SUSTAINABILITY
WHAT ARE THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES WITH HOTELS? Our net zero transformation has three focus areas:
• Green buildings
• Green energy
• Green operations
Green buildings The big brands like Radisson and others are operators – we don’ t own the assets. So in most of the cases it’ s convincing someone else to invest in decarbonising buildings, which make up a big portion of our emissions.
Green energy When we started on net zero journey we explored the options in 25 of our key markets. If we use 100 % renewable energy in those 25 key markets, we would meet our 2030 targets, but of course it’ s a mix of franchise and managed contracts, so energy management isn’ t our decision.
So we explored PPAs, but some buildings don’ t have space for solar panels, for example – green energy is doable, but more complex than you would imagine.
“WE’ RE PROUD TO BE SENDING MARKET SIGNALS”
Inge Huijbrechts, Chief Sustainability Officer, Radisson Hotel Group
Green operations How do we create the habits in a hotel to be energy efficient? First and foremost, let’ s not use the energy. If we don’ t use it, it doesn’ t have a footprint. That’ s our focus. At least 50 %, sometimes 60 %, of Scope 3 emissions come from food and beverage in a hotel.
The rest is disposables, laundry, some transportation and then some elements that we don’ t control, like transportation of the energy that we don’ t network.
It’ s all fragmented and complex, but we’ re having successes and we’ re pioneering.
WHAT IS A NET ZERO HOTEL? We’ ve launched our first verified net zero hotels, which are unique because they focus on all three scopes. They follow an industry methodology for net zero hotels that was defined by multiple partners a few years ago. We’ ve taken the requirements of 2040 and done them today, which is why we say we bring the future forward.
They are verified by a third party because it’ s not enough that you’ re truthful and have data, you need to have it verified and give total transparency.
Our first two net zero hotels in Manchester and Oslo are both conversions. We wanted to prove that we could do it with hotels that
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