Starwood

Starwood makes strong progress on sustainability goals

Green Key partner Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced its progress to date on its 30/20 by 20 environmental goals. Green Key is happy to assist Starwood in achieving these goals. 

Le Meridien Piccadilly, London. Green key awarded since 2012

Le Meridien Piccadilly, London. Green key awarded since 2012

The global hotel company says it has reduced energy use by 12.08%, carbon emissions by 16.07% and water use by 17.26% across all its owned, managed and franchised properties from 2008 through 2014.

Starwood’s environmental goals were launched in 2009 and pledge to cut energy use by 30% and water use by 20% by 2020 globally. In 2013 the company added a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 30% during the same timeframe.

Making the announcement Ken Siegel, Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Head of Global Citizenship at Starwood said, “We’re pleased with the progress and are encouraged by the reductions we made while maintaining an aggressive global growth strategy. Our 30/20 by 20 goals challenge us to create short and long-term programs and partnerships that protect the environment, reduce operating costs, enhance the guest experience and make sustainable upgrades possible for properties.”

Starwood are using tools like the HCMI to measure and reduce their carbon emissions, as well as working with properties, to apply low-cost initiatives like switching to high-efficiency LED lighting and low-flow bathroom fixtures and taps as well as capital improvements that include improving or replacing various mechanical systems. In most properties, operational initiatives account for around one-third of the progress towards 30/20 by 20 goals and are projected to save US$1 billion across the company’s portfolio in less than 10 years. Capital improvements and partnerships that bring innovative, renewable, and efficient technologies like solar power, help reinforce the remaining reductions to-date.

The full article can be read here

Starwood issues its sustainable seafood position statement

Starwood, Green Key's international hotel chain partner, has produced a statement on how the chain will use sustainably sourced seafood

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The values of Starwood guides their sources of seafood. The hotel chain uses the "triple bottom line" of environmental, financial and social concerns with the best available science to form thier decisions. Starwood then empowers its associates to put plans into action while maintaining the high level of guest experience for which they are known.

Starwood is committed to supporting its Communities - from the local communities around their properties to the global ecological ecological community supporting everyone.

In sourcing seafood, Starwood will address the following throughout the different regions in which they operate:

Wild-caught seafood

  • Stock status of the target species
  • Fisheries management
  • Bycatch of target and non-target species, including protected, endangered, or threatened species

Farmed seafood

  • Resources used, including nursery/seed stocks
  • Wastes released from the farm
  • Health management of the farmed fish

Wild-caught and farmed seafood

  • Broader ecosystem impacts (i.e. damage from fishing gear used in wild fisheries, impacts to wild populations from farms)
  • Efficient use of resources (i.e. energy intensity of wild fishery distribution networks, feed conversion ratios of farmed seafood)

Starwood has set goals to gudie and track the progress in the long-term and the hotel chain is developing ways to measure the progress towards those goals in the short-term.

Starwood acknowledges that achieving these goals is a continuous endeavor, but are committed to collaborating with their suppliers, partners, and others in their seafood supply chain to advance the efforts.