We have a saying in our business, “With our heart in it”. It applies to our whole world – our guests, our employees, our suppliers and society around us. We aim to be decent, conscientious and caring. Because we put our heart into society, we feel it is our duty to do our part for the environment and global warming, also through acting responsibly towards the environment. For these reasons, we have developed the following 5-points as part of our Environmental and Climate plan:
ENVIRONMENTAL aND CLIMATE pLAN – gOALS aND aCTIONS 1. CO2 neutralisation now and in the future 2. Making energy savings 3. Involving guests 4. Establishing a CO2 neutral hotel network 5. Collaborating with climate networks/alliances including
climate friendly suppliers.
Ad 1. We want to implement a number of energy-saving initiatives.
We want to reduce our energy consumption by 10 % by year end 2009 and by 25% by year end 2012 availing us of the opportunities provided by technological development.
We want to always choose the solution with the least impact on the environment and climate, both in our daily activities and in our purchasing, or when renovating or expanding our premises.
We want to look beyond our own sphere and take responsibility in the supply chain. Alongside our suppliers, we will look for the most sustainable, environmentally and climate-friendly solutions for their deliveries to us. This may be a question of product choice, limitation of transport and packaging, product quantities and so forth.
We will actively train our employees in the understanding of environmental and climate issues, including endowing them with the tools to act considerately with regards to these issues – both at work and in their private life.
Ad 2. We want to be Carbon neutral
On behalf of our energy suppliers, we aim at neutralising the carbon emissions associated with their deliveries to us.
We aim to do this through purchasing and destroying carbon quotas. By doing this, we hope to set an example and aim to convince our energy suppliers to invest in climate-friendly methods of production.
Alternatively, we can neutralise the said emissions through the purchase of carbon credits, investing in wind mills or other environmentally friendly sources of energy, as well as participating in the expansion of the world’s forests or similar initiatives.
Ad 3. We want our guests to be part of these initiatives.
We want to share and expand our environmental and climate awareness with our guests. One way to do it is through our newsletter, notices in the rooms, our product range, delivering lectures at our guests’ work environment and similar initiatives.
We want to give our guests a chance to neutralise their energy consumption in relation to the transport to our hotels, i.e. by means of overnight packages including the destruction of a carbon quotas.
Ad 4. We want to initiate a global network of carbon neutral hotels.
We want, through this network, to expand our environmental and climate awareness to our colleagues. We intend to do this by means of lectures, visibility, the press and more.
We want, through this network, to exchange good environmental and climate ideas with others related to our industry.
We want to implement common marketing initiatives, i.e. through www.CO2neutral-hotels.com, catering to the growing number of environmentally aware guests.
Ad 5. We want to be part of environmentally and climate-friendly relations.
We will set aside resources to participate actively in the environmental and climate debate, i.e. through conferences, networking, interviews, blogs, lectures, education and the like.
We will enter alliances and environmental/climate networks to create opportunities for sharing knowledge and ideas, as well as creating opportunities to establish new relations.
We want to work with suppliers who act responsibly towards the environmental and climate impact of their activities.
Brøchner Hotels in Denmark is now taking a lead in the global climate initiative by becoming the world’s first CO2-neutral hotel chain. The hotel chain, which includes Hotel Kong Arthur, Hotel Fox, Ibsens Hotel and Hotel Danmark - all situated in Copenhagen - will be CO2-neutral as early as this year. Brøchner Hotels will, at the same time, be joining a world-wide network of hotels that have pledged to become CO2-neutral.
