NH Hoteles exceeds its environmental objectives
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- Details
- Category: Hotel
- Created on Wednesday, 18 July 2012 15:48
Ecomeetings a key contributor as the group meets the European Union’s 20-20-20 environmental targets nine years ahead of target
NH Hoteles’ has smashed the targets set in its 2008-2012 Strategic Environmental Plan in just 4 years. Since its launch, the Company has earmarked over €4 million to financing environmental initiatives.
As a result NH Hoteles has seen energy savings of 22.7%, water usage reduced by 27.6%, carbon emissions slashed by 40% and waste and waste generation reduction and recycling cut by 34.2%. The company’s Ecomeeting service was pivotal in achieving this savings result.
The innovative Ecomeetings concept, launched in 2010, implies respectful and efficient use of limited energy resources.
Measures include using environmentally friendly and fair trade products from suppliers guaranteeing the fair treatment of primary producers. NH Hoteles also ensures that low impact materials are used and has been substituting digital dossiers for the traditional printed ones, as well as using digital badges and brochures, distributing smaller FSC certified pads and oxo-biodegradable plastic pens. Organisers are also offered the opportunity to request a voluntary CO2 emissions compensation certificate from environmental certification company Carbon Clear, which guarantees that the event – with regard to energy and water saving, and emissions – will be compensated by a charitable action in favour of the environment.
Wide ranging sustainability measures
The Company has condensed all its sustainability initiatives into the slogan Wake Up To a Better World. This commitment to efficiency and environmentally friendly solutions is key to the NH Hoteles’ environmental record and is the result of the direct involvement of senior management and employees throughout the group’s hotels, not to mention its guests.
Enhanced energy efficiency and waste reduction measures included the Relamping Project, which entailed switching one million conventional light bulbs for energy saving ones and the rollout of LED technology; the promotion of renewable energies, which are currently used in 69% of NH Hoteles properties and water savings via aerators, dual control lavatories and water saving devices in showers.
These combined measures have resulted in the group paring back its environmental footprint by 40% since the environmental targets were set in 2008, and make NH Hoteles the first hotel chain in the world to achieve ISO 50001 certification, the most important international Energy Management Systems standard.
Luis Ortega Cobo, SVP Environment & Engineering of NH Hoteles, said: “the objectives laid down in our plan of 2008 were very ambitious. Not only have we achieved them all today, but are so well ahead of schedule. This would not have been possible without the contribution of the employees at all of our hotels who, thanks to ongoing training, have proven capable of adapting to change and making NH Hoteles the sustainability benchmark in the tourism sector”.
