Green Key partner NH Hotel Group now one of the most sustainable companies worldwide

Green Key Partnerships

Green Key partner NH Hotel Group stands out as one of the most sustainable leaders in the hospitality industry. Due to its efforts, NH has placed itself in the top three of the hospitality industry and has been recognized by the prestigious Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Green Key International is delighted to see how one of our main hospitality partners, NH Hotel Group, stands out as one of the most sustainable leaders in the hospitality industry. The evaluation made by SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) awarded NH Hotel Group ‘the best in class’ in nine out of the 23 criteria evaluated: Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management, Fiscal Strategy, Environmental Report, Climate Strategy, Social Report, Indicators of Labour Practices, Development of Human Capital, and Occupational Health and Safety.

Great achievements for NH Hotel Group

An important achievement regards the categories where NH Hotel Group reached the highest scores possible: Customer Relationship Management; Fiscal Strategy; Environmental Report; Climate Strategy; Social Report and Development of Human Capital.

Maarten Markus, Managing Director Northern Europe: “sustainability is very important in NH Hotel Group's business operations and hotel services. I am very proud of these assessments: they motivate us to focus even more on corporate social responsibility in 2021. We are preparing for a sustainable future in order to maintain our exemplary function within the hotel industry.”

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) index

Additionally, NH Hotel Group received another recognition for their efforts in becoming a sustainable company. The group has been awarded a B-rating by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Climate Change index, an international, non-profit organization that promotes sustainability.

With that being said, we are more than proud to see NH Hotel Group’s sustainable performance grow and we wish them more success for the upcoming year!

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For more information about NH Hotel Group Corporate Responsibility Policy:

https://www.nh-hotels.com/corporate/responsible-and-sustainable-company

For more information about SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA):

https://www.spglobal.com/esg/csa/

Next FIFA World Cup to be climate neutral through cooperation with QGBC

The Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC), the Green Key National Operator in Qatar, is supporting the countries efforts in hosting the first climate-neutral FIFA World Cup. For that purpose, the QGBC is proactively working on transforming the hospitality industry of the country towards a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future.

Photo: © Qatar Green Building Council

The Qatar Green Building Council, the Green Key National Operator in Qatar, highlighted the efforts done to support Qatar’s quest to deliver the world’s first climate neutral FIFA World Cup. The aim is to do so through transforming the hospitality sector to operate efficiently, be more sustainable and more environmentally friendly.

When Qatar received the confirmation to host the next FIFA World Cup in 2022, the country committed to putting all efforts into hosting a a carbon-neutral event. After setting this goal, the Qatar Green Building Council, a non-profit, membership-driven organisation providing leadership and encouraging collaboration in conducting environmentally sustainable practices for green building design and representative for a sustainable tourism industry, became one of the event’s biggest stakeholders.

In order to make the hospitality sector in Qatar more sustainable, the industry needs to proactively work on reducing food waste, invest in renewable energies, reduce the amount of energy-intensive systems and most importantly, develop new methods to make the use of the scare resource water more efficient.

Ruba Hinnawi, technical specialist at the Qatar Green Building Council explains:

We are expecting around 1.5 million visitors to come here, we can only imagine the stress that this will put on our infrastructure, our services, and our environment.

Due to the tremendous pressures that the upcoming FIFA World Cup will put on the ecosystems of the country, the Qatar Green Building Council further increased the promotion of the Green Key programme. The efforts undertaken should also strengthen a more sustainable hospitality industry in general, even after the World Cup. According to Ruba Hinnawi, a vast variety of hotels in Qatar advocate and positively respond to the criteria and measurements provided by Green Key. As a result, big hotels such as the Sheraton Grand Doha and Mandarin Oriental Doha, amongst others, have already been certified with the Green Key.

A video, produced by the Qatar Green Building Council, the BBC StoryWorks and the World Green Building Council Series should showcase the profound effect buildings have on the quality of people’s lives and the role the green buildings movement can play in tackling the climate emergency. This video can be rewatched under the following link.

Pegasus partners with Green Key on sustainability programme

Green Key supports hotels in Pegasus portfolio with tools and resources for sustainability certification

Green Key awarded Hotel Kong Arthur in Copenhagen (Denmark)

Pegasus, a leading global provider of hotel reservations and e-commerce solutions and one of the world’s most experienced hotel representation services, today announced a new partnership with Green Key, the world’s leading sustainability certification programme for the hospitality industry. The new partnership will provide hotels in the Pegasus portfolio with access to personal support as well as tools and resources for sustainability certification.

The partnership with Green Key is a part of a broader initiative within Pegasus to encourage and promote sustainable practices within hotels, particularly boutique and independent hotels, and help certified properties to better market themselves to corporate clients. 

“Sustainability has become a top-selling point and priority for many corporate travel buyers, and we are seeing increased interest from corporations looking specifically to contract with sustainable properties through chainwide agreements,” says Alex Ryll, Director of Global Corporate Sales at Pegasus. “Our partnership with Green Key will give hotels access to important resources and best practices in their journey to reduce their environmental footprint, as well as a way to certify the property with internationally recognized standards.” 

The Green Key award is based on compliance with a strict set of criteria that are internationally recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Green Key’s application, audit and award process is standardised and includes regular on-site audits and third-party verification of the award. Green Key was initiated in 1994 and is managed by the international charity, the Foundation for Environmental Education, and its national member organisations. Currently, more than 3,200 tourism establishments across 65 countries hold a Green Key certification. 

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Director of the Green Key programme, says, “We are very pleased to work closely together with Pegasus and share our experiences in support of the work with sustainability at Pegasus, both at the central level as well as among interested member hotels in the Pegasus portfolio.” 

Pegasus and Green Key have kicked off their collaboration with a series of content targeted to hotels interested in taking the first steps to sustainability certification. Green Key has authored a guest article “A Primer on Hotel Sustainability Certification” for Pegasus and recently participated in the webinar “Hotel Sustainability in the Age of COVID-19” together with representatives from Innovation Lighthouse and Hotel Kong Arthur, a Green Key awarded hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. For additional information on Green Key, visit www.greenkey.global.

About Pegasus

Pegasus is the world's most experienced hotel representation service providing a specialized range of powerful sales, marketing, and distribution solutions for hotels. Pegasus is chosen by more than 3,000 independent hotels, small groups and Private Label chains in more than 130 countries, and comprises an extensive and diverse international portfolio that includes luxury, boutique, value, business and resort properties for both business and leisure travellers. 

Pegasus offers an unrivalled combination of more than 80 years' experience representing hotels by delivering first-class demand-generating solutions. These include preferred travel agent and online partnership agreements, a range of worldwide marketing programs, leading-edge Internet booking engine solutions, comprehensive business intelligence reporting capabilities and award-winning hotel website marketing. The Pegasus hotel portfolio is booked by thousands of travel agencies, travel providers and businesses worldwide, including major global travel management companies such as American Express and CWT, corporations, online distributors, and consortia groups. Visit www.pegs.com for more information.

Belgian Hotel changed its entire cleaning products to green alternatives

For already almost ten years, the family hotel Soll Cress has dedicated all their efforts into going one step further for the environment. To continue this sustainable trail, the owners have now decided to change their entire cleaning products to environmentally friendly alternatives.

Photo: © Hotel Soll Cress

The family hotel Soll Cress, located on the Belgian coast is situated approximately 100 meters away from the beach and 800 meters away from the city centre of Koksijde. It is an ideal place to welcome guests all year round, as the hotel offers a wide variety of services for its guests applicable for the warmer and colder seasons. Hence, it is equipped with an indoor swimming pool, a sauna, Jacuzzi, fitness- and wellness centre and a gastronomic restaurant. This restaurant is called “Roots Koksijde” and has recently been completely redesigned to serve the needs of its guests. Within the restaurant, a choice of organic wines is provided and dishes with locally sourced ingredients are served.

After 45 years of being successfully administrated by the Van Damme family, it was time for a generation change within the management of the hotel. The daughters of the former owners, Hannelore and Sofie took over the management, convinced to go a step further for the environment beyond the local requirements in regards to environmental protection. Therefore, already since the year 2011, the hotel has obtained the Green Key certificate. This means that the hotel reduces energy consumption, minimises waste, offers charging stations for electronic bicycles and an E-Smart, and it uses biodegradable napkins and recycled toilet paper for their guests.

In addition to that, Hannelore and Sofie have now decided to replace the entire cleaning product range with Green Care products. Through organised testing sessions with these products, the hotel owners found out that the results of cleaning with Green Care products were equal or better than before. That’s why Hannelore and Sofie chose to prospectively use the Green Care brand for sanitising the hotel, the rooms, the restaurant and the new KLIKS system for the laundry.

The fact that these products are C²C certified, thereby certified with a well-known ecolabel, means that they are composed of European raw materials, boxed in recycled packaging and produced with renewable energy. By introducing these products, savings in CO² emissions are realised, the use of crude oils is excluded and pollution with microplastics is avoided. Furthermore, the packaging of these products can almost indefinitely be recycled.

The Hotel Soll Cress is an example of how the hotel industry can contribute to the environment with simple measures. Something, that has become a mandatory criterion for hotel guests booking a holiday.  

Free Online Course: How to reduce plastic and keep guest’s safe

During the pandemic, single-use plastics had a big comeback in the tourism industry, as they are seen as a means to assure safety and hygiene. Although the safety of guests and staff is, of course, the first priority, it does not need to come at the cost of the environment. To tackle this issue, our partner, Travel Without Plastic has created GreenerGuest, a website offering free courses about how to reduce plastic and keep guest’s safe.

Photo: © Greener Guest

GreenerGuest is a website, created by Travel Without Plastic that offers various tools, tips and online courses, designed to help businesses in the reduction or elimination of unnecessary single-use plastic. In addition, the website provides a wide range of suggestions for sustainable alternatives. To ensure a sufficient set of substitutes, GreenerGuest selected all these suppliers based on their commitments to social and environmental responsibility.

One of the courses offered by GreenerGuest is “how to reduce plastic and keep guests safe”. As time can sometimes be very limited within the tourism industry, the experts from Travel Without Plastic have created an easy yet holistic online course with six individual sections. The structure of the course allows the participants to take the course in their own pace and focus on those topics that are of special interest to the individual establishment. The website will keep track of their process, to make sure that all elements of the course are covered. The online course thereby facilitates the process for businesses to decrease or eliminate single-use plastic to sustainable alternatives.

Besides a general introduction on the issue of single-use plastics in connection to the COVID-19 crisis, the sections covered within the course are; Process Over Products, Putting New Processes in Place, Reducing Plastic Safely, Safe & Environmentally Friendly Disposal and Communication. Within these modules, each participant will learn principles of infection, the health impacts of single-use plastics, practical tips for the different departments in a hotel, the implementation of new processes, the safe reduction of plastic, disposal of contaminated waste, the communication procedures with guests and staff, amongst others.

When finishing the course, each participant will receive a completion certificate, which should serve as evidence for external auditors that may ask about staff training in sustainability and waste management. In addition, the course content will remain active for participants of the course to be able to refresh the memory at a later point.

Click here, to sign up for the online course.

In addition to the online course, Green Key International has hosted a webinar together with Travel Without Plastic and the Innovation Lighthouse on the 14th of October 2020. This webinar can now be re-watched under the following link.

Strengthening the Tobago tourism sector through Green Key

On the 28th and 30th of July 2020, the Tobago Tourism Agency Ltd. (TTAL) officially launched the Tobago Green Key programme in partnership with Green Trinidad & Tobago. The launch happened through the virtual engagement of approximately forty owners and managers of small and large tourism accommodation facilities in Tobago.  

Photo: © Green T&T

The Green Key award, as a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry, currently comprises over 3200 Green Key sites globally. A heavy concentration of these establishments also lies within Tobago’s key source markets, being the United Kingdom and Europe in general. The decision taken by the TTAL to encourage local tourism establishments in Tobago to be Green Key certified is a strategic one given the global demand for eco-friendlier tourism. It, therefore, signals strong commitment and action to raising the quality standards of establishments in Tobago as well as the overall international appeal of the destination.

Narendra Ramgulam, Director Tourism Product Development & Destination Management at the TTAL states;

Green Key is critically important to ensure that we develop and encourage low carbon footprint products for our destination. This not only gives us an attractive appeal in the eyes of our eco-seeking global customers, mainly coming from the United Kingdom and Germany, but it additionally raises the standard and quality of sustainable products on the island of Tobago and enhances development that is in sync with our image and brand. Both, the Green Key and Blue Flag certificate, an award for beaches, tourism boats and marinas, will give us a competitive advantage over our competitors. Our stakeholders have shown an interest in engaging in the Green Key programme, not only due to its competitive advantage but because they believe that it is the right thing to do from an environmental perspective and an important step for the future of the industry in Tobago.

By being part of Green Key, tourism business owners represent a commitment that their establishments adhere to the strict international criteria as stipulated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). At the same time, by staying at Green Key awarded properties, tourists can make a difference in regards to sustainability and environmental protection. Green T&T, a local environmental non-governmental organisation, acts as the national operator on behalf of FEE in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) for the coordination of both, the Green Key and Blue Flag program. Through education and certification of establishments, Green T&T is dedicated to increasing the overall environmental awareness and consciousness in the region.

Tenisha Brown-Williams, Green Key Coordinator at Green T&T believes that particularly through the COVID-19 crisis, those destinations that commit and follow through with solid environmental practices will gain competitive advantages. This appears as travellers are now more conscious of how safety, sanitation and ecological practices will aid in preserving their well-being. Tenisha Brown Williams adds to this notion;

The Green Key certification can boost Tobago’s visibility and appeal on the international market to the ‘green traveller’ who will visit Tobago’s pristine and unique environment and act responsibly.

The Green Key programme is currently open to the following categories within the hospitality and tourism sector in Tobago: Hotels, Hostels and Small Accommodations, and will later include Attractions, Restaurants and Conference Centres. For further information about how to attain the prestigious Green Key award in Tobago, please visit Green T&T or Visit Tobago, contact the TTAL at +868 612 8825 ext. 2005 or send an E-Mail to kcowie@tobagotourism.org or greenkey@green-tt.org.  

Official launch of Green Key in Scotland

Scotland’s tourism and hospitality establishments are encouraged to find out more about how their green recovery plans from COVID-19 might become reality with support from environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful through international ecolabel Green Key. 

Copyright: Green Key Scotland

Keep Scotland Beautiful has officially launched the Green Key programme in Scotland and offers a package of support to help Scotland’s tourism and hospitality establishments benefit from year-on-year environmental improvements that can also lead to financial savings. Keep Scotland Beautiful is the charity that campaigns, acts and educates on a range of local, national and global environmental issues to change behaviour and improve the quality of people’s lives and the places they care for. Therefore, the charity is committed to making Scotland clean, green and sustainable.

Green Key is proud to continue its leading standard of excellence in environmental responsibility and sustainable operation now also within the tourism industry in Scotland. Green Key is open to a wide range of establishments including hotels, visitor attractions, conference centres, campsites and restaurants and helps them meet global environmental standards set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and recognised by the UN World Tourism Organisation.

Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful says;

We are delighted to offer Green Key in Scotland and encourage tourism and hospitality establishments across the country to secure the multiple benefits of a green recovery from COVID-19 by partnering with us through this internationally recognised programme. We have a highly-skilled team of staff available to assist Green Key applicants with both technical support and advice and encourage you to get in touch today to start your sustainability journey.

Lyn Donnelly, Senior Partnerships Manager at VisitScotland adds;

We believe that the success of Scotland’s tourism industry rests on protecting and enhancing the Scottish environment. Our country’s natural beauty and landscapes are a vital part of our offer and hugely important to communities as well as our visitors. As we support the industry with COVID-19 recovery plans, we know there is an opportunity to reset tourism based on a more responsible future.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director at Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) additionally comments;

Green Key is an internationally recognised and respected eco-label for the tourism sector and has been awarded to over 3,200 establishments in 65 countries. We urge tourism establishments to join with Keep Scotland Beautiful through Green Key and use the well-proven framework as a pathway to environmental excellence and sustainable operation.

Find out more about Green Key and the support that Keep Scotland Beautiful offers at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/greenkey.

Copyright: Green Key Scotland

Historic Hotels of Europe and Green Key enter cooperation agreement

Green Key will support Historic Hotels of Europe in its work with sustainability.

Chateau Liblice, Czech Republic

Historic Hotels of Europe is an exclusive collection of independent hotels, castles, palaces, country houses and other properties of historic importance in more than 20 countries across Europe. Each property has been handpicked for its historical ties, exceptional quality and unique past with the aim of giving guests an unforgettable experience. The main purpose of Historic Hotels of Europe is to protect each property’s heritage - preserving and improving them to ensure that travellers from the world over can get to know their amazing stories.

The cooperation agreement with Green Key will give the properties of Historic Hotels of Europe support in ensuring high sustainability standards.

Claudia Buscher, Executive Director of Historic Hotels of Europe, says: “We are delighted to have entered an agreement with Green Key. The hotel industry identifies sustainability as a "new currency" in the competition for guest bookings and image enhancement while it is important for the environment to act and go green. We encourage our unique properties to have their work with sustainability recognised through the Green Key programme of excellence because we believe in their sustainable development goals, like the Global Forest Fund.”

Green Key is the world’s leading sustainability certification programme for the hospitality industry, with more than 3,200 awarded establishments in 65 countries. The Green Key award is based on compliance with a strict set of criteria that are internationally recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. Green Key’s application, audit and award process is standardised and includes regular on-site audits and third-party verification of the award.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Director of the Green Key programme, adds: “Sustainability is about connecting Historic Hotels of Europe’s focus on cultural heritage with Green Key’s efforts for environmental management, environmental awareness and social responsibility. We look forward to assisting the properties to achieve the Green Key award.”

Werner & Mertz for a sustainable transformation of our post-COVID 19 world

Green Key’s and Blue Flag’s partner Werner & Mertz Professional urges for a stronger focus on sustainability in our post-COVID 19 world and supports their clients in being part of this transformation.

©Werner & Mertz

These days, our society is facing unprecedented challenges – during and after the crisis. Being a producer of sustainable cleaning product solutions, Werner & Mertz’s is one of the companies that had the immediate chance to help stem the pandemic and took this important social responsibility very seriously. Since weeks, the company is prioritising the production of disinfectants and clients that need them most such as hospitals, nursing homes, government agencies of outstanding importance for national security and food retailer.

As people currently clean more frequently and intensively than before, it is even more important to use sustainable and biodegradable detergents without toxic substances thus avoiding further unnecessary burdens for people and the environment. As special emphasis is now placed on the cleaning of surfaces in exterior or public areas. Whether disinfecting certain surfaces outside healthcare facilities is required at all should be decided on a case-by-case basis, depending on the actual contamination of the surfaces. To support their clients and partners with reopening their businesses with the right cleaning practices, Werner & Mertz developed cleaning & hygiene guidelines for their clients.

German Environmental Award winner and owner of Werner & Mertz, Reinhard Schneider, appealed for a sustainable transformation instead of retro liberalism in post-corona era in a press release published on 3 June. He vouches for a stronger focus on circular economy principles when rebuilding the economy as the long supply chains were particularly prone to disruption during the time of the crisis. Werner & Mertz itself is a front-runner in terms of circularity, with many of their products being certified with the ‘Cradle-to-Cradle’ standard.

Being a family-owned company, Werner & Mertz is also dedicated to the social side of sustainability and gives back to the community wherever they can. In June, the company donated approximately 170 pallets of more than 80,000 sustainable ‘Frosch’ brand household cleaners, dishwashing and laundry detergents to Tafel centers throughout the country, providing the customers of the Tafel with the necessary means to keep their homes clean and safe. The Tafel is a non-profit organisation in Germany supporting people in need with food and other daily supplies.