Pioneering sustainable luxury since 1995
Founded in 1995, Soneva was built on the belief that businesses should serve a greater purpose beyond generating shareholder returns. As a leader in sustainable luxury, Soneva is dedicated to combating climate change within the hospitality sector and restoring nature.
Since achieving carbon neutrality in 2012 – including both direct and indirect emissions, such as guest flights, which account for 80% of its carbon footprint – Soneva has continuously worked to minimise its environmental impact. While 20% of emissions stem from direct sources like electricity production, the company remains committed to eliminating them. A prime example is the extensive solar infrastructure at Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani, where a 5.2MWp solar PV system and 4.7MWh of battery storage now supply 40% of the resorts’ electricity needs. Additionally, villas are designed for natural ventilation, reducing reliance on air conditioning.
Located on remote Maldivian islands without municipal power, water, or waste facilities, Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani must operate their own utilities year-round. Traditionally, Maldivian islands rely on diesel generators, but in January 2024, Soneva expanded its solar capacity, resulting in a two-million-litre annual reduction in diesel consumption-cutting direct carbon emissions by 40%.
A holistic approach to carbon neutrality
Soneva’s carbon neutrality extends beyond its resorts to include Scope 3 emissions, such as freight and guest travel. To address emissions that cannot yet be eliminated, Soneva developed a self-sustaining carbon offsetting programme under the Soneva Foundation, initially funded by a 2% guest environmental levy on room revenue. This programme employs impact investing to generate revenue and recycle capital, ensuring long-term scalability.
In 2014, the Soneva Foundation launched the Myanmar Stoves Campaign, distributing 60,000 fuel-efficient cookstoves and improving the lives of 280,000 people. As Myanmar’s first Gold Standard-certified carbon project, it has directly mitigated over 350,000 tonnes of CO2 while generating more than $2.4 million in surplus funds. These funds have been reinvested into additional environmental initiatives, including:
- Planting 3 million trees in Mozambique, the Philippines, and Nepal.
- Planting 2.5 million mangroves in the Myanmar Mangroves Restoration Project, which generates high-quality carbon credits for reinvestment.
- Launching the Soneva Foundation Coral Restoration Programme in the Maldives with the largest coral restoration facility in the Indian Ocean, featuring both in-situ and ex-situ capabilities. The programme includes ‘assisted evolution’ techniques, which aim to cultivate climate-resilient corals that can thrive in warming oceans.
Looking ahead, overflow capital from carbon credit sales aims to create large-scale forest restoration with the goal to plant over 25 million trees – sequestering 10 million tonnes of CO2 and enhancing biodiversity.
Through bold sustainability initiatives, Soneva continues to set new standards for regenerative hospitality – proving that luxury and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.
Arnfinn Oines, Social & Environmental Conscience at Soneva, comments:
“Our Soneva Foundation was founded in 2010 and it’s a foundation that works on aiming to provide impact across environmental and social projects, also delivering financial returns that are invested back into the foundation to support more projects. The awards are nice recognition of our work, both at Soneva and the Soneva Foundation. It’s always nice to be recognised and we always try our best to drive sustainability and we see it as an integral part of how and why we do business.”
To find out more about the work of Soneva, visit soneva.com/sustainability-and-stewardship/.