Sustainability is a growing problem in the hotel industry. The hospitality sector alone produces 1% of total global carbon emissions each year, with hotels consuming eight times more resources, like water, than their surrounding local communities.
With climate change having such a monumental impact on the world, hotels have a responsibility to check themselves and take necessary measures to reduce their environmental impact. This is crucial not only to help protect the planet, but to protect human health and local communities as well.
What is Environmental Management?
When it comes to addressing sustainability concerns, environmental management (EM) is key. At its core, EM is about putting practices into place that help an organization address its carbon footprint. This means implementing strategies for resource conservation, energy usage reduction, waste management, and more to reduce the negative impacts on the environment and society.
Why is Environmental Management So Important in the Hospitality Industry?
Environmental management is of critical importance in the hospitality industry for a few reasons.
For starters, there is an increasing importance of sustainability to modern consumers regarding the businesses they engage with and support, including hotels. Adopting more sustainable practices can help hoteliers stay in business by attracting and retaining more customers.
The second reason an EM system is so important is the evolving legislation aimed at environmental protection. As climate change concerns increase, governments are putting more stringent requirements into effect. Failing to comply with such legislation can lead to fines and penalties, as well as potentially damaging brand reputation.
In addition to helping protect the environment, EM practices can also help hotels achieve greater cost savings and give them a competitive advantage, which are crucial factors in long-term success.
The Benefits of Adopting Sustainable Practices in the Hotel Industry
There are many benefits and reasons why environmental management should be of concern to hotels, Including:
- Reducing overall environmental impact;
- Attracting new customers and gaining popularity among eco-friendly travelers;
- Increasing efficiency and saving money;
- Increasing appeal to corporate guests, partners, investors, lenders, etc.;
- Enhanced compliance.
Adopting sustainable practices through EM is also suitable for hotels to help demonstrate their corporate social responsibility (CSR). This shows a commitment to environmental and social causes, which can help boost overall public image and brand reputation.
6 Environmental Management Concerns and Strategies for Hotels
Below are the top environmental management concerns and how to address them:
1. Energy-Efficiency
Energy consumption is one of the most significant concerns due to the high rate of carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, and as such, hoteliers should make energy conservation a priority. This means evaluating all areas that produce energy through an energy audit, such as HVAC systems, kitchens, and elevators, to determine what upgrades can be made to reduce energy usage.
2. Water Conservation
Hotels use an abundance of water, which is harmful to the environment and local communities. The same as with energy, a water usage audit should be performed to determine where and how much water is being used every day to identify where conservation practices should be implemented.
Updating plumbing is one of the primary ways to manage water, such as flow restrictors, faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads, pressure-reducing valves, and low-flush toilets. Hoteliers can also install smaller baths and basins to limit how much water guests use when they take a bath.
3. Air Quality
Air quality is another concern, especially indoor air quality as it can impact the health of your staff and guests. Poor air quality can lead to several health issues, including coughing, wheezing, sore throat, and respiratory problems. It can also exacerbate or trigger chronic health problems, such as lung disease, sleep apnea, and asthma.
Hotels often use a number of products and systems that can emit toxic air pollutants, and external air pollution can also be deep inside and cause problems. To mitigate these issues, hoteliers should update infrastructure to monitor air pollution. They should also install smart air filtration systems, regularly clean HVAC systems, and switch out cleaning products for ones with fewer toxic ingredients.
4. Waste Reduction
Reducing food waste is critical to help minimize environmental and societal impact. To do this, hotels can purchase and use smaller food portions. They can also source their food locally or even grow it themselves to reduce the environmental impact. When there is leftover food, hotels can look into donation programs instead of throwing it out so the food doesn’t go to waste.
For other kinds of waste, it’s necessary to identify where and how waste is being created to develop the right action plan. The key strategies should be to reduce, reuse, recycle, and more safely dispose of waste as much as possible. Minimizing inventory and ordering less to start with is also essential.
5. Regulatory Compliance
To ensure regulatory compliance, hotels should keep up to date with the latest laws and regulations concerning environmental protection. The EPA regularly updates its website with this information and offers resources to help hotels maintain sustainability standards. Current EPA programs to consider include the Energy Star Program, WaterSense, and Sustainable Materials Management.
6. Staff and Guest Education
A crucial component of environmental management is educating staff and guests on how they can help the hotel achieve its sustainability goals. You can also encourage guests to participate. Doing so can make their stay more rewarding by helping them feel connected and engaged, helping them promote a more positive image of the hotel’s brand.
Ideas include using the check-in process to educate guests on the hotel’s sustainability efforts and how they can help or providing binders with information about the rooms on how guests can help save energy and water by turning off lights and devices when not in use and limiting their time in the shower.
Final Thoughts
Hotel leadership plays an important role in energy management programs. It requires careful evaluation, audits, and planning, as well as regularly monitoring and updating practices and performance as needed. The EPA suggests a continuous cycle of planning (planning and auditing), doing (implementing), checking (program evaluation), and acting (program improvement) to keep hotel operations up to standards.
Indiana Lee
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