How hotels are helping offset your eco guilt – Cond Nast Traveller India – The Last Word in Travel

Wildfires in Greece and Siberia, drought in Australia, floods in Kerala. The drastic impact of climate change is evident the world over. Severely hit by these disasters like every other industry, hospitality also shares the blame for adversely affecting the health of the planet.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization has estimated that hotels worldwide contribute to about 1 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Putting that in context, the Accor group has estimated that its environmental impact is equivalent to that of a city of 5,00,000 inhabitants. And thats one group of hotels with around 4,900 properties globally. Now imagine the impact of 2,00,000 hotels!

A study published in 2018 in Nature Climate Change reveals that between 2009 and 2013, tourisms global carbon footprint increased four times more than previously estimated, accounting for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The study took into account everything from air travel to hotels and souvenirs.

If the worlds hotels are to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to under 2 C, they will have to reduce carbon emissions by 66 percent come 2030 and by 90 percent by 2050. This, according to the International Tourism Partnership (ITP), a grouping of hospitalitys most powerful companies. All the measures recommended to achieve these goals aim to make businesses sustainable. And hotel owners are responding in small and big waysdoing away with non-recyclable plastic, reusing printer cartridges, adopting renewable energy and reducing portion sizes.

Indian and international hotel groups are now insisting suppliers have certifications from agencies like The Rainforest Alliance, which uses nearly 100 social, environmental and economic criteria to examine a companys policies. The Marine Stewardship Council does just that but on the seafood supply end. In fact, there are over 140 green certifications in useEarthCheck, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Key, Green Growth 2050, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Global Sustainable Tourism Council, among several others. These are applied to everything from construction standards to how ethically a product or ingredient is sourced and are based on a mind-boggling array of factors.

Green Growth 2050 has over 400 indicators covering all aspects of operation from environmental and plastic use to local hiring and workplace health, explains John Roberts, group director of Sustainability & Conservation, Minor Hotels. From the very basic stuff like getting rid of plastic water bottles, which we did when we first became members in 2008, to a whole section on occupational health and safety and human rights now. The list, quite literally, goes on!

The best-known certification, perhaps, is LEED, which is conferred by the US (and now Indian) Green Building Council. In India, properties of ITC Hotels were the first to achieve the highest such rating.

LEED Platinum standards address energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, reduction, reuse and recycling of waste, sustainable site selection and use of sustainable material for construction and consumables, explains Dipak Haksar, chief executive of ITC Hotels and WelcomHotels. More than 53 percent of electrical energy demand is currently met by our own wind and solar farms. More than 50 percent of the paper, stationery and wood is either FSC-certified, sourced locally or recycled. We have reduced water consumption across ITC Hotels by 50 percent over the past five years.

From key cards to toiletries, one of the biggest challenges that a hotelor even the Earthfaces is plastic. Most significantly, single-use items such as straws, which dont disintegrate easily and are not recycled.

Look at the numbers: Marriott Internationalwith over 6,500 hotels worldwideuses over a billion plastic straws, 25 million plastic stirrers and 35 million mini toiletry bottles every year. Almost all of this goes straight to landfills. In 2018, the group announced it was phasing out plastic straws and stirrers and replacing them with more eco-friendly options that would only be provided on request. It has also begun to replace mini toiletry bottles with larger, reusable bottles. A number of other leading hotel brands, including InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Hyatt, Accor, Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Soneva, ITC and Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), have adopted both these measures.

IHCL has replaced plastic straws across all its properties with paper and bamboo straws, says PV Ramana Murthy, executive vice-president and global head of human resources at IHCL (better known as the Taj group), which has 81 hotels certified by EarthCheck. This helped us eliminate two million plastic straws from the ecosystem. Taj also launched its first zero single-use plastic hotel, Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Andamans. Along with its own biogas facility, water-bottling plant, a reservoir for rainwater harvesting and partial solar energy, the resort has partnered with the pollution control board to keep the island plastic-free.

Jean-Michel Casse, chief operating officer, India and South Asia, at Accor, says, Weve stressed how straws are not necessary for drinksF&B directors can design drinks and glassware that dont need straws.

Plastic used in packaging is another scourge that sustainability teams are attempting to resolve. For example, ibis hotels across India are experimenting with boxes and tableware made of bagasse, a sugar cane byproduct thats 100 percent biodegradable. Individual hotels are also making the switch from disposable plastic bathroom amenities to recyclable options. The Hyatt group across North America has removed single-use, non-recyclable earbuds from its fitness centres, replacing them with recyclable versions. Closer home, Pepper Trail in Wayanad and Brijrama Palace in Varanasi have ditched plastic toothbrushes for those made of eco-friendly materials.

Lastly, theres the problem of room key cards made of non-biodegradable PVC. While bigger chains grapple with finding scalable eco-friendly options, standalones are forging ahead. In 2018, The Ranch at Laguna Beach, California, started using keys made of bamboo and embedded with radio- frequency identificationa biodegradable option that encouraged conversations about sustainability with guests.

Agriculture is considered a leading cause for the extinction of wildlife species. Hotels are taking note of scientific studies and moving towards reducing their carbon footprint by buying local produce, choosing eco-labelled condiments and demanding that suppliers only provide cage-free eggs, source nitrate-free pork from farms where the animals are not raised in confinement, deliver ethically-raised beef and bring to the table seafood farmed responsibly.

Marriott International reserves over 70 percent of its spending for vendors who provide eco-certifications and/or are involved in conservation efforts. Similarly, Novotel Bengaluru serves coffee supplied by Black Baza Coffee, a fair trade-focussed agency that connects growers from BR Hills in Karnataka with the marketplace.

But deciding on what makes sense to source isnt always easy, Casse of Accor explains, The major challenge from an operations standpoint is the availability of information for accurate whole-life costing. Where is the product from? How is it made? What is it made from? How far does it travel? How is it packaged? How is it maintained? How much does it cost to maintain? How is it disposed of? What does it break down into? What does that do to the environment? And working out the net positive combination of all of these parameters is extremely difficult.

On the marine front, Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, which owns and operates The Peninsula Hotels, has removed ingredients like shark fin from its menu, after concerns that excessive consumption is nudging certain species towards extinction. ITC Hotels, under the guidance of WWF- India and Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, has gone a step ahead to remove all endangered species from its offerings.

Farming within kitchens view is another trend thats catching on among hoteliers. With techniques like hydroponics and aeroponics, chefs are using kitchen gardens to grow exotic herbs as well as veggies. The Orlando World Center Marriott partnered with hydroponic farming company HyCube to create a soil- and pesticide-free space that can grow 25,000 plants. Also, apiaries are a huge draw among hotels like Fairmont to not just support endangered bees but to also create their own honey lagers.

Given the challenges, especially for large chains involving thousands of properties, in reducing wastage of energy, water, food and other nature-dependant resources, hotel brands are employing smart technology to make smarter choices. To reduce energy consumption and cooling costs, roofs are tiled or painted with reflective material, walls are built with insulation, and the number and kind of openings, calculated. The Oberoi Group, for instance, uses fly ash, a byproduct of power plants, in its constructions. On the inside, it uses materials with high amounts of recycled content, FSC-certified wood as well as composite wood products.

IHGs QO Amsterdam hotel sourced one-third of the concrete it used from the recently demolished offices of Shell nearby. The facade was built using over 1,600 thermal panels that regulate the indoor temperature based on the climatic conditions outdoors. The hotel also uses an aquifer thermal energy storage system to stock unused heated water underground until it is needed up top, reveals Pascal Gauvin, managing director, India, Middle East and Africa, at IHG.

Apart from building new structures, brands are also adapting existing structures as hotels. The Wick, a former candle and soap factory, opened as a boutique luxury hotel in Hudson, New York, in 2018. Alila Fort Bishangarh in Rajasthan used the shell of an old fort to fashion out very modern digs. In Sri Lanka, Jetwing Vil Uyana regenerated neglected slash-and-burn agricultural land by recreating wetlands and native forests.

In cities like Paris and Mumbai, pollution control norms require hotels to treat discharge before it enters the drainage system. Also, given the harmful effects of cleaning agents on marine ecosystems, The Oberoi relies on biodegradable options and champions the use of natural fertilisers and biopesticides in its gardening and landscaping. In Gulmarg, The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa relies on a sewage treatment plant specially equipped to treat wastewater in sub-zero temperatures.

Also, showerheads that lessen water consumption and sensors for lights and ACs are becoming the norm. Shruti Shibulal, CEO of Tamara Leisure Experiences, told Fortune in an interview that tap aerators had reduced water use at their property by 30 percent.

Hotel chains such as The Oberoi Group, ITC, IHG, Four Seasons, Accor, Hyatt and Marriott are investing in machines that recycle food waste into greywater (used for flushing and watering plants), compost and biofuel. Properties are also employing digital tools to monitor and report resource usage. Emaar Hospitality Group has signed on tech firm Winnow to reduce food waste, aiming to cut consumption by two lakh meals in 2019. Visual recognition cameras and tablet devices quantify whats going into the bin and down the drain to calculate excess.

Theres also a big push towards adopting greener forms of energy. ITC Marathas biogas plant mitigates over 300 tons of greenhouse gases every year. This climate change impact is similar to replacing over 500 (carbon fuel-based) bikes or scooters with electric ones, says ITCs Dipak Haksar.

Both The Oberoi, Gurgaon, and Trident Gurgaon meet all their electricity needs via solar energy. In the Maldives, under threat of rising sea levels, Niyama Private Islands Maldives converts used cooking oil to fuel generators and desalination plants. In Sri Lanka, over 50 percent of Jetwing Hotels energy requirement is met through renewable means, including solar power parks at Jetwing Yala and Jetwing Lake.

Other interesting uses of technology include moves by Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels and Westin Hotels to upcycle linen and create clothing. In 2018, Westin rewove 30,000 pounds of bed linen and terry cloth. The Park Hotels, apart from generating solar energy and harvesting rainwater at its Hyderabad property, offers guests an electric four-wheeler to zip around in. Also, Alila Hotels & Resorts is converting waste plastic into a light green crude oil that will be distilled down to diesel, kerosene and gasoline for reuse across its flagship hotels.

On the environmental front, hotels have been helping keep beaches clean, build coral reefs and protect endangered species. Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru works with world-renowned expert Dr Guy Stevens on the Maldivian Manta Ray Project. Its the founding project of the worlds largest manta ray charity, Manta Ray Trust. Meanwhile, using the money guests help save by reusing bath towels, Accor has joined forces with PUR Project in a global reforestation programme.

However, hospitality leaders are realising that long-term sustenance will come from planting ones roots deeperby investing in local communities. Six Senses Fiji focuses on employing locally and also collaborates with an NGO to support the economy by featuring homeware and crafts made by women in remote communities at the resorts villas, restaurants and boutique.

The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Thailand is empowering the next generation of mahouts by providing English teachers in village schools using funds raised by Anantara guests. In the Maldives, where rising global temperatures are accentuating a drinking water crisis, Soneva, apart from running a range of stellar conservation projects, is using its solar-powered desalination plant to supply water to the residents of neighbouring atolls. And in North America, Repeat Roses is giving Marriotts floral arrangement a proper spruce up and then delivering them to hospitals, nursing homes and cancer treatment centres.

In India, the Taj groups collaboration with the Last Wilderness Foundation and the Panna Forest Department is a pioneering example. Taj Safaris Pashan Garh is a lodge near Panna Tiger Reserve where its naturalists mentor youth from the highly marginalised Pardhi community to develop community-based tourist trails. The aim: to prevent the next generation from joining poaching rings.

The uniqueness of the Walk with The Pardhis initiative lies in the fact that the communitys natural entrepreneurial streak and flair for tracking animals and reading the forests are leveraged to create an alternative livelihood path linked to the growing tourism in this region, says PV Ramana Murthy of IHCL. Along with building on their existing strengths and enabling alternative livelihoods, this project also furthers preservation and promotion of natural and cultural heritage and wildlife conservation.

The hotel groups attempts to empower marginalised groups also include supporting 14 skill-training centres that impart short courses in hospitality and tourism to the less privileged youth.

Such moves are in keeping with ITPs 2030 goal for the hospitality industry to aid one million youth under 25. Its an important goal given that the International Labour Organization estimates that over 40 percent of the worlds youth is unemployed or lives in poverty. While Hyatt says it plans to recruit 10,000 youth by 2025, Marriott is putting down US$5 million to train and skill those from at-risk and underserved communities.

THE SUM OF IT ALL

By 2017, Marriott Internationalpossibly the worlds largest chain of hotels with over 7,000 propertieshad reduced its carbon intensity (a metric used to measure emission of pollutants) by 8 percent. The goal is to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and water consumption by 20 percent by 2020. The Hyatt group says it has already achieved its 2020 goal of reducing water use and greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in Asia and the Middle East.

IHGs Pascal Gauvin says utility costs are the second biggest expense of its hotels; Throughout 2018, hotels using our online sustainability platform, IHG Green Engage, avoided costs of US$67 million, he says. John Roberts of Minor Hotels adds that the 10 to 15 percent improved operations by their resorts equate a US$576,000 saving in energy and water costs in the first half of this year.

The conclusion: the hospitality industry is going far beyond replanting coral reefs, funding afforestation and supporting beach clean-up drives. If that isnt good long-term business sense, we dont know what is.

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How hotels are helping offset your eco guilt - Cond Nast Traveller India - The Last Word in Travel