GreenBubbles · Project

Sustainability Tools and Quality Labels for the Recreational Diving Industry

environmentPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Millions of people go scuba diving every year, and it brings huge money to coastal towns — but it also damages reefs and sea life. This project figured out exactly how diving helps and hurts marine environments, then built practical tools like games, business models, and quality labels so dive operators can keep making money while protecting the ocean. Think of it as a sustainability playbook for the diving industry, developed by researchers across 3 continents who worked directly with dive shops, marine parks, and certification agencies.

By the numbers

millions

divers worldwide engaged in recreational SCUBA diving

consortium partners across the project

countries represented in the consortium

continents covered by the research

total project deliverables produced

EUR 1,611,000

EU contribution to the project

SMEs in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

The recreational diving industry generates significant revenue for coastal communities but faces growing pressure over environmental damage, habitat disturbance, and conflicts with local populations over marine resources. Dive operators, marine parks, and certification agencies lack standardized tools to measure their impact, prove sustainability credentials, and build business models that balance profit with ocean protection.

The solution

What was built

The project produced 30 deliverables including a demonstrated portfolio of educational games for ocean literacy in classrooms, sustainability assessment and modelling tools for diving operations, quality labelling systems, and tailored business models with marketing plans for sustainable diving enterprises.

Audience

Who needs this

Dive center operators seeking sustainability certificationMarine Protected Area managers balancing tourism revenue with conservationDiving certification agencies updating training curriculaCoastal tourism boards promoting responsible marine tourismEnvironmental NGOs working on ocean conservation through citizen science

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Dive Tourism & Tour Operators

SME

Target: Dive centers and coastal tourism operators

If you are a dive tourism operator dealing with growing pressure to prove your environmental credentials — this project developed quality labelling systems and tailored business models for sustainable diving operations. With millions of divers worldwide driving demand, operators who adopt sustainability standards can differentiate themselves and access Marine Protected Areas that increasingly require certified operators.

Marine Protected Area Management

any

Target: MPA authorities and coastal conservation bodies

If you are a marine park manager struggling to balance visitor revenue with habitat protection — this project modelled the environmental, economic, and social impacts of diving activity and produced co-management tools. The research covered dive systems across 6 countries and 3 continents, giving you comparative data to set evidence-based visitor limits and fee structures.

Diving Certification & Training

mid-size

Target: Diving certification agencies and instructor networks

If you are a certification agency looking to modernize your training curriculum with ocean literacy and sustainability content — this project delivered a portfolio of games and educational tools designed for classroom integration. These resources were developed with input from professionals, operators, and NGOs across 10 partner organizations to ensure real-world relevance.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement these sustainability tools in my dive operation?

The project does not publish per-unit pricing for its tools and labels. The total EU contribution was EUR 1,611,000 across 10 partners over 4 years, primarily funding research and development. Licensing or adoption costs would need to be discussed directly with the consortium.

Can these tools scale to large dive tourism networks with hundreds of locations?

The research was designed as a systemic approach covering environmental, economic, and social dimensions across 6 countries. The quality labelling and business model outputs are designed to be replicable, but scaling to large commercial networks would likely require further customization and pilot testing beyond what this project delivered.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can I license it?

As an MSCA-RISE project, IP typically remains with the developing institution — in this case led by Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy. The consortium includes 4 SMEs who may hold commercial rights to specific outputs. Contact the coordinator for licensing terms.

Is there regulatory alignment with EU marine protection rules?

The project directly addresses Marine Protected Area management and co-management approaches, which align with EU marine environmental directives. The quality labelling system was designed with regulatory compatibility in mind, though formal EU-wide certification status is not confirmed in available data.

What concrete products came out of this project?

The project produced 30 deliverables in total, including a demonstrated portfolio of games for ocean literacy education, business models and marketing plans for sustainable diving, and assessment tools for measuring diving impacts. These span educational, commercial, and management applications.

How long would implementation take for a dive center?

Based on available project data, the tools were developed over a 4-year research period (2015-2018). Implementation timelines for individual dive operators are not specified, but the educational games and labelling systems appear designed for relatively quick adoption compared to the broader management tools.

Consortium

Who built it

The GreenBubbles consortium brings together 10 partners from 6 countries (Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Turkey, US, South Africa), spanning 3 continents. With 4 universities, 3 industry partners, 1 research organization, and 2 other entities, the academic side dominates — typical for an MSCA-RISE staff exchange program. The 4 SMEs (30% industry ratio) provide some commercial grounding, but this is primarily a research-driven consortium. The international spread across Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean diving regions gives broad geographic relevance, though commercialization would require stronger industry partnerships. Led by Università Politecnica delle Marche in Italy, the consortium is well-positioned for knowledge creation but would need additional commercial partners to bring outputs to market at scale.

UNIVERSITA POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHECoordinator · IT
STICHTING BREDA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCESparticipant · NL
STUDIO ASSOCIATO GAIA SNC DEI DOTTORI ANTONIO SARA E MARTINA MILANESEparticipant · IT
NOORDWES-UNIVERSITEITpartner · ZA
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITYpartner · US

How to reach the team

Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy — reach out through university research office or project website contact page

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITA POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how GreenBubbles sustainability tools could apply to your diving or marine tourism operation? SciTransfer can connect you with the research team and help assess fit for your business.

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