MIAMI—Club Med, the pioneer of the all-inclusive concept, announced a variety of new developments including three forthcoming international resorts—the brand’s first resort in South Africa and the first Exclusive Collection (5-Star) resort in South America. These new openings will reinforce Club Med’s shift to exclusively offer 4 and 5-star products and the brand’s ambition to expand its portfolio with three to five openings or renovations per year. Additionally, the brand continues to build on its Happy to Care corporate social responsibility program with a new environmental certification at Club Med Tignes and additional developments in North America. New Beach & Safari Resort: Club Med...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic has reached a sustainability milestone by recertifying all of its previously ecolabeled hotels according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new, tougher environmental requirements. More than 88 percent of Scandic’s hotels are ecolabeled and the company is continuing its efforts to ensure that all hotels are certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. The Nordic Swan Ecolabel is the official environmental certification in the Nordic countries. It updates its requirements approximately every four years, and the most recent update in 2023 included higher environmental goals. To continue to be certified, Scandic’s ecolabeled hotels have now undergone a rigorous recertification process...

PLYMOUTH, MINN.—A new study reveals that coffee capsules made with Ingeo PLA biopolymer from NatureWorks outperform aluminum, conventional plastics, and other compostable capsules when it comes to sustainability performance. The independent study conducted by Netherlands-based Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, a part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR), assessed the environmental impact and circularity of single-use coffee capsules made from compostable biobased materials, aluminum, and conventional plastics through multiple end-of-life scenarios including industrial composting, recycling, incineration, and landfill. The study also accounted for the fate of the spent coffee grounds within these capsules, finding that compostable capsules keep both the coffee grounds and capsule materials...

ODESSA, FLA.—Green Lodging News has added ReadyCare Industries to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Amenities/Dispensers/Toiletries” category. ReadyCare is a leading provider of personal care amenities, supplies & private label solutions to world-class hotels, spas, health clubs & golf clubs. For over 30 years, Denver-based ReadyCare has helped thousands of properties deliver great experiences by ensuring their personal care offering aligns with their brand & their customers. ReadyCare offers many green solutions, from refillable dispensers that reduce traditional in-room bottle waste, along with biodegradable in-room amenities created with new environmentally friendly polymers, to renewable bamboo combs and...

UMLUJ, SAUDI ARABIA—Enveloped by the majestic Arabian desert, The Red Sea Destination blends visionary tourism with sustainability and heritage. This is where Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea has found its home, inviting guests on an out-of-the-ordinary journey of discovery and enrichment. Inspired by the pillars of innovation, adventure, and heritage, the resort embodies the brand’s trademark wellness formula and respect for centuries past. Fredrik Blomqvist, General Manager of Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea said: “Everything we’re doing here reflects our unwavering commitment to sustainability and cultural preservation, while also pushing the boundaries of adventure and wellness. This...

With its LEED Green Building Program, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has certainly changed the way developers and architects approach hotel design and operations. Walking its talk, USGBC has made its new headquarters in Washington, D.C. a standing example of what to strive for. In fact, USGBC just announced that its headquarters has been awarded a prestigious triple Platinum certification in LEED, TRUE, and WELL. This trio of certifications reflects USGBC’s commitment to healthy, productive, sustainable, and responsible work environments. The headquarters, which also houses Green Business Certification, Inc. (GBCI), reflects the changing office landscape, with a clear emphasis on decarbonization, indoor environmental...

NEW YORK—The Good Cup was recently listed in this year’s TIME Best Inventions in its product design category. According to the publication the cup is one of the “impactful” new products that was selected through the magazine’s editors and correspondents around the world with special attention to growing fields like sustainability, green technology, AI, and many others. “We are honored to be on this very notable and distinguished list of inventions that are changing and shaping our world. Our company, Choose Planet A, strives to bring sustainability to the industry of single-use products. This segment continues to grow, and The...

LOS ANGELES—Hotel Emporium, a leading direct manufacturer of premium, sustainable hotel amenities, announced new design updates to its bulk Floating Dispenser, an eco-friendly dispenser that was initially announced in 2022. With this fresh upgrade featuring a new modern style, refillable capabilities and an eco-conscious construction of recycled plastic, Hotel Emporium’s Floating Dispenser further disrupts the status quo by leaning further into a future of heightened sustainability. Offering conditioning shampoo, conditioner, hand and body wash and moisturizer, the Floating Dispenser at launch was unlike anything the hotel industry had seen, created as the perfect transitional product for moving from small plastic toiletries...

Every now and then I come across someone, or a company, determined to dramatically change the way we look at a consumable item in a hotel. I have written in the past about Pürlin’s Zero Laundry – Zero Waste Linens and of course most of you are familiar with Clean the World and what it has done with partially used soap. In some cases, a great idea runs up against numerous factors: lack of funds, not enough infrastructure, competition, or the simple fact that a way of doing things is just too ingrained in the industry. I challenge our industry...

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND—According to SWISSFEEL AG, a Zurich, Switzerland maker of foam mattresses, every year 40 million mattresses from Europe end up in the trash. Philipp Hangartner, CEO of SWISSFEEL AG, says those mattresses will most likely get incinerated. That business model is not acceptable to Hangartner and that is why his company has come up with a mattress made from a special Swiss mineral foam that can be laundered. This can double the life of the mattress from about five years to ten. With a second wash, mattress life can be tripled. “Our business model is a very green business...