Whitbread PLC, the owner of UK-based Premier Inn brand of hotels, has announced a sustainability strategy to reduce its carbon emissions.
The company, which is the owner of the Costa and Premier Inn brands, has reported reductions of around 1,579 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2011, from its hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops, as stated in the company’s tenth annual Environment Report, which released on June 1, 2012. The savings are equivalent to an 11 percent reduction in carbon emissions, compared to sales revenue.
Chris George, the head of energy and environment at Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, said, ‘Our ambition at Whitbread is to lead the hospitality industry to a more sustainable future. To do that we have set ourselves stretching targets to reduce our energy and water consumption and cut waste across the business. Our recent performance shows we can hit the numbers whilst delivering strong returns to our shareholders.
Given the scale of our business, the small changes we make at our sites to mitigate our energy consumption can yield huge carbon reductions across the UK and minimise the impact of our business on the environment.’
The company is installing energy saving technology at existing properties, as well as investing in new sustainable hotels and restaurants properties, and training employees in the implementation of energy and water saving procedures, as part of its sustainability programme.
Whitbread has set a target of achieving a 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions, a 15 percent reduction in water consumption, and zero waste to landfill by 2017, relative to sales, and compared with a 2009 baseline.
