It was a big news week this past week with numerous announcements of interest. First, according to Bloomberg, beginning on September 22, Google began labeling hotels as “Eco-Certified” in its global search results, with a leaf-shaped icon next to the hotel’s name. “Clicking on the ‘About’ tab will detail the property’s specific sustainability practices, such as having water use audited by an independent organization or using energy from carbon-free sources,” Bloomberg says. “The new feature relies on 29 certification programs to do the hard work of establishing a hotel’s green credibility; the property must have an array of sustainability measures...

CHICAGO—The Mitchell Group has introduced the newest offering in silicone upholstery fabrics, Sta-Kleen Silicone Digital Prints. The new digital print collection offers the same environmental, performance, and cleaning qualities as the award-winning Sta-Kleen Silicone fabrics, announced Bill Fisch, President. The collection will initially consist of seven digitally printed fabrics that have been designed for the healthcare, hospitality, contract, and other commercial markets. “Sta-Kleen Silicone is produced in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. It was conceived, planned, and constructed under the direction of an environmentally driven team that’s trained in and remains dedicated to fuel efficiencies, resource conservation and recovery, and production...

Average carbon footprint of a hotel stay decreased by 3 percent in 2019. Includes data on energy, carbon, and water from 21,000 hotels across 57 countries. Online tool to support calculation of carbon footprint of hotel stays. Data from the latest Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) Index shows that the average carbon footprint of a hotel stay decreased by 3 percent between 2018 and 2019, following a decrease of 10 percent between 2015 and 2018. The report contains data from over 21,000 hotels in 57 countries and 365 cities from the 26 global brands, which participated in the study. The greatest...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. announced it has submitted its letter to the Science Based Targets initiative, committing to: Set science-based emissions reduction targets across all scopes, in line with 1.5°C emissions scenarios; and Set a long-term science-based target to reach net-zero value chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by no later than 2050, in line with the criteria and recommendations of the Science Based Targets initiative. As part of its commitment to net-zero emissions, with support from several organizations including Global Citizen, Marriott has announced its official sign-on to the Race to Zero via the most ambitious standard, Business Ambition for...

NEW YORK—American Express announced it has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, fifteen years ahead of the Paris Agreement’s 2050 goal. To achieve this ambition, the company will follow the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) methodology to set targets over the coming two years for its global operations and supply chain. American Express will also join the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C” commitment and Race to Zero, and will provide at least $10 million in new philanthropic funding towards organizations and initiatives that drive action on climate change through 2025. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues we...

ISSY-LES-MOULINEAUX, FRANCE—Accor, a world leading hospitality group with more than 5,200 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries, has joined the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, a global organization that brings together engaged hospitality companies and uses the industry’s collective power to address and tackle key challenges affecting the planet and its people. Since its creation in 1967, Accor has been a pioneer in developing sustainable travel experiences and investing in innovations to enable positive hospitality experience with a reduced environmental impact. As part of its on-going CSR strategy, in 2011 the Group identified 21 areas of business activity...

The world’s environment is affected primarily by real estate, transportation, and manufacturing. Due to the influence that these industries have on each other, it is clear that designing and operating sustainable buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment. Some of the concerns addressed by sustainability practices include inefficient site planning; lack of smart growth; waste of water, electricity, and energy; overconsumption and excessive waste; not using sustainable materials; minimizing transportation; the lack of healthy indoor air quality; increased pollution; depletion of the ozone layer; and climate change. Challenges & Misconceptions The hospitality industry was slow to adopt sustainable operations and design because...

CINCINNATI—Cintas Corp. announced its ambition to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. The company is also in the midst of a comprehensive, enterprise-wide review of its business model as it relates to environmental, social and governance (ESG) opportunities, improvements, and efficiencies. Cintas has been built on sustainable business practices, and the continuous improvement of its sustainability measures has been key to the company’s operational success over the years. As its business review continues for the next 12 to 18 months, Cintas expects to better define its ESG journey, including identifying strategies to reduce its Scope 1 and 2...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International, Inc. released its 2021 Serve 360 Report presenting data from 2020 and demonstrating its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) efforts toward the company’s 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. The Report can be accessed here. In support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Marriott’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, guides the company’s commitment to make a positive and sustainable impact wherever it does business, delivering value for associates, customers, owners, the environment, and communities around the world. “While we, along with the rest of the world, continue to focus on pandemic...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council—the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions—launched its “Code on a Mission” challenge which aims to have over a third of the U.S. population covered by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by the end of 2023. To make this a reality, the Code Council is challenging the building industry and communities alike to update their building energy codes to meet or exceed the requirements of the 2021 IECC. Already industry leaders like Architecture 2030, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), Northeast Energy Efficiency...