“The results we achieved required a group effort from the Winnow team and internally from the head chefs and the kitchen staff. The buy-in and support of Emaar Hospitality Group’s senior management as well the general managers of the different hotels ensured the system is well used, the staff well trained, and the focus maintained on reducing food waste to optimal levels,” he noted.
As the group begins to administer a new linen and towel policy, housekeeping and operations teams are also being trained to create awareness and promote sustainable water use.
“We have conducted research on various topics including the art of convincing your guest to opt into reusing their towels and communication mediums that are most effective – a tangible or digital message in delivering and adopting of suitable practices within our industry,” Harnisch explained.
With the new linen policy, one hotel room can save up to 60 litres of water in place of a single wash, which means the group is looking at making significant savings with around 1700 rooms across its properties.
Across its various hotels, the group also recycles its soaps in partnership with Diversey’s Soap for Hope programme.
Several of these initiatives have already been implemented at The Address Downtown, which underwent extensive refurbishment and reopened in June 2018. According to Emaar, the changes have seen in a drop in heat, lighting and power (HLP) consumption at the property.
Additionally, Emaar Hospitality used the launch of The Pearl Pledge to announce the group’s partnership with Dubai Sustainable Tourism to introduce the Hospitality Industry Board Game, developed in partnership with Emirates Nature-WWF, for all its employees.
“We believe embracing sustainable practices requires a robust foundation to stand upon. Engagement and creating awareness plays a key role in introducing these green initiatives. We are likely to achieve our objectives by educating and changing the behaviour of our staff and guests,” Harnisch said.
The game will help employees measure their consumption baseline, understand which areas of the hotel are responsible for significant water and energy consumption, and how to save money while reducing the use of energy, water, and resources.
NEXT STAGES
Moving forward, Emaar Hospitality Group will adopt a responsible procurement programme that includes the use of eco-friendly papers and biodegradable disposables, while limiting the use of straws. By reducing the usage of plastic bottles, Harnisch believes they can annually save around 3.5 million bottles.
All staff members will be trained to manage energy, water and waste consumption baselines. The training initiative will be led by Al Liusie and carried out at individual properties by the nominated green champions.
“Our sustainability lead, Sara, conducts the initial foundation training that provides an introduction to educate our staff about sustainability, the impacts of consumption in hotels and the effect this has upon the ocean. This is important to educate our staff in truly understanding their actions in the hotels. This training is passed down to each green champion, who trains their own hotel staff on a quarterly basis,” Harnisch explained.
The group has partnered with environmental conservation organisation Emirates Nature-WWF to deliver a series of initiatives to help employees and guests understand how small changes can make a big difference.
Also as part of the roll out of The Pearl Pledge, the company is aiming to achieve Green Key certification for all its hotels by early 2019. Additionally, the group is also looking into more projects concerning renewable energy – such as Rove Hotels, which already uses solar PV cells to heat water – and electric vehicles, Harnisch reveals.
Ultimately, Emaar Hospitality is hoping the Pearl Pledge will change the hotel group’s approach towards sustainability, using it as a long-term strategy instead of a one-off campaign. “We have incorporated sustainable operations as part of our standard operating procedures, and therefore, it is integrated in our working blueprint rather than a ‘one-off sustainability initiative,” Harnisch stated.
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