Hotelbeds, the world’s leading bedbank, has announced today that for the third consecutive year it has been certified as a Carbon Neutral Organisation by Carbon Footprint Ltd, an independent body that accredits carbon management measurements and best practices for businesses, by offsetting companies’ CO2 emissions.
Hotelbeds’ current commitment to offsetting its emissions began in 2018 when it created a programme whereby a fee is paid for every business flight taken by an employee. This was then used to “finance a carbon neutral project and encourage both a reduction in travel and awareness around the importance of carbon offsetting,” according to a statement issued today by the company.
The first project to benefit from the scheme was the Portel-Pará Deforestation Project in the Brazilian Amazon; in 2019 Hotelbeds gave funds the Renewable Energy Project in India that is dedicated to installing solar panels throughout the country.
This year Hotelbeds will be supporting the Verified Carbon Standard certified Guohua Tongliao Kezuo Zhongqi Phase 1 Wind Power project in China, which will reduce carbon emissions via the displacement of fossil fuels. This project helps to combat climate change and sustains our environment for future generations.
This news follows the recent launch of the Green Hotels Programme, a turn-key solution to bring Hotelbeds and its partners into the green economy and accelerate the transition of the travel industry towards sustainability.
Gareth Matthews, Marketing, Communications and CSR Director at Hotelbeds, said: “We are proud to be certified a Carbon Neutral Organisation for the third consecutive year. This really underscores our sustainable business ethos and sets a great example both to our staff and the wider travel industry. As leaders in the travel industry we wanted to be at the forefront of environmental consciousness, inspiring both other companies and even individual travellers, by reducing our emissions where possible and offsetting the rest.”
As part of the certification process, carbon emission calculations – including energy and paper consumptions, waste management, business travel and water supply – were conducted by Hotelbeds, using metrics devised by Carbon Footprint Ltd.
Carbon Footprint Ltd has also successfully completed a verification of the carbon footprint assessment for Hotelbeds. This included spot-checking source data from across the company as well as reviewing the overall methodology.
