While the term ‘green’ in business originally related to environmental issues, it has evolved to embrace all aspects of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). To be properly ‘green’, a company now needs to incorporate sustainable thinking in its decision-making at all levels throughout the organisation.
In the past, corporate philanthropy, or ‘giving back’ to the community, used to be the way a company looked to enhance its reputation externally. Today, even the most basic level of acceptable business practice requires a more sophisticated approach. Companies are judged on their accountability, transparency, business ethics, socioeconomic awareness and resource-efficiency as well as their financial results.
Businesses today are under external scrutiny as never before. Shareholders, investors, employees, customers, environmental and ethical groups - and the general public - expect companies to be exemplary across the ‘triple bottom line’ of economic, social and environmental management. If they are not, pressure groups and the media are willing and able to expose their weaknesses. As our understanding and knowledge grows about issues such as global warming, climate change, human rights injustices and the causes of poverty, the world looks as much to the business community as to governments to provide solutions.
Integrating responsible practices into your hotel or resort operation will benefit your business in many ways. ‘Admired’ companies attract investors, enjoy better customer and guest loyalty and are able to recruit and retain high-calibre, motivated employees. This helps them improve their market share and position. Hotel owners and operators that understand the environmental and socio-economic context in which they operate are better placed to manage risk and maintain their licence to operate. Resource-efficient hotels not only improve their bottom line by eliminating wasteful practices, but also lighten their load on the planet, something we all urgently need to do.
The strategies and approaches presented in this paper will help to increase the sustainability of hotel operations by minimising their negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems and cultures while increasing their positive contributions to biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage preservation and community development.
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