CSR and Sustainability

🌱 Corby of Windsor is transforming sustainability in the hospitality sector by prioritizing eco-friendly product design and manufacturing. From August 2023 to September 2024, 82,000 toxic chrome-plated items were replaced with polished stainless steel. Their battery-free bathroom scales and Skye hair dryer use 58% less energy. Launching early 2026, the Buxton BUSA™ bamboo range offers sustainable guestroom accessories. Corby aims for net zero status and is recognized by EcoVadis and Alcumus SafeSupplier for sustainability and safety.

📍 OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort and Castaway Island, Fiji, earned Green Key Certification in December, becoming the first in the South Pacific to do so. Managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education, this certification highlights their sustainability efforts, including hiring locals and coral conservation. OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort was the first in OUTRIGGER’s global portfolio to gain this certification. OUTRIGGER aims to achieve Green Key Certification for all its 31 properties worldwide, enhancing their commitment to environmental responsibility.

🚨 Today, in Phoenix, AZ, the Arizona House of Representatives issued a proclamation recognizing the hotel industry's prevention efforts against human trafficking. The American Hotel & Lodging Association's "No Room for Trafficking" initiative, launched in 2020, has provided free training in over 34 languages, completed over 2.6 million times. Arizona State Representative Justin Wilmeth introduced the proclamation, emphasizing the industry's commitment to safety and dignity through strategic partnerships and employee education programs.

🌊 In the Westfjords of Iceland, on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Saltverk produces flaky sea salt using geothermal energy. This method requires 90% of the seawater to be evaporated. The company prides itself on using pure, uncontaminated Arctic seawater, avoiding additives and anti-caking agents. The process is labor-intensive, with salt hand-harvested, contributing to its premium status. Saltverk claims to be Iceland's sole producer of this premium grade salt, certified climate neutral.

🏨 Hospitality industry faces sustainability challenges. Over 40 years, sustainability frameworks like Green Key, LEED, and EarthCheck expanded, yet practical integration lags (UNWTO, 2021; WTTC, 2022). Deloitte (2023) and McKinsey (2021) report low employee engagement due to unaligned tasks and lack of impact visibility. Sustainability actions, often treated as transactional, fail to become cultural, as noted by Harvard Business Review (2018). Leaders must embed sustainability into daily activities to achieve meaningful change.

📚 Since 2011, GCSTIMES, with centers in China, US, UAE, France, and Australia, supports over 100,000 hospitality groups in 140 countries. They focus on sustainable product lifecycle management through energy-efficient operations, recyclability, and circular solutions. Offering brands like GCS and AUROkeys, they promote cultural preservation through smart cards and sustainable supplies. Their approach aids the hospitality industry's shift toward a circular economy, emphasizing long-term growth through sustainable practices.

🚀 Jet2.com has achieved a milestone at Newcastle Airport by transitioning all its owned ground service equipment (GSE) to 100% electric power. This aligns with its goal to reduce emissions and enhance air quality, aiming for a 99% reduction in GSE emissions by 2035. Paul Southall, Head of Sustainability, emphasizes their commitment to sustainability through electrification efforts. The initiative also includes electric crew buses and a salary-exchange scheme for electric cars across the UK.

💸 Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, received the 2026 Shatterproof Hospitality Hero Award at the Ninth Annual Shatterproof Hospitality Heroes Reception in Los Angeles, CA. The event, aligned with ALIS, raised $2.1 million with 75 participating hospitality companies. Founded by Gary Mendell in 2012, Shatterproof has raised over $12 million since 2016. Data reveals 17% of hospitality employees had substance use disorders, prompting industry-wide efforts to reduce stigma and support well-being.

💵 On January 27, 2026, in Los Angeles, Anthony Capuano of Marriott International received the Shatterproof Hospitality Hero Award. The event raised $2.1 million for Shatterproof, a nonprofit focused on substance use disorder awareness. Under Capuano’s leadership, 75 hospitality companies joined forces to support the cause. Notably, 17% of workers in accommodations and food services have a substance use disorder, impacting industry costs significantly. Since 2016, over $12 million has been raised with involvement from 150 companies.