MADRID, SPAIN—In a joint effort to promote sustainability in the Travel & Tourism sector, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Biosphere have inked a partnership to promote sustainability criteria in the hotel industry under the Hotel Sustainability Basics initiative. In the current landscape of globalization and information saturation, where sustainability holds paramount importance, the proliferation of new standards and eco-labels poses a significant challenge for the sector. Identifying clear and consistent sustainability criteria has become increasingly difficult. Biosphere and WTTC have joined forces and solidified their commitment to fostering a more sustainable hotel industry to establish fundamental steps for...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corp. announced that it has entered into agreements with One Energy to add onsite wind and solar power at its Findlay and Clyde, Ohio operations. The company currently has nine onsite wind turbines at four of its Ohio plants in Findlay, Marion, Greenville, and Ottawa. Combined, those turbines supply 22 percent of the electrical needs for those facilities. These two projects are among the largest behind-the-meter renewable energy projects in the U.S., and once complete will ensure the Clyde and Findlay plants receive at least 70 percent of their energy needs from onsite renewable energy. The expansion project...

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—South Pole’s latest annual Net Zero Report found that the majority of surveyed companies in nine of the 14 major sectors are intentionally decreasing their climate communications, otherwise known as “greenhushing”, first evidenced by South Pole in 2022. This year’s report, which surveyed over 1,400 companies with dedicated sustainability leads, across 12 countries and 14 sectors, takes a closer look at companies choosing to not publicize their climate strategies or goals and deliberately decrease or cease external communications around them. The report confirms, for the first time, that the trend of greenhushing is present across nearly every major sector around the...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—BeCause, the technology start-up transforming how the global hospitality, travel and tourism industries manage their sustainability data, announced an expanded partnership with hubli, the leading online marketplace and booking platform for corporate meetings, events and group hotel lodging. This partnership will allow hubli to add an ever-growing list of over 25,000 eco-labelled hotels on its platform, giving clients better visibility on a hotel’s environmental footprint and allowing them to book options that comply with their environmental, social and governance policies. With the BeCause sustainability API, hubli will be able to collect sustainability data from over sixty Travalyst-recognized certifications and automatically map it...

NATIONAL REPORT—Choosing the right brand of toilet paper may not top your list when it comes to greening up your supply chain but maybe it should. Just ask suppliers of toilet paper made from bamboo or sugar cane. They say that by switching to their alternatives to traditional toilet paper, you can say no to cutting down trees, no to harmful chemicals and bleaches, and no to plastic. According to HeyBambu, a supplier of toilet paper made from bamboo, “Traditional toilet paper is made using hardwood and softwood trees that are cut down, stripped off their bark, and pulverized into...

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.—Room & Board, the Minneapolis-based furniture retailer committed to sustainable sourcing and American craftsmanship, today announced it is a newly Certified B Corporation (“B Corp”). Room & Board and Room & Board for Business, the brand’s commercial arm, join a select global community of purpose-driven companies that are using their businesses as a force for good. B Corps are certified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This esteemed milestone reaffirms the company’s commitment to making a positive impact on the environment and society. Room & Board underwent a comprehensive and stringent evaluation of its...

SAUDI ARABIA—St. Regis Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of The St. Regis Red Sea Resort in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The captivating new address is the first private island to open in The Red Sea, one of the Kingdom’s luxury regenerative tourism destinations on the west coast of the country. Situated on the pristine Ummahat Island in the Al Wajh Lagoon, the resort is a destination-defining oasis with its avant-garde architecture, sustainable design details and bespoke service. “One of the world’s unexplored treasures, The Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to become a coveted leisure destination,” said...

BENTON HARBOR, MICH.—Whirlpool Corp. announced that it has been named to the 2023 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) in recognition of the company’s dedication to responsible and ethical business practices. This marks the second consecutive year Whirlpool Corp. has been named to the World Index. The company is also on the North America Index for the 17th year. “For 112 years we have held ourselves to the highest ethical standards in our business operations, and we are proud of our long history of purposeful innovation, sustainable operations and local community engagement,” said Marc Bitzer, Chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corp....

MADRID—FITUR 2024 is presented as the world’s leading trade fair, not only in the field of tourism, but also in the commitment to sustainability and environmental, social and corporate governance responsibility in the industry. All the sections at FITUR have the topic of sustainability as a guiding theme, the first edition of FITUR 4all being a noteworthy addition, in order to highlight the importance of advancing towards accessible and inclusive tourism. In favor of equality, a special mention also to the work of FITUR Woman, which highlights female talent in tourism and promotes equal opportunities, as well as FITUR LGBT+. FITUR Screen, FITUR Sports and FITUR Lingua, for their part, stand...

In the dynamic hospitality landscape, the overlap of sustainability and profitability brings a paradigm of consideration. It’s not just about shrinking carbon footprints; it’s also about broadening the horizons for revenue and loyalty. The quest to be green is now a golden key to customer retention, answering the call of the conscious traveler and carving out a market niche that marries ethical stewardship with business savvy. We know that traveler demand is growing and according to Booking.com’s 2023 report, the commitment to answering the demand is on the rise: “over 400,000 travel partners have earned a Travel Sustainable Badge, with...