#34 | 06/06/2024

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With the UK election set for July 4th, the debates are beginning, and it will be interesting to see where the climate crisis comes on the agenda when there are so many other pressing issues on the table.

Already the Climate Change Committee’s progress report publication has been put on hold until after the election, so we won’t know how the current government has performed on their promises until the votes are counted.

Our feature on Carbon Removal portfolios will explain why no corners can be cut when it comes to achieving Net Zero – if businesses want to be successful in this goal they will need to engage in carbon removal, as reduction will only get them so far.

We have news from hotels across the world including Mauritius, the US, Singapore and Spain. Take a look at the stories below.

Until next time,

Felicity Cousins
Editor, Sustainable Hotel News

Image by Sergio Sala on Unsplash

Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has launched a global campaign, #MillenniumGreenStay, which will roll out this week. The Green Stay initiative, which will run for the remainder of the year, involves an Eco-Friendly Practices Card presented to guests at check-in. The Eco-Friendly Practices Card outlines activities guests can do to be more sustainable, such as waste sorting, reusing towels, and how to conserve water. Guests are incentivised to take part in the initiative on social media and those who share their green efforts during their stay and tag @millennium can get 500 MyPoints (with the group’s loyalty programme) when they show their post to the front desk staff.

SH Hotels & Resorts, the sustainable hotel group which is known for its 1 Hotel brand, has released details of a new property in Seattle next year. The group will take over Seattle’s Pan Pacific Hotel, which will be transformed into 1 Hotel Seattle in 2025. The property will continue to welcome guests throughout the renovation, which will see the hotel transform into a “nature-inspired sanctuary”.

The upcoming General Election in the UK has delayed the publication of the 2024 Climate Change Progress Report. Prime minister Rishi Sunak called the election for July 4th, and a statement on the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) website says “the Climate Change Committee’s annual UK Progress Report will be delayed because of the dissolution of Parliament ahead of the upcoming UK election.” As such, the report can’t be published until it is “laid in Parliament.”

Accor has unveiled its new purpose statement following a company-wide consultation process involving nearly 10,000 people. Accor said that the purpose statement establishes “a formal framework which sets out and holds us accountable to these values”, adding that the commitments made in each pillar “are built upon concrete actions and assessed through KPIs”.

Alila Hotels & Resorts has rolled out the Giving Bag recycling and donation solution at 14 properties across Asia Pacific. Giving Bag currently operates in 15 countries with brands including Four Seasons, Six Senses, Taj Hotels and Oetker Collection, enabling hotels to collect guests’ and properties’ unwanted items and donate them to nonprofits and community organisations. According to Giving Bag data, 25 per cent of hotels’ lost and found items have in fact been left behind on purpose. Guests at participating Alila properties can now deposit unwanted clothing, shoes, books, single-use hotel items and selected lifestyle accessories into the Giving Bag in their room.

RIU Hotels & Resorts has installed more than 2,000 solar panels at its two new resorts in Mauritius, in the foothills of Le Morne Brabant. According to the hotel group “The hotels are practically self-sufficient, as the solar panels will occasionally be able to supply 100 per cent of the electricity the hotels need and will cover a significant portion of the supply at other times of day.” RIU Hotels and Resorts was founded in Mallorca, Spain in 1953 and is still run by the Riu family.

To reach net zero organisations will have to remove, not offset, the emissions from the atmosphere that they cannot eradicate from their operations. Here we focus on carbon removal methods, specifically Direct Air Capture, and why those looking for net zero need to continue with reduction, but also invest in a carbon removal portfolio.

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