ORLANDO, FLA.—Clean the World, a global leader in water, sanitation, hygiene, and sustainability, is enhancing its impact reporting for partners participating in its Hospitality Recycling Program. The reporting allows for a robust look at key social, economic, and environmental data points and is powered by Greenview. Ultimately, the goal is to provide a way for partners to comprehensively measure their environmental and social impact by collecting sustainability data, tracking performance and progress over time, and reporting activities in a transparent way.
For more than 11 years, Clean the World has partnered with the hotel industry to recycle soap and bottled amenities. Since its start in 2009, Clean the World has grown into a global impact organization whose mission is to save millions of lives around the world through the recycling and distribution of soap. Clean the World has distributed over 63 million bars of soap in 127 countries, along with 5 million hygiene kits to vulnerable people around the world and over 6 million bars of soap to homeless shelters, food pantries, refugee camps, and emergency healthcare facilities during the pandemic. This could not have been accomplished without the help and dedication of partner hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and soap manufacturers.
A study conducted by Booking.com in 2021 found that the demand for sustainable accommodation is growing year over year. The study found that 83 percent of global travelers think sustainable travel is vital, with 61 percent saying the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in the future. Clean the World is working to provide hospitality partners with the competitive advantage they need to effectively tell their impact story to eco-conscious and socially conscious travelers who are eager to listen. In addition to communicating impact to their customers, hotel partners also can include these new compelling data points in annual reporting and other sustainability and humanitarian reporting.
Many Metrics Available
As the hospitality industry shifts its focus to sustainable travel, Clean the World hotel partners will not only be able to measure their impact through bars of soap distributed and volume of product collected, but also through additional metrics such as carbon footprint reduction, water saved, waste diverted from landfill, energy generated, number of hygiene kits supported, number of showers supported, and number of people served.
Clean the World is dedicated to working alongside the hospitality industry and championing its sustainability and social impact goals. This reporting can be utilized by partnering with hotels to show stakeholders and guests the extent of their social and environmental stewardship. It is also a great tool to keep team members engaged. Showing team members these comprehensive impact metrics will further showcase how their personal participation and contribution is truly making a difference in people’s lives around the world.
“As the hospitality industry reemerges, their doors are opening to a more health-conscious, eco-conscious, and socially-conscious traveler,” says Shawn Seipler, Founder and CEO, Clean the World. “The COVID-19 pandemic taught us the importance of everyone having access to critical hygiene supplies and services. Our partners have a story to tell. They have a critical role in getting soap into the hands of individuals who need it. This new reporting will help them tell their story to customers who are taking notice and making buying decisions based on a corporation’s willingness to improve the lives of others and the environment. Clean the World’s impact is only possible because of our hotel partners. These partnerships now go far beyond waste diversion and soap recycling.”
Eric Ricaurte, Founder and CEO of Greenview says, “We commend Clean the World on their commitment to developing and sharing metrics and methodologies for calculating the environmental and social impact of their activities. As sustainability rises up the agenda, so does the requirement to report impacts in a robust and tangible way. Clean the World is leading the way by providing a data-driven approach to quantifying the impact on the Sustainable Development Goals. This work will be extremely valuable to hotel companies to help them understand and communicate the positive impact of their partnerships with Clean the World and will also inspire other organizations to take a similar path.”
Metrics Can be Tied to SDG Goals
At any given moment, a hospitality partner can now review, track, and report on the impact they are having on the environment and in the lives of people in need. Now, it is even possible to tie those metrics back to 11 of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, allowing hotels to see how their participation is impacting those targets—specifically SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation which ensures the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Clean the World coordinates soap repurposing programs and other sanitation initiatives related to sustainable access to water, heightened sanitation, female empowerment, and feminine hygiene. These programs contribute positively to 11 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of goals that seek to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The SDGs directly impacted by Clean the World’s programming are: No Poverty (SDG 1), Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life on Land (SDG 15), and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). These goals were agreed upon by 193 countries in 2015 at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York. SDGs are the best and most recognized framework for assessing social and economic development on a global scale.
For more information on Clean the World’s enhanced reporting, visit https://cleantheworld.org/my-impact/.
