Two years after the launch of the PLANET 21 programme by Accor, 2/3rds of the objectives set for 2015 have already been achieved or are on the right track to being so.
Progress in 2013
In 2013, hotels made progress on all of the Group’s commitments, including in terms of:
- Ecological products: after three years of working with Diversey, a company specializing in cleaning and hygienic products, the Group has considerably cut down the environmental impact of its cleaning products by reducing the weight of packaging by 97%. 95% of hotels now use ecological products;
- Responsible nutrition: 96% of hotels offer balanced meals on their menus. Almost 90% of hotels have excluded endangered seafood from their menus. 66% of hotels offer fair trade products.
- Certification: over 900 hotels have been granted ISO 14001 certification;
- Progress in relation to “Charter 21”: in order to encourage hotels to improve their sustainable development performance, the Group has implemented “Charter 21”, which sets minimum standards. Between 2012 and 2013, the proportion of hotels which met the first performance level of this charter (Bronze level) increased markedly from 66% to 83%.
“Plant for the Planet”: Accor plants 2000 trees per day
Accor Group’s commitment towards environmental protection and biodiversity conservation is manifested notably by the implementation of the “Planet for the Planet” program, which involves encouraging guests to re-use their towels when they stay more than one night at a hotel.
This initiative goes beyond programmes normally introduced by hotel groups, since the hotels allocate half of the savings in laundry costs to funding reforestation projects.
In 2013, “Plant for the Planet” achieved its objective of 21 local plantations and 80% of hotels can now support a plantation project in their country.
With over 3.5 million trees funded over five years, Accor has planted more than 2,000 trees per day since 2009.
Six main priorities in 2014
Six main priorities have been set for 2014 with a view to both consolidating the fundamental aspects of Planet 21 and increasing the programme’s visibility:
- Continuing the implementation of Charter 21 and succeeding in having 100% of hotels achieve Bronze level by the end of 2014;
- Gaining massive support for the “Plant for Planet” programme;
- Reducing water and energy consumption;
- Increasing employees’ awareness of the issue of protecting childhood;
- Increasing the proportion of female General Managers;
- Displaying the PLANET 21 signage in hotels and on websites.
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