The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has unveiled a “bold” five-year strategy towards Net Positive Hospitality, including the introduction of standard sustainability metrics across the industry.
Announced at the Alliance’s Summit in Berlin this week, the strategy adopts a “holistic approach to inspire the industry and positively impact the environment, communities, and the economy, giving back more than we take”.
The strategy is the result of 12 months of strategic planning led by Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Alliance, working with donor members, external partners and systems change consultancy Systemiq.
The Alliance, which was founded over 30 years ago, now represents over 50,000 properties and 7 million rooms globally, including Accor, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and other global hotel brands.
The five-year strategy will be supported by an Academy platform to equip the industry to translate vision into action.
Initiatives include the launch of Hospitality High Ambition Movers, bringing together the “most ambitious” donor members of the Alliance to forge “bold commitments and partnerships that leverage their market power and investment capacity to drive catalytic shifts towards Net Positive”.
Another initiative, Net Positive Accelerators, is aimed to inspire members to launch collaborative pilot initiatives targeting systemic issues in specific destinations.
By 2028 the Alliance aims to:
- Have all mainstream private and public leaders convinced of economic opportunity in Net Positive
- Equip business teams/talent to embed Net Positive into strategy
- Pioneer nature and people positive solutions that are competitive with incumbent alternatives; innovations securing investment
- Launch policymaker engagement; prompting meaningful reform
- Advance partner collaboration to advance Net Positive in destinations worldwide, inspired by opportunities unlocked within the past five years
Mandziuk said: “This strategy can drive large-scale, tangible change, creating net positive leadership. Our environment and communities will undoubtedly benefit from this strategy, and I foresee a prosperous and contributory future for the global hospitality sector.”
Jeremy Oppenheim, Senior Partner at Systemiq, added: “We know that the travel and tourism industry could cut emissions by 40%, as soon as 2030. And while much of the industry is still not moving fast enough, momentum around sustainable hospitality, and the work of the Alliance, can drive that industry-wide transition.
“Hospitality has a rare opportunity for outsize impact, as one of the few industries that connects to both global industries and local communities through its supply-chain.
“Collaboration is critical to leverage this opportunity and overcome barriers to change: the Alliance provides a critical platform for hospitality players to partner across sectors and destinations to achieve net zero.”
