Hotelbeds Group certified carbon neutral

This prestigious accreditation reflects Hotelbeds Group’s commitment to reduce its environmental impact and ensure long-term sustainability by offsetting its carbon emissions during the year of 2017. 

Carbon emission calculations, including energy and paper consumptions, waste management, business travel and water supply, were completed by Hotelbeds Group, using metrics devised by Carbon Footprint Ltd, the sustainability experts. Carbon Footprint Ltd has also successfully completed a verification of the carbon footprint assessment for Hotelbeds Group. This included spot-checking source data from across the group as well as reviewing the overall methodology.

Due to business travel being Hotelbeds Group’s biggest carbon emission factor, the company has created an internal self-funded programme whereby a €2.60 fee is charged per business flight taken by employees, with a desire to encourage a reduction in travel and increase company and employee awareness around the importance of carbon offsetting.

This year the Corporate Sustainability team has chosen to donate funds raised to the Portel-Pará Deforestation Project, which is located within Brazil’s Amazon, the largest remaining rainforest on our planet.

Commenting on the certification, Joan Vilà, Executive Chairman of Hotelbeds Group commented: “We are proud to have been certified a Carbon Neutral Organisation as it underscores our sustainable business outlook. By mixing our sustainability goals with our financial and operational goals, we are creating win-win conditions for the Group and all its stakeholders to thrive in the long term.”

“As leaders in the travel industry we wanted to be at the forefront of environmental consciousness, inspiring both other companies and even individual travellers.”

Dr Wendy Buckley, Client Director at Carbon Footprint said “Hotelbeds has taken an integrated and highly responsible approach to its carbon neutrality. As a trailblazer in the industry, they are balancing innovation alongside environmental sustainability.”

Corporate sustainability is a responsibility that Hotelbeds Group takes very seriously. The Group is focused on and committed to environmentally and socially sustainable business practices that recognize the short and long-term concerns of our stakeholders, whilst integrating sustainability and accountability into our business. Hotelbeds Group recognizes that social and environmental sustainability is fundamental to the achievement of sustainable development outcomes, and therefore must be fully integrated into all our programmes and projects globally.

As part of Hotelbeds Group’s participation in the Carbon Neutral initiative, the Group has set the following goals:

* Giving back to local communities in the places where business is actually being done.

* Helping to reduce global CO2 emissions.

* Helping developing countries: economic, social & community development.

* Fostering local community relations.

* Engaging staff and creating awareness of our environmental impact.

* Balancing out unavoidable emissions by becoming carbon neutral.

INFO: Hotelbeds