February 2008
Greening the Supply Chain
Supply chains are the backbone of any economy. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which form most of the supply chain for large companies, comprise over 90% of employment at a national level.

By working with its supply chain to improve the quality of goods and services, a proactive multinational company can improve its own productivity and help small suppliers to grow and create new jobs. But can a company improve the environmental impact of its supply chain at the same time?

Many SMEs face immense pressure just to survive and many simply lack the time and the expertise to improve their environmental management. But our experience is that there are great benefits for a large firm that is able to improve the eco-efficiency of its supply chain: it helps meet its corporate responsibility objectives, leads to increased efficiency, and can improve its local reputation and productivity.

Unilever, for example, has a Business Partner Code, which outlines its expectations of suppliers on the environment as well as health and safety at work, business integrity, labour standards and consumer safety. Unilever has sought evidence from its suppliers that they adhere to established social, environmental and labour standards such as ISO 14001 and SA 8000.

Helping SMEs in a hotel supply chain

This challenge of improving the environmental impact of the supply chain is particularly important in the hotel sector, where an average luxury hotel may work with as many as 150-300 small or medium sized suppliers. We are working with both hotel companies and suppliers to demonstrate how the supply chain can be greened.

We have started training individual suppliers of major hotels in the UK to show them how to improve their environmental management and make them understand that hotels will support them in their efforts. The training has been funded by the UK government and is being run in partnership with White Young Green, an environmental consultancy.

Daniela Meilmann, our Environmental Manager, explained:
"We are working with procurement managers at individual hotel companies to encourage hotel suppliers to adopt the formal environmental management system, BS8555. Delegates from six companies - from furniture manufacturers and toiletry suppliers to lighting suppliers - within the hotel suppliers sector have attended the first three workshops to date."

Other hotels are already working with these suppliers to improve the sustainability of their supply chain. At the Sheraton Waikiki hotel in Hawaii, for example, the purchasing department identifies and mentors new suppliers in order to generate opportunities to support local businesses.

How large is a hotel company's supply chain?

"The supplier contracts can be divided into three levels: local contracts, regional contracts and corporate contracts, " says Yasmine Schindler, from the purchasing services department at Rezidor. A hotel will use its local suppliers, but also has relationships with suppliers at a regional and even global level. "A major chain such as Rezidor, therefore, could work with an estimated 30,000 suppliers (SMEs) across its entire portfolio of hotels worldwide."

June 2007
Going Green: Minimum standards towards a sustainable hotel
The hotel sector is under pressure to face up to its environmental and corporate social responsibility. In response, the International Tourism Partnership is launching its ‘Going Green’ initiative to help hotels focus on sustainability and achieve goals for better environmental management.

In a simple document, on two sides of paper, this user-friendly tool provides a list of practical steps that should be taken to create a successful, sustainable business operation. Developed in conjunction with International Tourism Partnership’s members, these guidelines were created from a wealth of knowledge and experience in the everyday logistics of hotel operations and commercial priorities.

Joseph A. McInerney. AH&LA president and CEO, said, “The Going Green effort is win-win, and AH&LA is proud to partner in this effort. Our member hotels realise the responsibility they have to protect the communities they serve, and the obligation they have to maintain a healthy environment for staff and guests.”

Although the term ‘Green’ may have originally related to environmental issues, today the concept has evolved to embrace all areas of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The ‘Going Green’ standards cover six key areas of: policy and framework; staff training and awareness; environmental management; purchasing; people and communities; and destination protection. These six areas contribute to achieving beneficial results across the ‘triple bottom line’ of economic, social and environmental management.

Andrew Cosslett, Chief Executive Officer of Inter-Continental Hotels Group, told us "Customers are seeking a quality hotel at a competitive price, while increasingly demanding ethical and environmental business practices which make them feel good about their hotel choice. The International Tourism Partnerships' Going Green standards will be an essential tool for all Hoteliers as it lays out, in a clear and concise format, the minimum standards that need to be implemented to make hotels more sustainable."

Going Green is the latest tool developed by the International Tourism Partnership to assist the industry to make a valuable contribution to the countries and cultures in which they operate – to their customers, their shareholders and future generations. Through its tools and programmes the Partnership is providing practical steps to achieve the economic, social and environmental benefits of truly responsible tourism.

Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director, International Tourism Partnership believes “Sustainable Hotel guidelines should reflect the multifaceted nature of the industry and need to be embedded in the day to day operation and OWNED by everyone.“

May 2007
New issue of greenhotelier: city hotels go green
A growing number of city centre hotels are facing up to their environmental and social responsibilities, according to the April edition of greenhotelier.

The magazine's feature City hotels - greening the urban jungle examines how city hotels are implementing green strategies at all levels of policy and management, from the initial design of the hotels to their day-to-day operations. Greenhotelier is a magazine published quarterly by the International Tourism Partnership, which seeks to provide practical solutions to responsible tourism.

City hotels are uniquely positioned to enhance their green credentials. Public transport hubs ensure customers minimise their journey's carbon footprint, restaurants can tap into local sources of food, and it's far easier for a city hotel to access new environmental technologies that it is for a rural hotel.

The four key environmental concerns for city hotels are minimising their use of energy and water, better waste management and improved indoor air quality. greenhotelier reports that a growing number of urban hotels have not only installed appropriate technologies to tackle these issues, but are also continually monitoring and improving their environmental performance.

The magazine's main feature also touches on a number of other green issues, such as green energy and carbon offsetting, sourcing food, partnerships and the community and transport around the city.

Among the examples of best practice highlighted are:

The Radisson SAS Hotel Tallinn, Estonia, which has been designed to minimise wastage and maximise resource efficiency
Hilton Prague, Czech Republic, which has installed an innovative hot water recovery system, which has reduced over 40% of the energy required to meet the hotels domestic hot water
Scanic Linkoping City, Sweden, which has been built according to Scandics Standard for Environmental Refurbishment, Equipment and Construction (SEREC)
Apex Hotels, United Kingdom, which has a dedicated architect in charge of sustainable hotel design to ensure that its five city hotels aim to meet low carbon standards.
One Aldwych, London, United Kingdom, which has run two Taste Britain menu promotions in its restaurants, which celebrate seasonal produce.

Also in the April issue of greenhotelier:

Know-How
Food safety and environmental health cleaning and hygiene, avoiding cross-contamination, cooking, chilling, freezing and thawing, and food safety management and suppliers.

Who's Doing What
Luxury wilderness safari lodges we report on a new joint venture between Taj Hotels and Conservation Corporation Africa, which is set to define luxury ecotourism in India.

World Brief
We report on a number of large-scale initiatives being adopted by international hotel groups to reduce their carbon emissions.

To subscribe to greenhotelier, go to www.iblf.org/greenhotelier.

April 2007
Integrating environmental issues into a hotel operation
Engineering directors from eight of the world's largest hotel companies met last week to discuss how to embed environmental sustainability into their operations.

It was the first time that IBLF had brought together engineering directors from the companies - Hilton, Cityinn, Marriott International, Four Seasons, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Starwood, Rezidor and The Indian Company of Hotels (Taj).

All the companies are members of the International Tourism Partnership, a programme that promotes responsible tourism through practical action.

The aim of the meeting was to discuss tools that the participants - who are responsible for the technical operations of their hotels - need to help them improve the impact that hotels have on the environment. Tourism is the world's largest industry and although hotels play a key role in job creation, they are also big consumers of energy and water.

The integration of sustainable practices into a hotel's operation needs to be initiated from day one, and hotel engineers are pivotal in creating systems that will reduce this consumption - as well as being closely involved in new hotel development.

The participants at IBLF's event shared ideas on how to solve problems, such as improving energy efficiency and reducing water consumption, and set standards that can encourage the rest of the tourism industry to follow suit. Reiner Boehmer, formerly from IHG, and a founding member of the International Tourism Partnership since it began 15 years ago, played an important role in contributing and explaining best practice.

IBLF has a number of tools to help hotel companies do this, including: an Environmental Management handbook, its quarterly Greenhotelier magazine, Sustainable Hotel Siting, Design and Construction and an Environmental Action Pack.

"This meeting was about how these companies can reduce their global impact on the environment through better resource, energy and waste management, therefore contributing to environmental sustainability," said Daniela Meilmann, Environmental Manager for the International Tourism Partnership. "Its important for us to work with this group of people, because they are a catalyst for change and can drive the industry to improve the management of their resources."

March 2007
Sustainability Featured at the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin
The IHIF is the leading meeting place for the European hotel investment community. The IHIF provides an invaluable opportunity for leading hotel investors and executives to meet and explore matters of mutual concern. Lyndall DeMarco moderated a panel discussion on Building and Operating Responsible Hotels: Saving Your Bottom Line and Reputation. Panelists included:

Gregoir Chikaher, Director, Arup & Partners
David Jerome, Senior Vice President, Corporate Services-Corporate Social Responsibility, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
Geoff Lane, Partner ? Sustainable Business Solutions, PricewaterhouseCoopers UK
Pia Heidenmark-Cook, Vice President Responsible Business, The Rezidor Hotel Group

January 2007
Green Hotels at the American Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles
ALIS is the annual meeting place for hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers and the professional advisory community in the hotel and tourism industry. It is an event that brings together leading experts and investors to discuss important trends and to identify new opportunities. In January 2007, a record crowd of 2,500 industry leaders attended ALIS. Lyndall DeMarco, Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership lead a breakout session on Green Hotels, as part of the Ask ALIS series. Her the speakers discussed how to address environmental and sustainable issues and still satisfy the consumer and the financial stakeholders, asking the question has the time for green hotels finally arrived?

Other speakers included:
Phil Hayward, Editor Lodging Magazine
Jeff Senior, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

november 2006
Sustainability on the Agenda at recent Events
Sustainability was on the agenda of the recent American Hotel and Lodging Association Fall Conference and International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, which drew more than 35,000 people. Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership moderated a panel on sustainable tourism that included James Dion from National Geographic?s Centre for Sustainable Destinations and Michelle White of Fairmont Hotel and Resorts. She also participated in a panel discussion sponsored by NEWH on sustainable hotel siting design and construction with Peter Braithwaite, Director, ARUP, a global design and business consulting firm.

Featured at the hotel show were innovative products to help hoteliers clean naturally, save energy and water, and minimise waste generation. Also on hand were vendors offering everything from environmentally friendly wall coverings to non-toxic tub refinishing. The Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show is the lodging industry?s No. 1 trade event.

october 2006
Responsible Tourism tops the bill in Hong Kong
As a supporter of the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific that took place in Hong Kong on 11-13 October 2006, the International Tourism Partnership shared with participants the concept of responsible tourism to a capacity crowd. Lyndall De Marco, the Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership was also guest panellist discussing sustainable resort development, along with Richard Bailey, Chairman Tahiti Beachcomber, Sonu S. Shivdasani, Chairman and CEO of Six Senses Resorts and Spas, Nigel A. McKenna, Managing Director Melview Developments Ltd. and David Welch, Industry Consultant for the World Bank Group. The panel was moderated by Ronald H. de Wit, Director HVS International.

september 2006
The real impact of Responsible Business Practice
?With the tourism industry tracking $6.5 trillion USD yearly, and projecting a decade of strong 4.2 percent annualized growth, the global economic, social, and environmental impact of our sector is enormous. And the choice is ours: to practice responsible business?or not.?

This was the message to the audience at the Hotel Design Boutique, which took place in Miami, Florida. Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership presented the business case, ?Shareholders, employees and customers all have higher expectations of a business? ability to demonstrate responsible behaviour across the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental management that goes beyond philanthropy. The integration of responsible business into every level of the operation will enhance reputation and improve market share and position. It will provide better risk management, guarantee a license to operate, contribute to a company?s ability to attract and retain the best employees, and ultimately reduce costs.?

Lyndall shared with the participants the innovative tools and programs showcasing that economic, social and environmental benefits are possible through practical action. Others on the panel included Peter Braithwaite, Director Ove ARUP. The luncheon presentation was sponsored by NEWH.

JULY 2006
CSR and Tourism
The first global conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the travel and tourism industry hosted by CSR-Asia in partnership with IBLF was recently held in Singapore. The event brought together tourism industry leaders to address critical social and environmental challenges facing company growth and local community development. Discussions centred on four main themes including:

CSR AND THE TOURISM AGENDA
UN Global Code of Ethics in Tourism
Integrating the triple bottom line

CSR CHALLENGES, LEARNING FROM THE INDUSTRY
Aviation
Hotel companies
Tour operators

ECO-TOURISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Sustainable siting design and construction
Benchmarking and certification
Partnership models

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
Supporting local projects and communities
Supply chain management

Conference participants identified the key social and environmental and cultural issues confronting the sustainability of the tourism industry, as well as improving the capacity to manage future risks. ?Responsible tourism comes from responsible leadership?, said Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership. "We are seeing a more integrated industry wide approach to responsible business in tourism, where the triple bottom line is not a project or policy but a way of doing business.?

Practical ideas and good practice from leading companies and practitioners were a highlight of the conference. It was an opportunity for different stakeholders to engage with local communities and groups to promote sustainable tourism through networking and sharing experiences.

july 2006
Arabian Travel Market
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) and Arabian Travel Market (ATM) took place in Dubai in May. Lyndall De Marco, Executive Director of the International Tourism Partnership, together with Ed Fuller, President and Managing Director of Marriott Lodging International were panellists in a discussion led by National Geographic’s Jonathon Tourtellot on the quality and rate of tourism development in the Middle East and its impact on sustainability.

july 2006
Importance of UNWTO Ethics Committee Grows with Booming Tourism
There is a growing importance of the work of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics in ensuring high quality practices within the tourism sector in the light of the impressive growth of this industry and its impact on the life of the people, stressed the UNWTO Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Taleb Rifai, in his opening remarks at the recently concluded, fourth meeting of the Committee which took place in Bangalore, India in June. The committee formally endorsed the joint International Tourism Partnership/UNWTO initiative on Business Ethics and Human Rights.