INTERNATIONAL REPORT—An innovative new project announced earlier this month is aimed at supporting hotels across eight African countries in sourcing more through local supply chains. The project will be run by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and aims to increase the hospitality industry’s positive impact in local communities and improve hotels’ environmental and social sustainability. The Alliance will work with local Four Seasons, Hilton, Iberostar, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Kerten, Marriott and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts procurement teams and properties, with the support of the Special Initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.—Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR), the highest scoring Certified B Corp hotel company in North America, has just debuted their latest eco-friendly renovation project at the company’s signature Lake Buena Vista property. The multi-million-dollar redevelopment includes enhancements to the resort across the design, guest experience, and sustainability programs. Encompassing 28 three-bedroom villas, the project showcases a seamless integration of the brand persona and core values towards a more regenerative approach to tourism thanks to a variety of elements that lower the overall carbon footprint of the business. Highlights include a new solar panel array, elimination of single-use...

DULUTH, GA.—Duravit AG is taking a quantum leap towards a sustainable future: the world’s first climate-neutral ceramic production facility is being built at the Matane site in the Canadian province of Québec. The new Canadian site will create 240 new jobs, with production scheduled to start in early 2025. Ceramic sanitary ware products such as WCs and washbasins will be manufactured here in the future exclusively using renewable energies. For the firing process, Duravit will use the world’s first electric roller kiln powered by electricity from hydropower. The use of this innovative technology will save around 11,000 tons of CO2 per...

HONG KONG—TradeBeyond, a leader in extended supply chain management solutions for private label and branded merchandise, has announced a partnership with carbon management consulting services provider RESET Carbon to help brands and retailers dramatically reduce carbon emissions in their supply chains. TradeBeyond and RESET Carbon’s partnership introduces a complete solution to environmental management. TradeBeyond will deliver an innovative environmental management SaaS offering that substantially eases the work involved in measuring, monitoring, and improving their suppliers' environmental performances. Leveraging TradeBeyond’s SaaS platform, RESET Carbon will provide consulting services to assist retailers and brands to drive improvements across their supply chains. The initial...

CHICAGO—Hyatt Hotels Corp. published Hyatt’s 2022 World of Care Highlights and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Report, spotlighting colleagues and hotels around the globe who are bringing Hyatt’s commitment to caring for the planet, people and responsible business to life across the communities it serves. Hyatt also announced progress across environmental and social impact initiatives, which include, for example, strengthening the engagement of hotels around renewable electricity opportunities and working with the Hyatt Hotels Foundation to empower survivors of human trafficking. As the world evolves and new challenges emerge, Hyatt has advanced its global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy through...

I recently returned from a more than two-week vacation to Argentina and Brazil. A highlight of my trip was a visit to Iguazú Falls—the waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. Think Niagara Falls times 10 with much less commercialization. The falls were just beautiful but there were too many people on the trails, and it was a challenge to even take a photo without getting someone else’s Aunt Margaret in it. Overtourism certainly came to...

TORONTO—Laminam, a global leader in producing superior Italian natural surfaces for interior and exterior design applications, has officially released the company’s 2022 Sustainability Report, stating a dedicated multifaceted approach to channeling investments towards the environment, people, and the territory in which it operates. “Performance levels have been more than positive in 2022, a year which proved to be challenging for a vast majority of consolidated businesses,” stated Alberto Selmi, Laminam’s CEO. “Laminam benefited from wise strategic choices, capitalizing on investments made as early as 2021 and choosing to strengthen these investments for the future, focusing on the group’s milestones: internationalization,...

BERLIN, GERMANY—With focus on its ambitious goal of becoming the first net zero CO2-emission hostel chain in Europe by 2025, a&o Hostels, the world’s largest hostel chain, has released The a&o Sustainability Report 2022 to document its efforts and progress on sustainability issues while serving as an inspiration—even a road map—for other hospitality operators to follow suit. The report offers comprehensive analysis of key sustainability issues and the company’s approach to them over the past year. “Sustainability is important to me personally. Not because it is fashionable, but because it is equally important for economic success, the preservation of our...

VERO BEACH, FLA.—Over the weekend at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, researchers from the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) and Disney Conservation released two sea turtles as part of the 16th annual Tour de Turtles “migration marathon.” Tour de Turtles is a fun, educational event that follows the migration of sea turtles from their nesting beaches to their feeding grounds and, ultimately, provides scientific data on how best to protect their species. The Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) and Disney Cruise Line are each sponsoring a turtle this year, whose names, Madame Leota and Harriet, are the names of characters in Disney’s frighteningly fun...

NATIONAL REPORT—Kathy Sue McGuire of 3 Pillar Solutions and Amy Wald of Greenluxe have joined forces to launch the Sustainable Hospitality Podcast, a groundbreaking platform aimed to revolutionize the conversation surrounding sustainable hotels, destinations, and travel in general, with sustainability’s vital role in the hospitality and tourism industry. Every Monday the podcast will feature insightful interviews with prominent professionals in the field who are leading the charge towards a more responsible and regenerative future. Hosted by Kathy Sue McGuire, Founder and CEO of 3 Pillar Solutions, and Amy Wald, Founder and Executive Director of Greenluxe, the Sustainable Hospitality Podcast aims...