HILTON LAUNCHES GREEN RAMADAN INITIATIVE IN UAE, SAUDI ARABIA AND QATAR

HILTON HAS LAUNCHED its Green Ramadan programme – an initiative to reduce food waste – that will be implemented across several of its key properties in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. To do so, it has partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) West Asia, Winnow and Goumbook.

As part of the initiative, participating Hilton hotels across the three countries will compost excess food waste, prioritise local food sourcing within a 50-mile radius, promote plant-based dishes, restrict plastic use across operations, and partner with food banks.

In Dubai, Hilton’s Conrad Dubai property is participating this year. Al-Waha by Conrad Dubai will therefore feature local produce from Fresh on Table, and a plant-based section with a curated menu that Hilton says will help to signi cantly cut food-related emissions. e hotel is also partnering with the UAE Food Bank and will donate 100 meals per day throughout Ramadan. Furthermore, Conrad Dubai will compost food waste from Al-Waha through e Waste Lab.

One of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals is to reduce food waste sent to land lls by 50 per cent.

DUBAI’S CARBON CALCULATOR TO TRACK REAL-TIME EMISSIONS OF HOTELS

DUBAI’S DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMY AND TOURISM (DET) has relaunched its Carbon Calculator tool that measures the carbon footprint within the emirate’s hospitality sector. It can now track real-time data for carbon emission sources, allowing hotels to identify and manage their energy consumption.

Every month, hotels are mandated to submit their consumption along nine carbon emission sources: electricity, water, district cooling, liquefied petroleum gas, landfill waste, recycled waste, petrol, diesel and refrigerants. This information is collated and analysed to provide industry insights on the sector’s collective carbon footprint. In addition, by formulating a baseline, hotels can understand their comparative energy, water and waste consumption trends and identify cost-saving opportunities too.

WORDS VARUN GODINHO