Sustainability Leadership Perspective: HotelsDownload a PDF version of this report or return to Mapping the Future of Green Innovation
Hotels The world’s largest hotel chains seem to be seeking practical ways to address a range of broad environmental impacts in their operations, from toxic chemical use to indoor air quality to water. With its large number of “one-time-use” items and water consumption emphasis, we think the hotel industry can see the potential financial benefits of integrating green innovation into their future business strategy. However, few appear to be aligning such actions as part of a larger and more comprehensive carbon management strategy for competitive advantage. Marriott has made significant changes to its massive supply chain by replacing depleted inventories of supplies with newly developed green products, including recycled plastic key cards and pillows made of 100% recycled material. But an average sector score of 19 out of a possible 100 suggests the sector has much work ahead and lots of opportunity for leaders to make progress. We believe the brands that fall into THE LUCKY and THE LAGGARDS quadrants are overdue to demonstrate tangible progress before the court of public opinion makes its ruling. We suspect fixing this is a clear opportunity for green leadership. As an example, some competitive chains offer smaller boutique hotels that are completely carbon neutral. Note: We need to see this sector innovate around getting much more serious about energy use and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The industry overall has been struggling to adopt a certification program that can be applied universally. Many of the forward-thinking hotels appear to be seeking special LEED certification with the U.S. Green Building Council.
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