On Track to Becoming the Most Green Globe Certified Hospitality Company In the World!

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce that all its 21 hotels in Europe have achieved Green Globe certification. The achievement puts the Swiss upscale hospitality company on target to become the most certified hotel company in the world to receive the Green Globe seal.

"We have been very committed to achieving Green Globe certification across all our properties in Europe and in the process enjoyed very positive feedback and engagement from our employees," said Ola Ivarsson, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts' Chief Operating Officer Europe.

Along with the certification process Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts aimed to encourage all employees to learn more about environmental and sustainability issues and use that knowledge at work and home.

To achieve this, the company developed its own unique e-learning tool kit that all employees could access online. All European employees spent a total of 10,000 hours in training, and each property established a team to liaise with Green Globe to identify, analyse and implement opportunities to improve sustainability. The hard work paid off, with an average audit score of 90% across the hotels, including the certification and training of the company's entire corporate headquarters in Zurich.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts uses the framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, a proven science based model helping businesses to better understand and integrate sustainability in its strategy and operations. The framework was initiated by the Swedish born international NGO, The Natural Step (www.thenaturalstep.org). The framework contains logical guidelines to identify current challenges, future possibilities and smart step-wise approaches to move towards sustainability and to capitalize on a more refined way of sustainability driven markets.

Ola Ivarsson continued, "But we also wanted to make a greater contribution and enthuse others to start their own process. We recognized that not all companies can afford to develop their own multi language training tools. So we are sharing our knowledge and e-learning tools with other hotels, industry partners, and even with competitors." They can be downloaded at www.moevenpick-hotels.com/sustainabilityeu.

To achieve the internationally recognized, independently audited Green Globe certification, all Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in Europe had to provide detailed proof of environmental, social and employer-related sustainable practices across more than 300 criteria, of which 100 were mandatory.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts also introduced the Green Globe process to all its suppliers. Partners were asked to commit to the development of more sustainable practices and products.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has already put sustainability at the heart of all operations, through initiatives such as the introduction of biodegradable pens, wooden key cards, ecological bathroom amenities and Mövenpick Fairtrade Coffee, as well as ensuring that where possible, food is sourced locally and from organic farming. Every hotel also collaborates with organizations that work towards improved community welfare.

Green Globe Certification CEO, Guido Bauer said, "Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has taken a systematic approach to measure all the operational savings that have been made through the reduction of energy and water usage and non-recyclable waste. At the same time real commitments have been made to support the communities who host their hotels and resorts. I firmly believe that through the Green Globe Certification program, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is now a world leader in sustainable tourism and it has our independent verification as an assurance of this achievement."

Already all the company's Middle Eastern hotels have achieved Green Globe certification and the program is being rolled out across Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in Africa and Asia with 66% of all properties already certified. "Green Globe certification is a significant landmark," said Ivarsson. "But sustainability is a constantly evolving process and we are committed to constantly looking for new ways to improve."

About Green Globe Certification:

Green Globe Certification is the worldwide sustainability system based on internationally accepted criteria for sustainable operation and management of travel and tourism businesses. Operating under a worldwide license, Green Globe Certification is based in California, USA and is represented in over 83 countries. Green Globe Certification is a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, supported by the United Nations Foundation. For information visit www.greenglobe.com

source: www.greenglobe.com