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An industry expert said many independent hotels in the region, especially three- and four-star hotels, needed external support from consultants to design, plan and execute a carbon neutrality roadmap.
Nadia Ibrahim, Associate Director of Consulting and Sustainability at Farnek, a leading UAE-based smart and green facility management (FM) company, reveals how all hotels in the region are developing a bespoke roadmap to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
In her webinar presentation to the Swiss Business Council, which was attended by key hospitality industry figures from across the region, Ibrahim highlighted the fact that some international hotel brands may have set out to achieve their net zero targets Strategy.
“Major international hotel brands such as Accor, Hilton and Marriott have the necessary resources to achieve their sustainability goals, but many privately owned independent hotels will not have access to dedicated in-house support.
“There is also widespread confusion about what net zero means and the processes and actions needed to make a corporate commitment, and how to measure and reduce a hotel’s carbon footprint without affecting operations or the guest experience,” Ibrahim said. .
Tourism, especially hotels, is widely reported to be responsible for 8% and 1% of total global carbon emissions, respectively. However, implementing a carbon reduction plan is not an easy task and faces many internal and external challenges. The most common of these are carbon footprint assessments of the entire hotel and its value chain, lack of financial resources and little or no budget allocation for climate-related activities, higher costs associated with sustainable products, and regulatory incentives to support net-zero emissions in hotels Insufficient transition.
Ibrahim, who was elected to the Board of Directors of the UN Global Compact’s official local network in the UAE earlier this year, also stressed to delegates that, despite the challenges, sustainability in the hospitality industry is an undeniable trend, It also provides operational cost savings, competitive advantage and enhanced stakeholder relationships.
“Reducing energy output, water consumption and waste will save hotel operating costs by reducing utility bills and landfill costs. Additionally, in a 2021 booking.com survey, 81% of travelers said they want to live in a sustainable In accommodation, another 49% of travelers said there were not enough options,” Ibrahim said.
Leading by example, Farnek consultants have defined scope and boundaries to accurately measure and reduce their own carbon footprint. In addition to building performance such as energy and water consumption, Farnek also considers employee travel, logistics, purchased goods and services, waste disposal, and a focus on recycling, renewable energy and other low-carbon alternatives.
“Carbon neutrality is not possible through emission reduction methods alone, so hotels need to offset a percentage of their emissions by supporting certified carbon offset projects, such as providing clean cooking fuels to remote communities in Africa to help prevent deforestation, “Ibrahim added.
Farnek has also developed an in-house online solution called Hotel Optimizer, which performs and benchmarks complete energy, water and waste audits for hotel owners and managers.
In addition, Farnek is the Middle East partner of choice for Green Earth Certification, the world’s premier sustainability management system and certification for hospitality, travel and tourism.
“Hotels must start planning their environmental strategies now if they are to play their part and support their respective governments’ overall net-zero emissions targets, especially the UAE government, which will host the COP 28 conference in Abu Dhabi next year.” Ib Rahim concluded. – arab trade news agency
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