CINCINNATI—Cintas Corp. is nearing completion of a multi-year companywide LED lighting transition project to help reduce facility-focused energy use and support the company along its Path to Net Zero. Cintas’ 475 facilities throughout the United States and Canada fulfill the needs of its four business divisions. These field locations, distribution centers and corporate facilities combine for about 23 million square feet of space that requires heating, cooling and appropriate lighting. Cintas identified an opportunity to decrease energy use by installing LED lights at its older, more energy-intensive locations, and initiated the company-wide LED transition project in FY’19. Cintas’ Quality and Engineering Team...

KAUAI, HAWAII—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand founded by hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht, announces the opening of 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, its flagship nature-and-wellness-focused island oasis overlooking a storied stretch of Kauai’s North Shore. Guests seeking solace and serenity at this sustainable sanctuary can swim, snorkel, bike, paddle, kayak, soak up the sun and surf off a legendary beach where Native Hawaiians lived in harmony with nature for generations and a laidback surf scene still thrives. The dramatic peaks of the Namolokama and Mamalahoa mountains loom over a verdant valley whose iconic waterfalls capture the breathtaking bounty and beauty of Hawaii’s famed “Garden Island.” “Hanalei Bay...

DENVER—Collective Retreats, a pioneer in outdoor experiential hospitality, has announced a partnership with NEOM to open a next generation, ultra-sustainable retreat in Trojena, the snow-capped mountain destination located in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Slated to open at the start of 2026, Collective Trojena will re-imagine the outdoor hospitality experience 50km from the Gulf of Aqaba. The retreat will feature approximately 60 open-air guestrooms and innovative meeting space concepts as well as dramatic water features, communal campfires and inspired culinary experiences, evoking the intrepid spirit of the Collective Retreats brand while showcasing a masterstroke blend of natural and developed landscapes. Collective Trojena will also offer direct...

TROY, N.Y.—Audubon International—the environmentally focused nonprofit organization offering members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives to protect the areas where we all live, work, and play—announces the addition of a new Signature Sanctuary Platinum Certification level. Signature Sanctuary Certification is specifically designed for properties undergoing renovation or new development with the goal of ensuring sustainable design, construction, and long-term management of golf courses, resorts, and communities, and has traditionally been offered on three levels—Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Platinum Certification level offers the opportunity to encompass an entire resort under one certification umbrella—Signature Sanctuary for golf course and maintenance structures and systems...

GREER, S.C.—LifeMade Products LLC (LifeMade), an operating company of Jadex Inc., announced that the company’s LifeMade Compostable Straws have received OK compost HOME certification from TÜV Austria. This achievement is in addition to the product’s BPI Commercially Compostable certification previously received. TÜV Austria OK compost HOME certification provides assurance to consumers that LifeMade Compostable Straws will compost safely in any home compost heap. Made in the USA, LifeMade Compostable Straws are available in Jumbo size and packaged for most foodservice operations, having a diameter of 0.25” and a length of 8”. The straws are individually wrapped and available in case...

KEHL, GERMANY—ADA Cosmetics is setting new standards for sustainability in hotel cosmetics. The industry-leading company is the first and only hotel cosmetics manufacturer whose entire product portfolio is Cradle to Cradle Certified. Based on scientific criteria, the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard is one of the most ambitious sustainability certifications in the world. Products that receive this award must satisfy an independent third-party assessment center in five categories: Material Health, Product Circularity, Clean Air and Climate Protection, Water and Soil Stewardship, and Social Fairness. All the products in ADA’s current portfolio have received Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver. “With its holistic approach,...

BARCELONA, SPAIN—While the hotel industry is awash in sustainability certifications, there is a dearth of them in the short-term rental (STR) sector. Until now, owners of short-term rentals haven’t had an STR-specific standard to work toward. Vanessa de Souza Lage, founder and CEO of Sustonica, aims to change that. Her Barcelona-based startup awards properties a “certification for environmental sustainability” that she claims is the first sustainability certification open to all STRs, regardless of where they’re listed. STR sustainability is “a very confusing world as you may find lots and lots of contradicting information,” de Souza Lage says. The industry needs “one certification,...

PHILADELPHIA—Aramark, the provider of food, facilities, and uniform services to millions of people in 19 countries around the world, released its 2022 Be Well. Do Well. Progress Report, an update to its global environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) performance. In the report, Aramark shares important progress on its diversity, community building, climate, food and worker safety, responsible sourcing, and waste reduction programs and initiatives, among other topics. Key highlights from the report include Aramark signing the Cool Food Pledge—a commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the food it serves in the U.S. by 25 percent by 2030; submitting enterprise-wide,...

BERLIN—The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) verification scheme. Announced at ITB Berlin, Basics will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world, regardless of their size, to begin their sustainability journey. Basics, an industry-wide supported initiative, is a globally recognized and coordinated set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable travel and tourism. Basics emerged as a result of a clear demand from a group of influential global hotel brands and while there are a great number of sustainability initiatives, Basics focuses on an achievable starting...

HAMPSHIRE, ENGLAND—Trusted review provider Feefo has partnered with sustainability accreditation specialist ethy, supporting brands to verify their sustainability assertions. Following an independent audit, Explore Worldwide has met ethy’s standards for verified sustainability claims and achieved certification, demonstrating the company’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and helping its consumers make informed decisions. Jae Hopkins, Marketing Director at Explore, said: “The Feefo Sustainability Awareness Solution is a simple way to show potential Explore customers that we care about sustainability and responsible tourism. Its wide range of ecolabels helps people make educated choices and supports businesses like Explore that place sustainability...