Global hospitality company Hilton has partnered with social enterprise South Pole to offset the carbon footprint of meetings and events across almost 30 properties in the UK.
Initially launched in The Netherlands in May, the offer has been extended to approximately 60 hotels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with plans to roll out further in the coming months.
The initiative has been set up in support of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals to cut its environmental footprint in half and double its social impact by 2030.
Hilton said the footprint of all business meetings with 10 or more delegates at participating hotels will be offset through carbon credits. Credits will be allocated to a range of projects which support Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals, including repairing and maintaining boreholes in Rwanda to increase access to safe water sources, the construction of a geothermal power plant in Turkey to generate clean, emissions-free energy and the development and maintenance of wind farms in India and the US.
Hilton added that it will use its corporate responsibility performance management system, LightStay, to estimate each meeting’s energy, water, carbon and waste consumption. LightStay’s Meeting Impact Calculator tool gives customers the opportunity to see an estimated carbon footprint for their event using each hotel’s specific utility data.
Hilton said in addition to the available measures for businesses to decrease the waste and energy usage of corporate events, carbon credits will be purchased from South Pole to offset any remaining environmental impact.
Tanya Clifford, vice-president, Hilton Worldwide Sales EMEA said: “Offering carbon-neutral meetings at no additional cost is a fantastic addition to existing efforts to limit the environmental impact of our operations and achieve our collective ambitions.”
Michael Malara, senior business development manager, South Pole said: “Everyone has a role to play in helping to halt climate change – first and foremost through reducing carbon emissions, water use, waste and energy output as far as possible.
“Through this initiative, Hilton will help to fund some of the world’s most cutting-edge sustainability projects in addition to reducing its own environmental impact and that of its clients. We look forward to working closely together to drive positive change.”
Hilton recently launched its new product, Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions. The company said it was developed with sustainability in mind and will allow businesses to host seamless hybrid meetings, across multiple sites if they choose to do so.
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