City hotels aren’t always the first properties that spring to mind when
you think of sustainability but Arnaud Herrmann, VP Sustainable
Development, AccorHotels explains how even in one of the busiest
parts of London, good environmental practice can still be a priority.
Introduction:
Novotel London Blackfriars was a significant opening for AccorHotels serving guests in a busy
tourist area of London near the Tate Modern and Globe theatre. The company has a firm commitment
to preserving the environment and this can be seen through the many eco-friendly practices which
have been implemented in the Novotel Blackfriars.
The property has been given an “excellent” rating for its environmental performance and is continually
trying to change the mindset of guests so that sustainability becomes something they actively seek out
when choosing a hotel. The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
(BREEAM) rating ranks the hotel among the top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings. We are
committed to continually reducing the environmental impact of our hotels and the Blackfriars hotel is a
showcase of this.
GH: When did your green initiatives start?
In 2009, AccorHotels launched its sustainable development strategy, PLANET21, innovative within
the hotel industry. PLANET21 has seven themes: health, nature, carbon, innovation, local,
employment and dialogue. These cover a comprehensive list of sustainability goals ranging from
ensuring interiors are healthy, reducing water use and encouraging eco-design, to protecting children
from abuse, buying responsibly, conducting business openly and improving the quality of life at work.
Half the savings in laundry costs raised by encouraging guests to reuse towels go to reforestation
projects, and AccorHotels has planted more than 2,000 trees a day since 2009. In 2013, Accor
Morocco joined forces with Pur Projet to plant 2,000 olive trees with “Femmes du Rif”, a collective in
Chefchaouen, Morocco. Now it uses olive oil produced from the trees in local hotels.
GH: Why did the group start down the sustainable route and what effect has it had?
Sustainability has always been an important part of our business. We recognise that due to the nature
of our services, the hotel industry has a significant carbon footprint. We have been working hard to
bring greener and cleaner practices to ensure the longevity and success of the industry.
We have a dedicated sustainability team that is committed to reducing the overall environmental
impact from all of our hotels, as well as helping to drive the industry towards a sustainable future. One
of the ways in which we do this is by educating our various stakeholders, both internally and
externally, about the importance of environmental conservation through training and learning
schemes. Green initiatives, such as Plant for the Planet, are only successful because of the
contribution of our guests and employees.
In 2014, well over 70 million guests passed through our hotels in 92 different countries, all of which
came into contact with our PLANET21 programme. Our size allows us to reach a huge global
audience and educate about the small changes they can make, that will help to make a big green
impact.
GH: Why is sustainability important to Accor?
The world is changing and the threats we are facing are very real. Changing our habits is no longer
optional - it’s an imperative need. If we were to continue to consume energy at our current pace, we
would require the resources of three planet earths. Companies have a key role to play in educating
and inspiring consumers about sustainability.
At AccorHotels we believe we have a duty and responsibility as a leader, reinforced by our capacity to
engage so many people. At any one point, we have roughly half a million guests across our hotels.
Our size and scale means that we play a key role in ensuring the longevity of our industry as well as
protecting the world we live in. We do this by educating stakeholders about sustainability and the
choices they can make to contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.
Every organisation must make sustainability a core part of their business as well as educating
consumers about the benefits of making greener choices. Initiatives can only be successful with the
contribution from guests, employees and wider stakeholders.
GH: Talk us through your sustainability initiatives.
We are committed to act together for the well-being of our world. We have a number of green
initiatives at Novotel London Blackfriars that we are very proud of. Through these initiatives we have
been able to educate and excite our guests and employees about a greener future.
Energy & Carbon
A combined heating power system (CHP) is installed in the building. This system extracts thermal heat
from the exhaust ventilation and uses the energy to generate electricity and heat water. CHP provides
a means to substantially reduce the hotel's fuel, or 'primary energy', consumption without
compromising the quality and reliability of the energy supply to our guests
CHP is estimated to save 31.2 tonnes of CO2 per annum, compared to 13 tonnes from using solar
panels
Water
Installed water flow regulators on basin faucets/taps
Installed water flow regulators on the showers
Installed water-efficient toilets
Propose to guests to reuse towels
Propose to guests to reuse sheets
A tank collects rainwater from the roof for flushing purposes
