The Rezidor Hotel Group has released its 2016 Responsible Business report and unveiled its targets for 2020. The report marks the end of Rezidor’s five year Think Planet campaign to reduce 25% of the company’s energy consumption which it achieved. It’s now seeking a further 10% reductions in the next three years. In addition the company remained focused on water stewardship as signatory to the UN CEO Water Mandate. Compared to 2007, they have reduced water use per guest by 29%.
The company also announced its 2020 Think Positive Change campaign which aims to target people, community and planet with a variety of actions including reducing carbon and water footprints, preventing modern day slavery and working to provide employability opportunities for vulnerable young people. In water stressed areas the company will ensure hotels are capturing rainwater and harvesting grey water for use in gardens or in washing vehicles.
Launching the report President and CEO Wolfgang M Neumann said, “Going into 2017, we continue to move our company forward and have defined global 2020 Think Positive Change targets in the area of Think People, Think Community and Think Planet.
“As every year our 43,700+ hoteliers have been passionately engaging with their local communities, donating a total of €1.2 million in cash and in-kind and dedicating close to 29,000 man-hours of volunteering.
“As chairman of the International Tourism Partnership, I am also proud to be leading a process whereby the hotel industry as a whole is working on long term collective and ambitious targets in the areas of carbon, water, human rights and youth employment.”
As more global businesses are doing, the company is also seeking to align its CSR efforts with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They are also looking at longer term environmental impacts.
For example, to promote green buildings in emerging markets – their prime growth region – they signed a unique cooperation agreement with the IFC (a member of the World Bank), committing to use IFC’s EDGE green building tool and certification. The Radisson Blu Accra Airport in Ghana became the first ever EDGE design certified hotel in Africa.
Highlights of the report include:
Think Planet
- Energy saving reaching 24%* since 2011
- Reducing water consumption by 29% since 2007
- Increasing the proportion of eco-labeled hotels in the group to 79%
- Meetings Minus Carbon offsets 39,000 tons of carbon and plants an additional 39,000 trees
Think Community
- Close to 29,000 volunteer hours were completed by Rezidor employees
- €2 million donated to charity
- Blu Planet towel programme at Radisson Blu helps to provide safe drinking water for life to more than 8,300 children
- Over 50 Radisson Blu hotels participated in the Soap for Hope™ programme in cooperation with global supplier Sealed Air
Think People
- 160 Safehotels Alliance certified hotels
- Employee satisfaction remaining strong at 87.9%
- Balanced leadership builds momentum towards gender equality and development of female talent
- The Rezidor Business School celebrated its 20th anniversary
- For the eight year in a row, Rezidor is recognised as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute
Outlining the company’s targets for 2020 Vice President Responsible Business Inge Huijbrechts said, “We believe that by mobilising our global team of more than 43,700 responsible hosts, we can create a wave of positive influence: starting with each employee’s individual actions – at home and at work – spreading out through the communities in which we operate and building up to a ripple effect of positive impact across the whole of the planet.
“With our presence in more than 80 countries, the main way we can be a truly responsible company is by providing meaningful employment. Additionally, we believe in developing our team’s talents and offering more career opportunities for young and disadvantaged people.
“In response to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the new legal framework of the UK Modern Slavery Act, we will continue to promote human rights, business ethics and diversity in all our hotels around the world, throughout our business network and supply chain.
“We will harness the passion of our teams in the service of their local communities. And we will strive to actively engage our guests in the Responsible Business focus areas specific to each of our hotel brands.
“We will continue reducing our carbon and water footprints in the short term, while recognizing that these reductions will need to be dramatically stepped up in the long run to be in line with COP21 global targets.
“Responsible Business is a key part of everything that happens in our hotels, our area offices and our corporate headquarters. Rezidor’s unique Yes I Can! ethos – and our z-factor fighting spirit – means we are all passionately committed to making a positive impact– by starting a wave, and helping spread positive awareness around the globe.
“Changing the way we think, can change our world.”
The full report can be downloaded here. It includes the sustainability actions of the group’s different brands as well as how they partner with other organisations including ITP and the Youth Career Initiative.
This article was first published on Green Hotelier. You can read the original article here.
