Operations
aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, beginning by slashing them by 46% by 2030, compared with 2019 levels. It has also created a new three-pillar framework: Stay (reducing the use of natural resources); Eat (better controlling the cycle of food); and Explore (promoting responsible travel that supports local communities and biodiversity). “Planet 21 was great, but is now time to take our sustainability ambition to the next level – our sustainability journey is about transforming the whole company,” says Poirson. “Our goal is to carry out a deep transformation of our business model and ways of working, as we want to move to a model where we give back more than we take.” Although Accor’s ethos applies group-wide,
Above: The walled gardens of Heckfi eld Place at sunset.
Below: Heckfi eld Place also boasts its own market garden where locally sourced, organic ingredients are used to prepare meals.
Opening page: Accor been focused on
sustainable hotels since 2006, with a number of initiatives including ‘Earth Guest’ and ‘Planet 21’, with the aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Sustainable business models Caring about the environment is not new for Accor, which established its ‘environment department’ as early as 1994. In 2006, the French hotel group launched Earth Guest, its first dedicated sustainability programme. This was followed in 2012 by its Planet 21 programme, which involved an action plan to promote sustainable development. “Accor has already achieved many goals – we
have more than 1,220 urban gardens in our hotels, we have successfully reduced our water and energy consumption by more than 2%, and we have planted more than seven million trees through our agroforestry programmes,” says Poirson. “To limit food waste, we developed in Europe a partnership with ‘Too Good to Go’, which sells unsold food products that would have otherwise ended up in the bin, at a lower price.” More recently, the group has implemented a
carbon strategy in line with the Paris Agreement – it
some of its brands have made eco-consciousness a particular selling point. Greet, for instance, is based on the circular economy and second-life products, while luxury brand Fairmont has a dedicated programme around protecting honeybees. In other words, sustainability discussions need to happen both at the boardroom level, and on the level of the individual hotel. “For hotel leaders, this is an opportunity,” says
Poirson. “Their hotel will attract more guests, long- term investors and talented employees. We are working hard to provide them with the solutions and tools they need to turn sustainability into an opportunity. The first step is to raise awareness and train employees to carry a sustainability mindset in everything they do.”
Independence poses challenges Of course, hotels that are not part of a chain may face a different set of challenges and opportunities. On one hand, they lack the benefits of an overarching corporate strategy. On the other hand, they have the freedom to get creative and make the most of the unique circumstances they find on-site. “I think each property can do its bit to make a change, and just be more conscious of its day-to- day carbon footprint,” says Kevin Brooke, general manager of Heckfield Place. “At Heckfield Place, we want to demonstrate how we can implement a more sustainable model into our operations. And maybe we can start to become a little bit of a beacon within the hospitality industry as to how things can be done.” A Georgian manor house in the Hampshire countryside, Heckfield Place is often cited as one of the UK’s most eco-friendly hotels. While the building itself certainly punches above its weight in sustainability terms – it features plastic-free rooms, locally-sourced materials and biomass boilers to heat the water – it is really the surrounding ecosystem that has cemented its
40 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Heckfi eld Place
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