To mark ÒPlanet 21 DayÓ Ð AccorHotels’ annual day of action to promote sustainable development Ð the Group has unveiled its newest global and regional commitments in support of sustainable and positive hospitality.
AccorHotels North & Central America announced a pledge to prohibit the use of plastic straws in all hotels in the region, starting in July of this year. This action reaffirms the Group’s commitment to minimise plastic waste and specifically the hazards to marine life caused by conventional plastic straws. Several hotels in the North & Central American region have already implemented a Òstraw upon request onlyÓ policy and have replaced plastic straws with paper or eco-friendly alternatives, including Fairmont Southampton, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Fairmont Mayakoba, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and Novotel Monterrey Valle.
AccorHotels also announced the rollout of a new range of non-chemically bleached bed linen and towels in its midscale and economy hotels in Europe (Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis Budget). The first global hotel group to offer its guests natural coloured linen, AccorHotels is marking a turning point in the hospitality sector by declaring ÒNatural is the new white!Ó as part of its overall policy to reduce the carbon footprint generated by its rooms.
Globally, AccorHotels expanded upon its Healthy and Sustainable Food Charter, a collection of commitments tied to Planet 21 and aimed at offering guests a true culinary experience through high-quality, healthy and sustainable food, while contributing to the transformation of the agricultural model and fighting against food waste. The Group announced that by 2024, or sooner if possible, AccorHotels is asking farmers, processors and suppliers to incorporate animal welfare criteria into the production of broiler chickens, with an initial focus on hotels in the United States and Canada.
AccorHotels aims to have 100 percent of the Group’s restaurants compliant with the Healthy and Sustainable Food Charter by 2020.
Among the various commitments outlined in the program, the Group is working to reduce food waste in hotels by 30% and support sustainable food models through its supply sources. This year’s Planet 21 Day activities in North & Central America were focused on food and beverage initiatives that support these goals, including:
- Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Ð Locals enjoyed special dining offerings at the Emerald Lounge with a Sustainable Dinner Menu Option featuring tasty ingredients from local partners. Menu items included Organic Beef & Goat Cheese Salad from Twin Meadows Farm, which used the Lodge’s spent cooking oil for its machinery; and OceanWise Albacore Tuna from a program initiated by the Vancouver Aquarium to inform consumers about sustainable seafood practices. Guests also received wildflower seeds at check-in to use to attract bees at home.
- Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown Ð For the 15th year in a row, the hotel joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund to help students at School Without Walls at Francis Stevens learn about plants and gardening. Rolling Greens, an innovative commercial landscape design service for D.C. and the surrounding area, generously provided the planting materials.
- Fairmont Banff Springs Ð A host of activities included a Wilderness Walk along a river trail ÒadoptedÓ by the hotel and Plogging Ð jogging while picking up trash Ð on a trail route, with biodegradable gloves and garbage bags for all participants.
- Sofitel New York Ð Guests were able to enjoy a 100-Mile Menu at Gaby Brasserie Francaise, featuring ingredients supplied within a 100-mile radius of the hotel. The hotel also employs an ORCA Digestive Machine to process approximately 95 percent of leftovers into wastewater using aerobic bacteria.
- Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle Ð The Terrace Lounge offered a special ÒTrash Can GimletÓ Ð including a fruit cordial created from fruit waste boiled down with water and sugar and mixed with citric acid.
- Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii Ð The hotel provided a special tour of its onsite Garden and Fruit Orchard, as well as a Special Sustainable Menu featuring many ingredients sourced from the hotel grounds.
- Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Ð A ÒSea of ChangeÓ menu was available at Notch 8, created with inspiration from the natural cycles of the water and how it flows through the ecosystem. The menu featured items that have the lowest carbon footprint, including organic ingredients from Sky Harvest, which delivers ingredients to the hotel by bicycle.
Planet 21 is AccorHotels’ platform that hopes to encourage all within the hospitality industry to curb environmental impact as well as inspire a new sustainable model that brings about enduring changes to the environment. In 2016, the Group announced its new Planet 21 commitments for 2020, reaffirming its pledge to drive change towards positive hospitality. The program puts the Group’s strong sense of responsibility to the environment and its people into action by providing sustainable hotel experiences through major innovations, inclusivity, employee engagement, and work with local communities to create a positive impact.
Read more about AccorHotels Planet 21 commitments here.
