A group of international hotels is collaborating on a groundbreaking initiative to standardize carbon accounting in the hospitality industry.
The Carbon Measurement Working Group aims to reach a consensus on a single methodology for calculating carbon footprints and consistent metrics for communicating emissions.
Currently, carbon measurement metrics vary widely which can lead to confusion among guests and investors. Additionally, the number of methodologies and tools in use make transparency within the industry difficult to achieve.
The Group consists of members of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) including Accor, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International Inc., MGM Resorts International, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Red Carnation Hotel Collection, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Premier Inn (Whitbread Group) and Wyndham Worldwide.
"The hotel industry recognizes its responsibility to mitigate its environmental impact," says David Scowsill, President and CEO of WTTC. "Through this initiative the industry is furthering its commitments to corporate and individual consumers by helping them to understand their environmental footprint. A harmonized approach to quantifying and communicating the sustainability of the industry’s products is a firm step towards accomplishing this."
As part of a multi-phased approach, the Group is soliciting input from a cross-section of stakeholders and hopes to have standards available for the 2012 RFP season. The phase one methodology includes feedback from Greenview Consulting and has been reviewed by the World Resources Institute.
Other companies in the Carbon Measurement Working Group include Accor, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, MGM Resorts International, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Red Carnation Hotel Collection, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Premier Inn (Whitbread Group) and Wyndham Worldwide.
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I’m glad these hotel chains are focusing on lessening their environmental impact. I hope that one thing they will look at is the negative environmental impact of sourcing factory farmed products for their restaurants, such as eggs and pork from animals raised in extreme confinement. These products aren’t just horrible for the animals, they’re awful for the environment as well. I believe Marriott has started switching to more sustainable cage-free eggs, and I hope Hilton, Wyndham, and the others will do the same in the near future.