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Electrification, automation, emissions reduction, materials recycling and environmental governance are becoming as important as hull performance or V10 power.
In its Sustainability Report 2025, Brunswick details how the American group is adapting its activities to these new challenges. The conglomerate, which brings together over 60 brands including Mercury Marine, Sea Ray, Boston Whaler, Simrad, Lowrance and Navico Group, is now promoting a more integrated approach to propulsion, electronics, digital technology and environmental management.
Focus on automating operations
The main signal sent by Brunswick concerns the autonomy of pleasure boats. The launch of the Simrad AutoCaptain system illustrates this trend.
The system enables automatic harbor maneuvers, with docking, undocking and low-speed travel functions. The system combines cameras, computers and direct integration with Mercury Marine propulsion systems.
Unlike the simple maneuvering aids already on the market, Brunswick presents here a truly autonomous system capable of automatically adjusting trajectories according to wind, current or nearby obstacles.
For yachtsmen, this development responds to a well-identified problem: the difficulty of maneuvering in modern marinas, which are often saturated and narrow. Owners of increasingly powerful outboard motorboats are now looking for solutions to reduce stress in port.
This technology also paves the way for more assisted navigation, particularly in the premium and semi-professional segments.
And behind this evolution lies another industrial battle: that of the closed ecosystem. AutoCaptain works exclusively with Mercury engines and Simrad displays. In this way, the automaker seeks to lock in complete integration between powertrains, electronics and software.
Reducing emissions becomes a concrete issue
The report's second major challenge is to reduce carbon emissions from industrial activities and products.
Brunswick has announced a 48% reduction in its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions since 2022, exceeding its initial target of 30%. The Group explains this reduction by several levers: thermal recovery in Mercury Marine plants, energy optimization of production lines and increased use of renewable electricity certificates.
The Group now claims to cover 74% of its electricity consumption with renewable energies.
But the reality on the ground is more complex. Unsurprisingly, the Group's main source of emissions continues to be the use of internal combustion engines by customers. This category alone accounts for 78% of Scope 3 emissions.
Brunswick continues to invest heavily in the optimization of thermal outboards, notably with the launch of the 425 hp Mercury Verado V10. The emphasis is on fuel efficiency and consumption, rather than an immediate technological breakthrough.
The report clearly shows that today's marine industry is following a hybrid strategy: upgrading existing combustion engines while gradually preparing for electrification.
Recycled materials on the rise in boatbuilding
The report also highlights a more surprising development: the gradual replacement of wood by recycled polymer.
At Lund Boats, several models now use composite panels made from recycled plastic bottles. These materials replace the marine plywood historically used for floors, seats and transoms. The benefits are manifold. The panels won't rot, absorb less moisture and reduce the overall weight of the units. Brunswick claims to have used around 3.7 million recycled plastic bottles in Lund 2025 production.
The same logic applies to Thunder Jet, which is gradually abandoning treated wood in favor of recyclable composite panels. In its polyester units, Brunswick is also continuing to replace balsa with recycled PET foam from plastic bottles. These choices respond to a number of modern boating issues: durability of structures, reduced maintenance and increasing regulatory constraints on certain chemically-treated materials.
But they also respond to an economic reality: quality marine cp is becoming more expensive and more difficult to secure in certain supply chains.
Recycling motors and batteries becomes a technical challenge
The report also details the first industrial projects to focus on the circular economy in the marine sector. Mercury Marine announces that it has developed a process for recovering the precious metals contained in the catalysts of MerCruiser sterndrive engines. Palladium and rhodium can now be re-injected into new catalysts.
This logic of reuse also applies to the batteries used in Avator and Mastervolt electric drives. Brunswick is already preparing for future European regulations on the management of lithium batteries, by setting up collection, dismantling and recycling channels. Electric and hybrid powertrains are multiplying the need for high-capacity batteries, at a time when Europe is tightening its requirements on the traceability and recovery of critical materials.
For automakers, the ability to manage the complete battery cycle is now as important as the sale of the propulsion systems themselves.
Artificial intelligence now on board
Another key development in the report is the gradual arrival of artificial intelligence in the nautical world.
Brunswick mentions several applications already deployed: digital assistants for boaters, logistics optimization, engine data analysis and navigation system automation. The FishCast system developed with Simrad and ROFFS illustrates this trend. The tool combines artificial intelligence and oceanographic data to identify the most favorable fishing zones in real time.
The group is also working on conversational agents designed to assist boat owners in the maintenance and use of their boats. These developments reflect a profound change in modern boating. The major groups no longer just sell hulls and engines. They are now developing digital platforms capable of connecting navigation, maintenance, cartography, assistance and user data.
And this transformation is gradually bringing boating closer to the connected automotive industry.
