The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is calling on the hospitality industry, including corporate clients and booking platforms, to use the same metrics to ensure a “transparent and globally comparable” approach to carbon, water and waste reporting.
The alliance has just updated and improved its Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI), following user feedback. This includes being aligned with the latest guidance on the GHG (greenhouse gas) Protocol accounting standards and to better incorporate the use of renewable energy.
HCMI has been operating as an industry-recognised carbon calculation methodology for more than 10 years. It is used by more than 30,000 properties globally, including by major hotel companies such as Hyatt, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group.
The initiative has also been recognised by worldwide travel organisations such as World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), who are incorporating it into guidance to the industry and corporate travel managers.
Alongside HCMI, the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) and the Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology (HWMM) are also available to provide hotels with “consistent and transparent data” on their water and waste usage.
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, said: “It is vital that the industry has the tools to measure and monitor their impact, and can be accurately recognised for their progress.
“We therefore all need to be speaking the same language by using consistent and robust methods and we are proud to be updating HCMI, which will enable everyone to focus on minimising negative impacts and accelerate action towards net positive hospitality for people and planet.”
Delphine Millot, SVP of sustainability at GBTA, added: “Harmonising the way emissions are measured on an industry-wide, global scale is critical to allow corporations to effectively calculate and compare emissions from their hotel stays.
“Almost two-thirds of the industry identifies the lack of transparent sustainability data as a main barrier to climate action. HCMI, given its accuracy, availability and transparency, provides the right framework for the hospitality sector.”
Finding a standardised way to measure emissions from all elements of business trips is one of the key issues for Europe’s corporate travel associations, with BT4Europe’s chair Patrick Diemer calling for the EU to “improve access to standardised, accurate and comparable data on the CO2 impact of business travel” during a visit to Brussels this week.