Radisson Hotel Group says it has become the world’s first hotel group to offer carbon negative meetings in EMEA.
The group has made its meetings and events carbon negative across more than 400 hotels in its EMEA portfolio. Radisson’s ‘Carbon Negative. Planet Positive’ programme will involve offsetting double the CO2 emissions for every event or meeting taking place at the group’s participating hotels.
The sustainable measures apply to meetings booked by January 31, 2022, which take place before March 31, 2022 and will be free-of-charge to the customer.
The carbon footprint will be calculated using the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative tool and offset through projects which are Gold Standard of Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) recognised. Members of Radisson’s loyalty programme can also choose to redeem their loyalty points to offset their stay.
Since 2019, the group has offered a 100 per cent carbon neutral meetings offering across its 1,600 hotels worldwide. Radisson has offset over 30,300 tons of CO2 since its launch, which it says is the equivalent to removing over 6,500 fuel driven cars off the road.
The new initiative is part for the group’s wider ‘Responsible Business’ programme which aims to reduce the group’s carbon footprint by 30 per cent. It also works alongside the group’s hybrid meetings solutions, which are available across over 100 hotels in EMEA – see our feature ‘Meetings and events reinvented for a new era‘ for more information on this.
Eric de Neef, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Branding and Commercial Officer, commented:
“The upcoming COP26 conference will see world leaders come together to discuss climate change which needs all our attention. At Radisson Hotel Group, we are constantly reviewing how we as a global business can influence positive climate action, and how we can encourage the hospitality industry to push the boundaries on green meetings and events. We are proud to be pioneering this initiative and trust that meeting organizers around the globe recognize the positive impact they can have on the environment as face-to-face meetings increase.”
Inge Huijbrechts, Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications, added:
“Carbon Negative. Planet Positive allows you to make your meetings carbon negative and your impact planet positive. With the return of business travel, now is the time to have a positive impact. For Radisson Hotel Group, it is important that we offset carbon emissions according to the highest quality standards and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is why we select offsetting projects that are not only good for the environment, but also socially relevant. This initiative plays a key role in helping us achieve our Responsible Business targets to protect people, planet, and community.”
Meanwhile, the group recently partnered with anti-food waste app Too Good To Go to reduce food waste across its hotels in Europe.
https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2021/10/06/radisson-partners-with-too-good-to-go-to-tackle-food-waste/