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Water
2 | Advancing
Corporate Office
Minimise negative impacts and initiate positive impacts
Outcomes
By the end of this stage you will have achieved the following outcomes from the Pathway Framework:
Implementation of the policy.
- Water risk has been assessed and documented.
- Where water risk has been assessed as high, water stewardship goals have been determined.
- The status of initiatives and processes are tracked over time to show progress and there is a continuous plan for what should be implemented.
- New water-related solutions and initiatives have been investigated and strategic ones have been implemented.
Setting up for success
Take ownership
Identify owners across all key organisational teams
Implement a Sustainability Monitoring System (SMS) if not done already
Review and update governance procedures
Engage stakeholders
Review and engage stakeholders previously mapped, and identify any additional key external stakeholders in the value chain to engage with
Find other brands and management companies you can learn from
Establish a feedback mechanism for key stakeholders to comment on sustainability initiatives
Check whether there are any local, regional or national plans that could be aligned to support wider efforts
Understand impact & dependencies
1. Map water risks related to the portfolio of hotels and incorporate into existing risk management processes
2. Review procurement policies and criteria for water-related aspects and standards
3. Start to map out the products and services that you purchase or mandate through your standards which contribute to your water-related impacts the most
Set targets
4. Review and strengthen company targets, property-level targets for managed hotels, and suggested targets for franchised hotels. Include reducing water consumption and pollution and ensure strong goals are set for areas of high water risk
Take action
5. Review available guidance to identify additional relevant actions which increase water efficiency and reduce pollution of water, with a particular focus on high risk locations. You should include mitigation plans for water risks (aligned with highest standards in areas with high water-related risks) and company-level initiatives focused on water efficiency
6. Engage key suppliers to see what their commitments for water are, share the targets you have and how they can help you achieve them
7. Determine financial and non-financial resources needed, create a business case and gather required resources
Resource: Responsible Procurement Factsheet
8. Update procurement policies to include considerations for water and develop a supplier code of conduct
9. Update brand standards (and standard operating procedures, if set at corporate level) to better embed water stewardship
Resource: Environmental Management for Hotels (Section 1.6)
10. Raise employee awareness of environmental commitments, and their role in achieving them
11. Engage with customers and enable them to make more environmental choices
Reviewing & Reporting Progress
Monitor & Report
Conduct an external audit on key environmental and social data
Review progress by comparing against previous performance and industry benchmarks where available (such as CHSB). Repeat on a regular basis (e.g. monthly/quarterly)
Review benefits seen through actions
Review challenges encountered along the way and plan solutions to implement
Update leadership on progress
Create a revolving fund to reinvest savings from efficiency measures into new sustainability initiatives, if not done already
Inform corporate customers and investors of performance and activities by including information in communications and meetings
Publicly report progress against company targets on an annual basis
Share your case studies with us!
As hospitality companies progress towards Net Positive Hospitality, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is keen to share good news and best practice from across the industry. Our Net Positive case studies are shared across our website and LinkedIn, acting as a positive space to celebrate these actions, achievements, and commitments.
We invite hotels to get involved by sending case studies to press@sustainablehospitalityalliance.org and / or tagging @Net Positive Hospitality and @Sustainable Hospitality Alliance within LinkedIn posts relating to environmental sustainability or social responsibility.
Water - PDF Checklist
Download checklist
Click the link below to access a PDF checklist to use offline.
View our accompanying factsheets
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Test the outcomes of ESG solutions
The Net Positive Hospitality Simulation brings the Pathway to life, helping users understand the impacts of their decisions, test sustainability actions and create a tailored sustainability action plan.
3 | Accelerating - Neutralise negative impacts and build robust positive impacts
Ready to move on to the next stage?
Once you have completed Water – 2 | Advancing, you are ready to move on to 3 | Accelerating.
