“For E.ON the tool had to be credible, meaningful and tested.
We need data that is quantifiable and can provide us with the means to make fact-based decisions and quantifiable reporting possible“
of priority,“ explains BSI managing director Trevor Elswood. Suppliers would not be deselected as a result of their carbon output; instead positive focus would be centred on those suppliers who showed an equal commitment to year on year improvements of their starting position. “The sustainability teams of our clients have
all indicated the need for data consistency, so the need for independence, integrity and trust of data was paramount in our development of the carbon reporting database we have created at BSI,” says Elswood.
Step 2 “For E.ON the tool had to be credible, meaningful and tested. We need data that is quantifiable and can provide us with the means to make fact-based decisions and quantifiable reporting possible,” says E.ON's Ansell. CarePAR fulfilled all the criteria. This is a process launched by The Hotel Carbon Index Company in June 2008 under the directorship of Peter Ducker, executive director of the HBAA. CarePAR is a unit of measurement for hotels and venues stating the carbon emissions per available room per day or function room per half day. It takes physical and variable data from an hotel or venue and uses it to calculate the carbon weight generated in a single room or period use of a function or meeting room. Over time, as hotels submit their variable data, their indices are recalculated, and their improve- ments in environmental impact are logged. CarePAR is working towards a
hotel sector standard measure- ment for carbon output. It will only be as good as the number of hotels and venues who join the CarePAR scheme. Numbers signing up to the scheme are on the increase; for example, Thistle joined in February this year and last year etc venues signed up.
be integrated into BSI's in-house reservations and booking systems. Where there were gaps in data from suppliers, CarePAR were able to provide estimates for properties in budget, mid- market and upscale city centre market tiers. BSI's development team were able to produce
client specific reports on departed bookings showing carbon weight generated in a single room per night. “Results can be filtered by hotel group/location/property/preferred property etc,” explains Elswood. “It can also be easily updated, allowing variations in emissions to be tracked over a period of time and therefore influencing their preferred hotel programme.”
Step 4 E.ON agreed to pilot BSI's new carbon reporting suite and this trial began in July this year. This will fine tune the data presentation. Behind the scenes, BSI has been collecting the data for some time so meaningful comparison data will be delivered and can be backdated to the start of 2010. Elswood believes that organisations will probably review this data every six to 12 months to show the wider trends.
“Where our employees do have to travel, however, the ability to measure the impact of this is greatly welcome”
Step 3 The next step was for BSI to translate clients’ needs into a tool enabling them to monitor the levels of carbon produced as an outcome of their hotel usage. The data would
Step 5 For E.ON the work doesn’t stop there. “The reality is that there will always be another challenge and an opportunity to evolve,” says Ansell. “For example, what does the future landscape look like for the sustain- able hotel? What is the
industry doing to provide the consumers with a green venue choice as well as a view on the carbon output? How are hotel chains challenging their supply chains to demonstrate their sustainability commitments? I see carbon reporting as the first step of an important journey in this arena. “The fact remains that investment into hotel carbon
usage and reporting is only going to show a return on investment when it is assessed on a macro-economic level and BSI and CarePAR now give us the ability to do that,” concludes E.ON's Ansell.
Step 6 In the meantime, hotel suppliers need to pull their socks up as E.ON will take a positive view on those venues/chains that can demonstrate their carbon outputs and allow the company to make an informed view as to how they are contributing to the company’s ‘Planet and Society’ challenge. Reinforcing that message, BSI's Elswood
says: “Our clients have indicated that their preferred hotel selection will have a significant weighting placed on the willingness to participate in the CarePAR programme.” BSI clients have authorised the HBA to engage with the supply chain to directly leverage their demands so clients such as Tesco, E.ON and XPS (for Boots, Bae, Fujitsu, M&S, Logica CMG and Orange) will have this reporting ability from BSI. Putting it in perspective, E.ON's Ansell says:
“Let’s not be under any illusion about this – responsibility rests first and foremost with E.ON to ensure travel is minimised where possible and we deploy alternative meeting technologies where practical. Where our employees do have to travel, however, the ability to measure the impact of this is greatly welcomed.”
Step 7 The data formatting is currently being configured for specific BSI customer requirements as we speak, and a full roll-out of the standard reporting should be available this month (November). Other HBAs, such as Inntel, have also taken CarePAR on board, have built tools around it and have got it rolling with two clients, Lloyds Banking Group and The Law Society. “CarePAR is a bit limited but it’s a good initial starting point,” says Inntel’s managing director, Douglas O’Neill. “It’s a standard measure and more hotels should embrace it,” he advocates.
WHO'S SIGNED UP TO CarePAR?
CarePAR is only as good as the number of suppliers that sign up to it. It is in the adoption phase and, to date, the following hotel suppliers have chosen to participate: Rezidor, Thistle Hotels, Malmaison, Hotel du Vin, Sarova Hotels, Etc Venues, Principal Hayley, Elite Hotels, London Bridge Hotels and Barcelo.
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