Sponsored Sites Shop Online for Eco-Friendly Products Ekotribe Carbon Consulting Add your site here.

Accor's new sustainable development strategy is being written with PLANET 21.

The name is taken from Agenda 21, a program of goals signed in Rio in 1992, and reminds us of the urgent concern to be addressed in the 21st century: the need to change our methods of production and consumption to preserve human beings and eco-systems. PLANET 21 consists of 21 commitments and the same number of quantified goals adopted by Accor looking to 2015, including: employees training in the prevention of diseases in 95% of hotels, the promotion of balanced dishes in 80% of establishments, the use of eco-labeled products in 85% of hotels or the reduction in water and energy use of respectively 15% and 10% in owned and leased hotels.

"At a time when the Group is embarking on a phase of brisk expansion, with the aim of becoming the global reference in hotel industry, we are reaffirming our choice of responsible growth capable of generating shared value for all. With the PLANET 21 program, we are putting sustainable hospitality at the core of the Group's strategy, development and innovation. I am convinced that sustainable development will lead us towards a new business model. PLANET 21 gives us a fantastic driver of competitiveness for our brands, attractiveness for our customers and partners and loyalty for our employees," said Denis Hennequin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Accor.

Since 1994, when it created an Environment department, the Group has adopted numerous solutions to contribute to the development of local communities and reduce water and energy consumption and the environmental footprint of its hotels. With PLANET 21, Accor is reaffirming its determination to put sustainable development at the heart of its activities. To achieve the 21 commitments made by the Group, one thing is primordial: involving our customers in order to move ahead even faster and multiply our results.

For these reasons, the new PLANET 21 strategy includes a program for informing customers and encouraging them to contribute to the hotels' actions and achievements. From booking to room stay and restaurant service, customers will discover a rich and diverse array of educational messages encouraging them to contribute actively to the hotel's action by means of a few simple gestures. The tone of the messages will be friendly and thoughtful, aimed at encouraging customers to participate without ever making them feel guilty.

To guarantee the credibility of this program, hotels can only use the PLANET 21 messages if they comply with a certain level of performance in terms of sustainable development, assessed according to a list of 65 check points or recognized external certification.

Because it is no longer possible to tackle issues of sustainable development in a purely intuitive manner, Accor has conducted two unprecedented international surveys to obtain comprehensive and objective information. Hence, in 2011, the Group carried out a study on its environmental footprint that enabled it to measure accurately the main impacts, define priorities for action and identify new challenges. This work was preceded by a survey on the expectations of international hotel customers on this point, and showed that sustainable development is a growing criterion of choice for both leisure and business customers.

Sophie Flak, Executive Vice President Sustainable Development and Academies for Accor adds: "Today, 70% of our major account customers integrate sustainable development criteria in their supplier policy, and one out of two customers claims to take this criterion into account when choosing a hotel! We used these findings to implement PLANET 21: a social, societal and environmental program with precise goals that unite our employees and offer our customers an opportunity to participate."

PLANET 21's sponsor - Tristan Lecomte, Founder of Alter Eco and PurProjet
Among the 21 goals of its program, Accor has chosen to focus on preservation of the ecosystems in which its hotels are established. A pioneer in the matter of reforestation, Accor has financed the planting of over two million trees from savings on laundering costs thanks to responsible behaviour on the part of its hotel managers and guests.

To accelerate rollout of this program, Accor is relying on the expertise of Tristan Lecomte, Founder of Alter Eco and PurProjet and expert in development of community forestation projects. "PLANET 21 corresponds perfectly to the PurProjet approach. With the contribution made by their guests, the hotels participate directly in protecting their environment and the development of local communities. My aim is to support development of this program by integrating it more closely and more locally in the Group's different business lines," says Tristan Lecomte.

With PLANET 21, Accor confirms its ambition to reinvent the hotel industry on a sustainable basis by increasing the mobilization of its employees, guests and partners.