Sustainability is beyond “hang up your towel” at Scandic Hotels

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to customers when choosing a hotel or venue destination. Having a few low-key green features is not enough as clients seek hotels that match their values and positions on environmental issues. When it comes to sustainability, Scandic Hotels, the chain that pioneered the “hang up your towel” initiative 25 years ago, continues to stand out for its award-winning approach.

Scandic Hotels is the largest hotel company in the Nordic countries with 280 hotels at 130 destinations and close to 18,000 team members who understand the value of thinking sustainably.

The company ranks high in the Sustainable Brand Index, the annual survey that ranks how the biggest brands in the Nordic countries manage environmental and corporate social responsibility. In 2018, Scandic was named best in the industry in Sweden for the eighth consecutive year.

“Awareness of responsible travel is growing and today, a hotel’s sustainability credentials come into play early on in the customer relationship,” says Vanessa Butani, Director of Sustainable Business at Scandic Hotels. “Creating great hotel experiences for people also means showing that we take responsibility for the planet and society.”

Scandic was one of the first hotels in the Nordic countries to start reporting its environmental data and today, each hotel closely monitors waste and emissions. Combined with a number of eco-measures, careful monitoring has helped the company reduce CO2 emissions substantially.

Scandic was also a forerunner in environmental certification for its hotels. Today, almost all Scandic hotels are environmentally certified with the Swan Ecolabel or EU Ecolabel/Green Globe and run on 100 percent fossil-free energy. Some hotels are even powered by the sun.

2018 saw an increase in momentum when Scandic held a sustainability hackathon to tap the creativity of its Team Members. The event generated more than 400 innovative ideas on how the company can operate even more sustainably, Scandic is now working to evaluate and implement them.

Other green measures that help Scandic make a difference include organic breakfasts, removing single-use plastic containers from hotel rooms as the company did in 1996, and serving local water in specially designed reusable water bottles, saving about 4 million bottles per year. Incidentally, the sleek bottles sport the handprint of Swedish swimming sensation Therese Alshammar.

Reducing food waste, which is a talking point in the industry, was also an area where Scandic made a huge impact during the year. This was mainly through initiatives including using smaller plates in restaurants and selling food on digital platforms in partnership with Karma and Too Good to Go. In fact, in 2018, 89 percent of leftover food, or more than 125,000 portions, was redistributed.

2018 was also the year that Scandic banned all plastic straws and cocktail sticks (which will lead to 1.3 million fewer straws and 120,000 fewer sticks used each year). Scandic also committed to phasing out eggs from caged hens at all hotels by 2022.

Scandic’s restaurants launched the meat-free Beyond Burger, selling more than 15,000 in Sweden alone during the first month, with the expectation of selling 12 tons of plant-based food instead of meat in a year.

The company also brought its best practice and know-how on sustainability to the table last year by collaborating with 13 other leading hotels as a member of the International Tourism Partnership (ITP).

Scandic knows well that having a strong sustainability profile is in its long-term interest, which is why the company has ambitious sustainability goals for 2020. These include being the hotel company with the lowest emissions and reducing waste. Thanks to initiatives such as selling leftover food, Scandic already reached its waste reduction target in 2018.

“Scandic has been working to operate more sustainably for more than 25 years. While we’re proud of our achievements, we strive to get better every day. With our 18,000 team members, we know that we can make an impact.”

Here are 5 ways to make your next event greener:

• Ask the supplier you’re thinking about working with about their sustainability program.
• Serve plant-based food as the default and let guests opt in for meat, chicken or fish.
• One third of all food is thrown out. Remind guests to try to minimize food waste from the start.
• Choose sustainable transport to and from your destination/venue.
• Put sustainability on the agenda at your event. Go paperless, pay attention to details like reusable cutlery and crockery, water bottles and cloth napkins, choose locally-sourced food and products and recycle all waste.