The HOSPA Board:
Governance History
Sustainability In Action - General Resources
In Association With:
There are several different approaches available for hospitality businesses wishing to understand and reduce negative impacts (on the environment and society). The route you decide to take will depend on where you are in your sustainability journey, your motivations and aspirations, and your resources (both financial and human). For advice, contact sarah.duncan@hospa.org.
As with other areas of the toolkit, if you think something is missing here, please do let us know.
GREEN TOURISM
Green Tourism promotes greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate, by offering members advice on:
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Reducing energy use
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Saving water
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Efficient & eco-friendly waste disposal
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Ethical buying
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Staying local & seasonal
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Minimising food miles
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Promoting biodiversity
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Adopting a smart, sustainable outlook from top to bottom
https://www.green-tourism.com/pages/home
GREEN GLOBE
“Protecting the environment is both a moral obligation and a business imperative for travel and tourism, the world’s largest industry. It can effectively reach millions of customers with a coherent and compelling environmental message.” Green Globe was born 29 years ago. For three decades they have grown to become a leading certification for sustainable operation and management of travel & tourism worldwide. They certify hotels, resorts, conference centres and attractions, (amongst other industries). https://www.greenglobe.com/
SUSTAINABLE HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE
Drives collaborative action to enable the hospitality industry to have a lasting positive impact on our planet and its people. Members make up 30% of the global hotel industry by rooms and include 17 world-leading hotel companies with a combined reach of over 35,000 properties and 5.5 million rooms. Find out more here: https://sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/about-us/what-we-do/
PATHWAY TO NET POSITIVE HOSPITALITY – FREE RESOURCES
The Pathway has four stages with increasing environmental ambitions (and scope) which account for the different stages of sustainability maturity and ambition across the industry:
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Starting: Simple environmental actions
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Advancing: Robust environmental actions
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Accelerating: Net zero impacts for the planet
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Leading: Net positive impacts for the planet
NET CARBON FORUM
As the impacts of climate change unfold, the time for talk is over. So hospitality is taking action, united under a meaningful, practical plan to reduce — then eliminate — our carbon footprint. This is the pledge from the newly launched Net Zero Guide for the Hospitality Sector. Full of resources to help any hospitality business on their sustainability/decarbonisation journey. https://zerocarbonforum.com/
B CORP CERTIFICATION
Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. In order to achieve certification, a company must:
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Demonstrate high social and environmental performance by achieving a B Impact Assessment score of 80 or above and passing our risk review. Multinational corporations must also meet baseline requirement standards.
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Make a legal commitment by changing their corporate governance structure to be accountable to all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
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Exhibit transparency by allowing information about their performance measured against B Lab's standards to be publicly available on their B Corp profile on B Lab's website.
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification
B IMPACT ASSESSEMENT – FREE
Business needs comprehensive, credible, comparable impact standards to support economic systems change. Used by more than 150,000 businesses, the B Impact Assessment is a digital tool that can help measure, manage, and improve positive impact performance for environment, communities, customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders; receiving a minimum verified score of 80 points on the assessment is also the first step towards B Corp Certification.
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/programs-and-tools/b-impact-assessment
EARTHCHECK
EarthCheck is one of the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory groups for travel and tourism. Since 1987, they have helped businesses, communities and governments to deliver clean, safe, prosperous and healthy destinations for travellers to visit, live, work and play – knowing that what can be good for the planet is also good for business.
HOTELIERS’ CHARTER
The Hoteliers’ Charter exists to raise the profile of our industry, advocating working in hotels as a great career choice.
As progressive hoteliers, we collectively make a commitment to providing a workplace environment built on the foundations of respect, fairness, equality, diversity and opportunity; and to placing colleagues’ wellness and career development at the heart of our operations.
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Commit to developing team members through training, apprenticeships, coaching and mentoring, positioning hotel roles as careers, not just jobs.
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Support The Hospitality Commitment to respect team members’ work/life balance, rotas and working hours, providing sufficient notice for changes and requests. As our members trade seven days a week, a range of shift patterns are available to support working families, students and part time working.
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Support the ambition to end low pay, believe passionately in giving people opportunities to develop their careers, and give access to financial and pension guidance.
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Champion a fair and transparent service charge/tronc/gratuities system where all monies are distributed with only agreed costs retained.
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Offer colleagues access to an employee assistance programme, to provide confidential support across all facets of their physical and mental wellness, both in and outside the workplace.
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Provide a positive and nourishing workplace environment and culture for colleagues, nurturing social networks around their teams and facilitating social activities to build cohesive workplace communities.
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Support industry charities, and other charities relating to the community they serve, respecting and encouraging colleagues’ commitments to additional community endeavours.
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Drive environmentally sustainable businesses with a commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle, and champion the government’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050; and, as part of this, commit to supporting food and drink suppliers local to you.
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Advocate diversity, inclusion and equality, offering English lessons to colleagues where required and taking practical measures to make hotels accessible for all disabilities.
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Commit to the Modern Slavery Act and ensure that all suppliers act in accordance with the core values of the Hoteliers’ Charter and The Hospitality Commitment.
https://hotelierscharter.org.uk/
THE SUSTAINABLE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
To accelerate change towards an environmentally restorative and socially progressive UK hospitality sector, the SRA works with businesses from across the foodservice sector as well as like-minded industry bodies, campaign groups and businesses that supply the sector.
FOOD MADE GOOD
A community of businesses dedicated to making every meal served out of home as sustainable as possible. Brought to you by the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
WRAP
WRAP works with governments, businesses, and communities to deliver practical solutions to improve resource efficiency around the world.
https://wrap.org.uk/sectors/hospitality-food-service
ISLA (EVENTS)
ISLA is a non-profit membership organisation founded by event professionals and industry leaders focusing on a sustainable future for events. ISLA work with agencies and brands, organisers and suppliers providing practical guidance and support on environmental issues. Drawing on expertise from across the sector to create a powerful network with the knowledge and confidence to facilitate change. https://weareisla.co.uk/
POSITIVE IMPACT EVENTS
Initiative to support transformation in the events sector.
https://www.positiveimpactevents.com/
GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES
Sustainability is a wide-ranging area (and nobody is perfect). One of the biggest challenges is knowing where to start. Here are some general resources and links to help you get to grips with this complex area. If you have any suggestions for additional links, please do get in touch and help us improve it. sarah.duncan@hospa.org
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ENVIRONMENTAL
Focusing on simplicity and speed, the 1.5°C Business Playbook helps organisations to set a 1.5°C aligned strategy and move to action.
1% for the Planet represents a global network of businesses, individuals and nonprofit organisations tackling our planet's most pressing environmental issues.
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership – Targeting Net Zero
Framework seeking to provide practical, strategic guidance for how organisations can overcome some of the challenges that are preventing action and how they can find ways to implement a net zero strategy.
Partnering with businesses, governments and organisations around the world – supporting them in realising ambitious plans for a sustainable, low carbon future.
The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard provides requirements and guidance for companies and other organisations preparing a GHG emissions inventory.
IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The IPCC was created to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on climate change, its implications and potential future risks, as well as to put forward adaptation and mitigation options.
Where SME leaders future-proof their business by committing to halve greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 and reach net-zero emissions before 2050.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.
The global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery.
Emission reporting is a key action for any businesses who want to better understand their impact, and to make real changes for the environment.
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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Personal actions that everyone around the world can take to help support the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to inspire a generation to re-think, re-design and build a positive future circular economy.
Join over 27,000 businesses reducing their carbon impact with our range of recycling, waste, and circular economy services
The Good Business Charter is a simple accreditation which organisations in the UK can sign up to in recognition of responsible business practices.
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CONSUMER
All the information and inspiration you need to revolutionise the way you spend, save and live.