BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA—Australia and New Zealand’s largest hotel operator, Accor, has entered into a strategic partnership with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels, apartments and resorts across Australia and the Pacific as Sustainable Tourism certified businesses. Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification program was introduced in 2022 and the standard is recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). Sustainable Tourism Certification is designed for all tourism operators and businesses in the tourism supply chain to meet and gain recognition for best practice sustainability initiatives. Ecotourism Australia assesses businesses across the four pillars of sustainability: sustainable management, environmental impacts, cultural impacts, and...

INTERNATIONAL REPORT—A major UN “report of reports” from the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), outlines the many options that can be taken now, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. The study, “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report”, released yesterday following a week-long IPCC session in Interlaken, brings into sharp focus the losses and damages experienced now, and expected to continue into the future, which are hitting the most vulnerable people and ecosystems especially hard. Temperatures have already risen to 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a consequence of more than a century of burning fossil fuels, as...

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIF.—On the heels of welcoming the first international property to the SCP Hotels family, Soul Community Planet has announced a partnership with Innoceana, a global nonprofit marine conservation organization that works to preserve the ocean for future generations. The new partnership will bring marine conservation adventures and the new Innoceana Corcovado Research Center (ICRC) to the SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge. The ICRC will be a full-service expedition and research facility located just off the beach at the SCP Corcovado Wilderness Lodge and within easy walking distance to the Corcovado National Park’s San Pedrillo entrance. The new facility will include a dive...

KIRKLAND, WASH.—Noble House Hotels & Resorts—the family-owned boutique hotel brand with a carefully curated collection of 25 hotels, resorts, and experiences across North America—has partnered with Green Seal and applied for certification for 13 of its properties, continuing its sustainability efforts. Noble House Hotels & Resorts is deeply committed to protecting and sustaining the environment and all the communities connected to its hotels and resorts year-round. Working with Green Seal provides the hotel brand access to sustainable purchasing experts with a global reputation for excellence and the tools and guidance needed to adopt safer and more sustainable practices and products. Each...

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS—Barbados has copped the Green Destinations Story Award for Environment and Climate at one of the world’s largest travel trade shows, ITB Berlin. The nomination came from Barbados’ ambition to be the first island in the Caribbean to achieve a 100 percent renewable energy goal by 2030 and a 70 percent carbon neutrality goal by 2050. The strides taken thus far have landed Barbados its first milestone in this prestigious category, namely having the largest fleet of electric buses in the Caribbean. Minister of Tourism and International Transport, the Honorable Ian Gooding-Edghill proudly accepted the award in Germany March 7, 2023, expressing gratitude to...

ATLANTA—ASHRAE announced its unwavering commitment to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the launch of its redesigned building decarbonization webpage and the release of a new Building Performance Standards Technical Resource Guide. The ASHRAE Task Force for Building Decarbonization (TFBD) webpage includes technical resources, information, videos and publications to expedite the adoption of climate change mitigation policies and reaffirms the Society’s goals stated in the ASHRAE Vision 2022 Report, approved by ASHRAE’s board of directors, as well as the ASHRAE Position Document on Building Decarbonization, to achieve net zero GHG emissions in operation for all new buildings by 2030. “Over the years, ASHRAE has demonstrated its...

LANAI CITY, HAWAII—Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s Reef Friendly Landscaping Certification Program announced Four Seasons Resort Lanai as its first fully accredited resort partner. The resort was awarded Gold Certification for organic landscape management. The Reef Friendly Landscaping (RFL) Program aims to prevent polluted runoff originating from the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides from resorts, golf courses, businesses, and residential areas. Research has shown that traditional pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers can negatively impact marine ecosystems, through coral bleaching and developmental issues in juvenile corals and fish and can cause cancerous growths in sea turtles and other marine life. Maui...

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY—Henkel published its 32nd Sustainability Report, outlining its performance and progress on implementing its sustainability strategy and targets. In a highly challenging market environment, the company was able, among other things, to drive progress in sustainability in many key dimensions, by further reducing its CO2-emissions and expanding its social engagement. “I cannot recall a year in the recent past in which the overall business environment was so challenging for our company. The war in Ukraine has deeply shaken us and has far-reaching consequences. It has shaped the economic environment, particularly the energy crisis and higher raw material prices. But...

Over the past few years, like all companies, Amadeus has been working both internally and externally, on the impact of its actions with regards to sustainability. However, I believe we have reached a tipping point, particularly in corporate travel, where sustainability is now starting to drive the conversation. We are at a decisive moment in time where governments and organizations move from commitments to actions; from measurement to reducing carbon emissions, and from looking at one sustainability issue to a more holistic view with more elements. For instance, many airlines are defining clear and ambitious “net-zero emission targets by X”...

LONDON—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the Saudi-based Sustainable Tourism Global Center have unveiled groundbreaking new data detailing the climate footprint of the Travel & Tourism sector in Germany. In one of the largest research projects of its kind, WTTC can for the first time ever, accurately report and track the impact the sector has on the environment. According to this groundbreaking new data, Germany is one of just a few major countries where Travel & Tourism has continued to grow, whilst reducing its absolute emissions. In 2019, the sector was responsible for 10.3 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions...