Accor Hotels Target 10% Cuts in CO2, Energy Use

Hotel operator Accor has launched a set of sustainability targets for 2015 across the group’s 4,400 hotels owned and leased hotels worldwide.

The announcement follows a review finding that 70 percent of Accor’s major account customers have integrated sustainable development criteria in their supplier policies.

The 21 quantified goals, announced through Accor’s Planet 21 sustainability program, include a 10 percent reduction in energy use between 2011 and 2015 at Accor’s owned and leased properties, up significantly from the 5.5 percent reduction achieved between 2006 and 2010.

The hotelier, which operates in 90 countries under brand names including Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis and Motel 6, is also aiming to cut CO2 emissions by 10 percent by 2015. The company says it has not previously tracked GHG emissions. It also intends to use renewable energy resources at 10 percent of its hotels, up from 4 percent in 2011, Accor said.

Its 2015 target for reduced water usage is 15 percent from 2011; Accor reports that water use from 2006 to 2010 decreased by 12 percent. Accor hotels consume about 15,000 cubic meters of water per year, and a lifecycle analysis published earlier this year found that 86 percent of water consumed came from the food served in its hotels.

Accor said it generates 2.3 million tons of waste of which 70 percent comes from construction and renovation work. It is aiming for 85 percent of its hotels to recycle their waste, up from 64 percent in 2011.

It has also set a target for 85 percent of hotels to use eco-labeled products.

Accor said it will work with Alter Eco and Pur Projet founder Tristan Lecomte on a marketing campaign to engage its customers, partners and employees with the program goals.

Its hotels can only participate in the Planet 21 sustainable hospitality campaign if they comply with a certain level of performance in terms of sustainable development, assessed according to an internal list of 65 check points, or if they have earned an internationally recognized external certification, the company said.