The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has updated its renowned Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and is calling on the hospitality industry, including corporate clients and booking platforms, to use common measurement metrics to ensure a transparent and globally comparable approach to carbon, water and waste reporting.
To remain up to date amidst a changing landscape of climate action, HCMI has been reviewed and improved based on user feedback and research by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research. This version has been updated to align with the latest GHG Protocol guidance and to better incorporate renewable energy with the support of Greenview. Publicly available carbon emissions factors have also been added into the tool to make it more accessible to all.
HCMI has been the only industry-recognised carbon calculation methodology for over ten years. The methodology is used widely across the industry by over 30,000 hotels including those of Hyatt, Marriott International, Radisson Hotel Group and Scandic, and some business travel platforms.
In addition, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance – the leading global network in responsible hospitality – is also proud to announce that the use of HCMI is supported by leading industry organisations including World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), who will incorporate it into the guidance they give to the industry and corporate travel managers. The methodology has also been recognised at the governmental level, with data based on it used in the UK government’s greenhouse gas reporting calculator1. It also supports users of the One Planet Network’s Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism.
Introducing HCMI
Free for all the industry, HCMI generates robust, comparable data which can be used to inform buyer decision-making, in addition to helping hotels track their carbon reduction progress. The methodology applies to all hotels, large or small, regardless of amenities offered. It can be built into existing systems or used as a stand-alone tool, by those without their own systems, making HCMI accessible to every hotel in the world.
This is an excerpt from an article published earlier by Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
