Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announces significant progress across its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) pillars, reaffirming its commitment to driving sustainable tourism and elevating Thailand’s hospitality sector through responsible and forward-thinking business practices.
Guided by its core philosophy of delivering warm Thai hospitality enriched with innovation, family values, and environmental responsibility, Centara continues to strengthen its long-term sustainability framework to ensure meaningful and measurable impacts for its guests, local communities, and the planet.
A Blueprint for a Brighter Future
Centara has been steadfast in advancing its environmental management practices since 2009, approaching two decades of tangible progress across all areas of ESG.
In line with its long-term sustainability vision, Centara has introduced the C-E-N-T-A-R-A Sustainability Blueprint, a comprehensive strategic framework that guides the company’s sustainable development in seven priority areas. This serves as the foundation for future initiatives, ensuring that environmental stewardship remains central to the group’s business operations.
Highlights and key milestones along Centara’s 16-year sustainability journey include:
2009: Adoption of the EarthCheck environmental management system across its hotels and resorts to ensure international-standard sustainable operations.
2014: Participation in Thailand’s Green Hotel certification programme under the Department of Climate Change and Environment.
2016: Launch of My Green Day, encouraging guest participation in reducing water usage and chemical consumption by opting out of linen and towel changes.
2018: Elimination of single-use plastics in guest service areas, including replacing plastic straws with plant-based options and switching to refillable in-room amenities.
2019: Introduction of the P.O.P. (Plastic Only, Please) initiative to encourage plastic recycling among guests and reduce plastic waste in natural environments.
2021: Achievement of Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) status for Centara EarthCare, reflecting internationally endorsed environmental standards.
2025: Achievement of full GSTC certification for all 42 Centara properties worldwide.
Environmental Excellence – Progressing Towards Net Zero
Centara prioritises efficient resource management to reduce emissions and accelerate the transition toward a low-carbon future. Key achievements include:
Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Target to reduce GHG emissions per occupied room by 40% by 2029, compared to the 2019 baseline.
- Achieved a 35% reduction to date, outperforming Thailand’s hotel industry average by 51.9%, as benchmarked by the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index (CHSB).
Centara is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, based on three strategic pathways:
- Reducing emissions intensity by 40% by 2029.
- Advancing sustainable supply chain practices through low-carbon and sustainable materials.
- Aligning financing and investment decisions with environmental objectives.
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
- Solar cells installed at 14 hotels, reducing carbon emissions by more than 2,970 tonnes of CO₂e, equivalent to planting over 300,000 trees.
- From January to October 2025, Centara generated 4,780 MWh of clean energy, accounting for 4% of total electricity use.
- Implementation of advanced efficiency systems such as smart sensors, Energy Management Systems (EMS), district cooling, and building management systems.
Water Management
- Achieved a 30.1% reduction in water consumption, surpassing the target of 20% (based on the 2019 baseline).
- Recycled over 454,416m³ of treated wastewater for landscape irrigation across hotel properties in 2025.
Waste Management
- Reduced waste to landfill by 24.5%, exceeding the 20% reduction target (2019 baseline).
- Achieved an average recycling rate of 28.9%.
- Produced upcycled items such as bags and hats from plastic (PET) bottles, totalling 3,872kg across four hotels in Krabi.
Social Commitment and Community Empowerment
Centara continues to invest in community and social development, with long-running programmes designed to enhance living standards, create economic opportunities, and nurture inclusive growth. These initiatives include:
- Since 2017, Centara has partnered with Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Thailand to donate surplus food to communities in need, reducing food waste and alleviating hunger.
- Through the “One Hotel, One Product” programme and community markets, Centara has provided over 6,300m² of complimentary retail space for local entrepreneurs to sell their goods, while supporting more than 6,000 local products.
- Commitment to inclusive employment, including hiring people with disabilities above the legal requirement and providing opportunities for senior workers.
- Dedication to cultivating a supportive, progressive, and engaging workplace through its “The Place to Be – Best Workplace” philosophy.
Governance and Ethics
Centara is committed to conducting business with transparency, accountability, and strong ethical standards:
- Achieved an “Excellent” (five-star) Corporate Governance rating for the sixth consecutive year from the Thai Institute of Directors Association.
- A member of the Thai Private Sector Collective Action Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) since 2016, with three consecutive membership renewals.
- Recipient of the CAC Change Agent Award for two consecutive years.
- Secured more than THB 8.7 billion in sustainability-linked loans, sustainability-linked bonds, and green bonds to advance long-term ESG investments and environmental conservation projects.
Business growth must go hand-in-hand with responsibility toward society, the environment, and the communities we serve. Achieving GSTC certification across all properties and making strong progress in reducing waste and emissions demonstrates our long-term commitment to environmental stewardship. We remain dedicated to innovating and advancing our ESG initiatives to create a meaningful, lasting impact, while providing exceptional, sustainable travel experiences for generations to come. Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts
For more information about Centara’s ESG initiatives, please visit
www.centarahotelsresorts.com/sustainability
About Centara Hotels & Resorts
Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 87 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives, Vietnam, Laos, China, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Turkey and the UAE. Centara’s portfolio comprises six brands – Centara Reserve, The Centara Collection, Centara Grand, Centara, Centara Life and COSI Hotels – ranging from luxury island retreats and upscale family resorts to affordable lifestyle concepts supported by innovative technology. The group’s newest Centara Reserve brand was unveiled in 2020 as an experiential luxury collection, inviting guests to discover a new era of story-driven hospitality starting with Centara Reserve Samui.
Centara also operates state-of-the-art convention centres and has its own award-winning spa brand, Cenvaree. Throughout the collection, Centara delivers and celebrates the hospitality and values Thailand is famous for including gracious service, exceptional food, pampering spas and the importance of families. Centara’s distinctive culture and diversity of formats allow it to serve and satisfy travellers of nearly every age and lifestyle.
Centara aims to become a top 100 global hotel group, while spreading its footprint into new continents and market niches. As Centara continues to expand, a growing base of loyal customers will find the company’s unique style of hospitality in more locations. Centara’s global loyalty programme, Centara The 1, reinforces their loyalty with rewards, privileges and special member pricing.
Find out more about Centara at www.CentaraHotelsResorts.com
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Puntira Cherdboonmuang (Gam)
Corporate Public Relations Manager, Centara Hotels & Resorts
Tel. +66 (0) 2769 1234 Ext. 6922
Centara
