Hilton Worldwide just published its 2015 Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report—four years after launching its corporate responsibility strategy, Travel with Purpose. The two-page report is a very brief summary of a long series of initiatives and represents the work of 157,000 associates at 4,500 hotels. Focus areas include: people, communities and the environment.
Green Lodging News just published an article summarizing the results of Hilton’s largest ever Global Month of Service. It is just one example of the company’s efforts to help people in need. During 2015’s Global Month of Service, team members united to work on 4,145 projects and contributed more than 213,000 volunteer hours in 92 countries. In Australia, at the Hilton Adelaide, team members partnered with Kickstart for Kids, a local organization that provides breakfast to school children, to help fund a yearlong breakfast program for 16 local schools. Team members also prepared and served lunches at the Hutt Street Centre, a frontline agency for homeless and vulnerable communities.
As part of its work to strengthen communities, Hilton says in its report that it trained more than 58,000 Hilton team members on ethics, human rights and child trafficking. It also completed a comprehensive human rights assessment across its operations and supply chain to develop a prioritized action plan.
Substantial Progress Since 2009
In the area of environment, Hilton says it has reduced its energy use by 14.9 percent and its water use by 14.1 percent since 2009. Waste output has been reduced by 27.6 percent and carbon output by 20.9 percent. Hilton uses LightStay to measure against its goals, share best practices and recognize its hotels for their continuous improvement. Hilton was recognized last year by Forbes as a Top 50 Green Brand and by Newsweek as one of the Top Green Companies in the World.
Hilton team members and franchise employees enthusiastically support Earth Hour each March with hundreds of teams organizing energy-saving projects around the world.
On its website, Hilton highlights the work of many of its properties in Environment Case Studies. Be sure to check them out. Case study topics range from tree planting to vehicle recharging stations to restoring beehives. Hilton also provides a variety of downloads with more in-depth information on its efforts to reduce energy, carbon and water consumption.
Hilton’s report will be the first of many released by the major brands in 2016. Be sure to visit Green Lodging News often for the latest updates.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
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