Hotel companies vie for carbon emission reductions
The UK division of Hilton Worldwide has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard after taking action to reduce its carbon footprint. The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by the Government in 2001 to accelerate the UK's move to a low carbon economy. The Carbon Trust Standard, meanwhile, is the world's first award that requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint and actually make real reductions year-on-year, rather than simply offset their emissions. Hilton said the award, the first to a hotel company, would help it gain a competitive advantage over other businesses in the sector ahead of the Government's Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). Read more
The CRC will place UK businesses in a carbon league table, which will result in financial rewards for high performers and penalties for those that fail to reduce their energy consumption.
The Carbon Trust Standard is an early action metric for the CRC, with organisations that achieve the award being placed higher in the league table.
Simon Vincent, area president of Europe for Hilton, said: 'With the CRC legislation coming into force early next year, it's essential that we remain competitive and cater for customers who are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious - the Standard will help communicate our sustainability credentials to those that matter.
'We have already cut our carbon emissions by 15% since 2005 as part of the initiative and are committed to making further reductions in the future.'
Hilton, which has more than 80 hotels in the UK, has worked in partnership with the Carbon Trust since 2005 to develop and implement a carbon management programme.
The company is targeting a 20% reduction in its carbon emissions by 2014.