Nadia Ibrahim, Associate Director of Consultancy & Sustainability at UAE-based smart and green facilities management (FM) company Farnek, has revealed how independent hotels throughout the region will need support to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050.
During her webinar presentation, Ibrahim highlighted that some international hospitality brands may already have strategies in place to achieve their Net Zero ambitions. However, many three and four-star properties would require external support from consultants to design, plan and execute a carbon neutral roadmap.
“Major international hotel brands such as Accor, Hilton, and Marriott have the necessary resources to achieve their sustainability goals, but many privately-owned independent hotels will not have the means to access dedicated internal support.
“There is also general confusion about what Net Zero means and the process and actions required to make a corporate commitment and how a hotel’s carbon footprint can be measured and reduced without affecting the operation or guest experience,” said Ibrahim.
It is widely reported that tourism and specifically hotels account for 8 percent and 1 percent respectively of total global carbon emissions. However, implementing a carbon reduction plan is not an easy task, with multiple internal and external challenges. The most common of which are carbon footprint assessments across the hotel and its value chain, a lack of financial resources with little or no budget allocated for climate-related activities, the higher costs associated with sustainable products, and insufficient regulatory incentives to support a hotel’s Net Zero transition.
Ibrahim, who was elected to the board of the official Local Network of the UN Global Compact in the UAE earlier this year, also emphasized to delegates that despite the challenges, sustainability in hospitality is an undeniable trend that also affords operational savings, competitive advantage and strengthens relationships with stakeholders.
“Reducing energy output, water consumption, and waste will save a hotel operation money through lower utility bills and landfill costs. Moreover, 81 percent of travelers that responded to a 2021 booking.com survey said that they wanted to stay in sustainable accommodation and a further 49 percent claimed there was not enough choice,” said Ibrahim.
“It is impossible to become carbon neutral by reduction methods alone, so hotels will need to offset a certain percentage of their emissions, by supporting certified carbon offset projects, such as providing clean cooking fuel to isolated communities in Africa to help prevent deforestation,” added Ibrahim.
“It is essential that hotels start to plan their environmental strategy now if they are to play their part and support the overall Net Zero goals of their respective governments, particularly those in the UAE, who will host the COP 28 meeting in Abu Dhabi next year,” concluded Ibrahim.
