Premier Inn has pledged
to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years earlier than its
previously announced target. It says it is the first UK hotel chain to
publicly commit to such a target.
The company said it
would achieve this by:
- Reducing gas use by investing in more
efficient gas appliances or electric equivalents;
- Maintaining a commitment to 100 per cent
renewable energy in the UK, as well as in its German operations as much as
possible;
- Reducing emissions from its company car fleets
and distribution vehicles by moving to more electric and eco-friendly
vehicles;
- Installing solar panels to support the use of
renewable energy.
The company said it
intended to reduce its scope 1 and 2 emissions to zero but that a small
remainder may need to be offset through, for example, planting trees or using technology
such as carbon capture and storage but said that was not its main intention.
Alison Brittain, CEO
of parent company Whitbread, said: “This builds on a long-line of environmental ‘firsts’ for Whitbread, such as our drive to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics. We’re scrutinising all aspects of our operation from business fleet to boilers to achieve our goal and achieving a net zero position a decade earlier than originally planned is the right thing to do for our business, our guests and the environment”.
In January, the group said it would install rapid EV charging points at 1,000 properties.