UK: The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s annual summit has come to a close with a call for action on standards, and the launch of a training system for the Net Positive Hospitality Academy.
The Mainstreaming Net Positive Hospitality summit, held in London, was attended by the Alliance’s Members across the value chain, representing hotel brands, operators, owners, investors, and other partners. Strategic partners and collaborators also participated.
As part of its five year strategy the Alliance also called for hotel brands, suppliers, and partner organisations to accelerate their efforts towards net positive hospitality, with aligned action.
The summit placed a strong focus on addressing social injustices affecting the world and the industry, and there was a keynote speech by Dr. Halleh Seddighzadeh, an international counter-trafficking expert and forensic traumatologist.
Dr. Halleh highlighted the pervasive issue of human trafficking and the role the hospitality industry can play in combating it, emphasising that an intelligence and data-led approach can help “pierce the veil of trafficking.”
At the summit, the Alliance launched a sustainable training system under the formation of the Net Positive Hospitality Academy with the support of XU sustainable, which will provide a multi-device e-learning platform for those the sustainable space.
There are options to scale and customise the platform and it will be available through licenses and can be customised to hotel groups through a white-label solution.
The aim of this initiative is to educate all stakeholders on sustainability and the Net Positive Pathway, transcending sectors, and supply chains.
Those at the summit also witnessed the launch of The Net Positive Hospitality Business Simulation, a new learning tool developed in partnership with Sim Institute. The simulation tool equips hotel decision makers with a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between environmental, social, and governance issues and helps them see what the effects of their choices would be over seven (simulated) years.
The summit saw the Alliance’s newly formed Standing Committees meet for the first time and establish key priorities for the next 12 months.
Key priorities include:
- The Standards and Reporting Standing Committee will focus on aligning standards and certifications and create a common framework that is benchmarkable, KPI-oriented, and aligned with existing standards, ensuring greater accountability, and promoting industry-wide progress.
- Another priority identified by the Standing Committees is the updating of the carbon measurement tool, the Alliance’s Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). The HCMI updates will further enhance transparency and comparability, reinforcing its role in driving sustainability efforts.
- The Standing Committees will also focus on the creation of a Net Positive Capital Investment fund. This fund will pool financial resources among hotel organisations to drive positive change and improve procurement methods, including the utilisation of local supply chains.
Wolfgang Neumann, chair of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance said: “These actions signify a major milestone in further aligning hotels and organisations on their united journey towards Net Positive Hospitality.
“The Standing Committees have agreed on strong priorities that will lead to tangible change in our industry. We have also firmly integrated the voice of younger generations, who have challenged and inspired us to accelerate our actions towards a more sustainable future. Their ‘clear call to action’ demands decisive and responsible leadership.”
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