AIDA Cruises Donates Over 4,400 Pieces of Furniture to Charity – Focus on Sustainability

The charity distributes the furniture to households in need and social institutions—both locally in Hamburg and internationally, including to Ukraine. AIDA Cruises and DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V. have been collaborating since 2023 to promote sustainable and socially responsible initiatives.

Recipients of the donation include well-known organizations such as the German Red Cross and SOS Children's Villages. AIDA Cruises emphasizes that this initiative is not a one-time effort: The company plans to expand its cooperation with charitable partners in the future and implement even more sustainability projects.

Through this effort, the cruise line reinforces its commitment to social responsibility and environmental protection—giving used but fully functional furnishings a second life.

AIDA press release from 25.03.2025:

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As part of the AIDA Evolution future initiative, AIDAdiva donated more than 4,400 pieces of furniture to the organization DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V. during its time at the Chantier Naval shipyard in Marseille from 3 February to 22 March 2025. For example, well-preserved armchairs, chairs and stools from AIDAdiva's restaurants, lounges and theatrium were handed over for further use, where they were replaced with new furniture during the shipyard.

DER HAFEN HILT! e.V. is a charitable organization from Hamburg that distributes donations in kind to charitable organizations and people in need.
organizations and people in need. The organization primarily distributes goods regionally in and around Hamburg, but furniture is also donated to people in need as far away as the Ahr Valley and Ukraine. Passing on the donations provides a counterpoint to the throwaway mentality. AIDA Cruises and DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V. give well-preserved products a second life. AIDA Cruises has been working with the non-profit association since 2023 and supports the organization fleet-wide.

“Together with the team from DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V. and Daimler Truck AG, we loaded the donated furniture in three phases during AIDAdiva's shipyard period. Many helping hands were involved in handing over the donation in kind to the association, which then transported the furniture to Germany, Poland and Ukraine. It is a great feeling to know that we can help people in need with our well-preserved furniture. We are very much looking forward to continuing our cooperation with DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V., as we have many more great evolution projects in the pipeline and are constantly expanding our commitment to sustainability at AIDA Cruises,” says Marc Spingler, Director Hotel Maintenance Dry Docks & Refit at AIDA Cruises.

Thanks to the great commitment of the AIDAdiva crew, the logistics for taking over the furniture could be seamlessly integrated into the tightly scheduled shipyard plans. The pieces of furniture from AIDAdiva were passed on via the organization to the Ukrainian Civil Defense, for example, where there is still a lack of the simplest furniture. Donations were also made to the Reso Center for disadvantaged animals in the municipality of Neu Wulmstorf in Lower Saxony. The seating furniture was used to open a donation café with a lounge area where future pet owners can get to know their new family members. Pieces of furniture were also presented to the German Red Cross in Büchen and the SOS Children's Villages.

The cooperation between AIDA Cruises and DER HAFEN HILFT! e.V. will be further expanded in the future and intensified in planned evolution projects. AIDA Cruises is thus supporting a more sustainable life cycle for its products and expanding its social commitment.