IHG Releases 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report

In its announcement that it has released version 2.0 of its online Green Engage tool for the monitoring of energy, water and waste at its hotels, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) also revealed that its 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report is now available. To see it, click here. The report is divided into four sections: Innovation, Collaboration, Environment and Community. The site also includes information on IHG's Innovation Hotel of the future, as well as links to hotels participating in Green Engage. Of particular interest to hoteliers should be the Environment section of the report. It lists IHG's key achievements and environment objectives, and describes how it educates employees and guests about its commitment to sustainability. Be sure to check it out.

In its owned and managed hotels, IHG is aiming to achieve an energy savings of 6 percent to 10 percent from 2010 to 2012. It is the first company to receive LEED endorsement for an existing hotel program--Green Engage. "Our partnership with the USGBC is a first step on a streamlined path to LEED certification for a large group of hotels based on a preapproved prototype and process," the report says. "It enables our hotels to speed up their own LEED certification by using Green Engage."

IHG's Corporate Responsibility Report includes creative videos and a description of how IHG is responding to environmental legislation around the world. "This year we were able to use Green Engage to comply with the UK's Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC), a mandatory carbon emissions reporting and pricing scheme," the report says. "The scheme requires us to monitor energy use and purchase carbon allowances on behalf of our UK hotels, and is designed to encourage a reduction in energy consumption and carbon emissions. There are significant implications for franchise-based businesses such as ours. We are actively working to support all our franchisees within the scope of the CRC and have already registered on behalf of our hotels."

The report also complies with Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines. IHG has achieved 60 GRI indicators. Click here for details.

If the report is missing anything, it is case studies--success stories of individual properties and how they are working to save energy and water, and reduce waste.