standards like Blue Flag, investments in photovoltaics and GoO, and local eco-innovations (Jellyfishbot, DPOL, Biohut) help marinas remain attractive destinations for the next generation of boaters as well. By introducing ESG benchmarks – with clearly set goals, metrics, and auditing – the difference between “green rhetoric” and measurable impact becomes visible. This is precisely why it is relevant that operators like D-Marin transparently display progress: how much emissions are truly reduced, how much renewable energy is produced or purchased, how much waste is recycled, and what the trend of employee and user satisfaction is.

What follows: key points of focus

• Energy transition: continuation of PV capacity expansion and contracts for 100% renewable electricity where local own production is not yet sufficient; optimal load management and smart pillars/distributors in marinas.


• Biological diversity: replication and monitoring of Biohut installation effects – from initial monitoring to comparison with control locations – to document benefits for juvenile fish and invertebrates.


• Clean water area: combining Jellyfishbot for “hotspot” interventions and DPOL collectors for 24/7 passive work; standardization of protocols and exchange of practices between marinas.


• People and culture: continuation of eNPS and NPS growth as two “sides” of the same experience; investments in education and work safety; strengthening ethical culture through channels for anonymous reporting of irregularities.


• Transparency: regular, verifiable publication of data (energy balance, emissions, waste, water, biodiversity), with a clear link to SBTi goals and EcoVadis criteria.

Regional examples: Croatia as a laboratory for a green marina

Croatian locations in the D-Marin portfolio show how rooftop production, purchase of green energy through GoO, and Blue Flag standards are combined. Three marinas (Dalmacija, Šibenik/Mandalina, and Borik) already had guarantees of origin for 100% of electricity in 2023, along with phased installation of solar systems. A double effect was achieved thereby: lowering operational emissions and resilience to market fluctuations in electricity prices. As the GoO system in Croatia develops rapidly, it becomes realistic for other marinas to reach a similar model – own production + GoO – depending on the technical and urban planning limitations of each location.

Industry context: what “top” means in EcoVadis

It is worth recalling that EcoVadis assessments are not a one-time exam, but a continuous process that monitors the quality of the sustainability management system. In 2024, D-Marin was at the Silver level in the leisure industry, within the upper layer of the sector. As criteria evolve and as the number of rated companies grows, maintaining or raising the medal requires new investments, proven transparency, and results throughout the entire supply chain. Companies aiming for the Gold threshold typically show balanced high scores in all four disciplines (E, S, G, and procurement) and robust proof of implementation – not just policy and plan.

A signal to the entire sector

Examples from the D-Marin network – from solar roofs and GoO contracts, through Jellyfishbot and DPOL, to Biohut nurseries – show how a premium marina can transform from a classic “service pier” into a platform for education, testing solutions, and visible contribution to the environment. In the simultaneous growth of NPS and eNPS, organizational logic is also seen: sustainable business makes sense only if it is recognized by both users and the people who live it every day.