SUSTAINABILITY

Radisson Hotel Group offer carbon-negative meetings

Radisson Hotel Group is proud to be the world’s first hotel group to make all meetings and events across 400+ hotels in its EMEA portfolio carbon negative. For every event taking place at its participating hotels, Radisson Hotel Group will offset double the carbon footprint, to ensure that every meeting has a positive impact on the environment.

For meetings booked between 18 October 2021 and 31 January 2022 and taking place before 31 March 2022, Carbon Negative, Planet Positive will set a new sustainability standard in the global hospitality industry. The programme allows clients to host meetings in a sustainable way by offsetting double the CO2 emissions from meetings and events free of charge to the client, making meetings that take place during this period, at participating hotels, carbon negative.

Carbon Negative, Planet Positive reinforces the group’s 100 per cent Carbon Neutral meetings offering, in place across the group’s 1,600 hotels worldwide since 2019. The initiative forms part of the group’s wider Responsible Business programme which targets reducing the group’s carbon footprint by 30 per cent, and which aims to set science-based targets. Since the launch of the 100 per cent Carbon Neutral Meetings programme, the group has offset over 30,300 tons of CO2 at no cost to its clients, which is the equivalent of removing more than 6,500 fuel-driven cars off the road.

Carbon Negative, Planet Positive meetings complement the group’s hybrid meetings solutions, which launched in 2020 and offer owners and guests the flexibility and space optimisation they require to better meet the rapid lifestyle changes of today’s travellers. Hybrid Meetings are available across more than 100 hotels in EMEA and contribute to a lighter scope 3 footprint for the client.

Eric de Neef, executive vice president, global chief branding and commercial officer, said: “The COP26 conference saw world leaders come together to discuss climate change which needs all our attention. At Radisson Hotel Group, we are constantly reviewing how we as a global business are able to influence positive climate action, and how we are able to encourage the hospitality industry to push the boundaries on green meetings and events. We are proud to be pioneering this initiative and trust that meeting organisers around the globe recognise the positive impact they are able to have on the environment as face-to-face meetings increase.”

Inge Huijbrechts, global senior vice president sustainability, security and corporate communications, said: “Carbon Negative, Planet Positive allows you to make your meetings carbon negative and your impact on the planet positive. With the return of business travel, now is the time to have a positive impact. For Radisson Hotel Group, it is important that we offset carbon emissions according to the highest quality standards and in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is why we select offsetting projects that are not only good for the environment but also socially relevant. This initiative plays a key role in helping us achieve our Responsible Business targets to protect people, planet and community.”

For each meeting, the carbon footprint is calculated using the HCMI methodology and then offset through projects that are Gold Standard- or Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)-recognised. These projects combat climate change and contribute to sustainable development in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and include a clean cooking and safe water programme in Kenya; wind farm projects in Turkey, India, and the US to generate green electricity; a forest protection programme in Peru to reduce deforestation sustainably; and a biogas project in rural China. In addition, members of Radisson’s Radisson Rewards loyalty programme are able to choose to redeem their loyalty points too, to offset their stay.