Accor commits to environment for three years running

Accor commits to environmental protection for three years running

Accor has made great strides in protecting the environment and strengthening communities since the launch of its sustainable development program, Planet 21 in April 2012.

Accor’s New Zealand hotels have performed well through Planet 21 with the following results in 2014:

• 74% of 29 New Zealand hotels achieved Planet 21 Silver* status after having fulfilled at least 20 fundamental action items (up from 63% in 2013).

• Over 20 New Zealand hotels are ISO 14001 certified

• Over 20 New Zealand hotels participate in Tree for Survival – a local initiative brought about to coincide with Accor’s Plant for the Planet program

• Accor Hotels New Zealand and Fiji has been a key partner and keen supporter of Cure Kids since 2003. Accor and its employees have raised over $3 million dollars primarily through event fundraising

Planet 21, Accor’s global sustainable development programme, defines 21 specific commitments and quantifiable goals within these seven pillars of social, environmental and community investment actions: Health, Nature, Carbon, Innovation, Local, Employment and Dialogue. This commitment to sustainable development dates back to 1994, when the Group created a department charged with mitigating its hotels’ environmental impacts.

New Zealand’s Leadership in Sustainability

With 29 hotels across New Zealand, individual hotels are going above and beyond to implement unique initiatives to support Accor’s Planet 21 commitment. Some examples where New Zealand hotels are reducing waste include the making of marmalade from the orange skins left over from the juicing machine at Pullman Auckland; Novotel Queenstown’s honey making initiative from beehives kept on the hotel’s roof; and the making of feta cheese from the milk left over from the breakfast bar at Hotel St Moritz.

“Accor is proud of its commitment to Planet 21 and strives to minimize its environmental footprint while maximizing its corporate social responsibilities across all levels of hotel operations, and we are committed to hitting ambitious targets in 2015,” said Garth Simmons, Senior Vice President of Operations for Accor NZ, Fiji, Japan and Polynesia.

Regional Leadership in Sustainability

Highlights from Accor Asia Pacific Planet 21 achievements in 2014 include:

• 91% or more than 500 hotels achieved Planet 21 Bronze after having fulfilled at least ten fundamental action items (up from 80% in 2013).

• 97% of Asia Pacific hotels offer guests eco-labelled products

• More than 225,000 trees planted around ten sites in this region since 2008

With over 630 hotels in Asia Pacific, Accor is the largest international hotel operator in Asia-Pacific and has a long-standing commitment to promoting responsible development across 19 countries. Waste recycling is practiced in 86% of the hotels while 93% of Accor hotels ban endangered seafood products like shark’s fin and are progressing towards a total ban by 2015.

In terms of health, 97% of Asia Pacific hotels use eco-labelled products to minimise health and environmental impact and 89% of hotels organize disease prevention training for employees. There has been significant progress in the area of responsible food and beverage, with 97% of hotels offering healthy menu options (up from 87% in 2013 against a target of 80%) and 87% promoting locally-grown produce (up from 82% against a target of 70%).

A 2014 highlight is the formation of an Ethics and CSR Committee and the roll out of an Ethics and CSR Charter that focuses on management ethics, integrity and regulatory compliance, further strengthening Accor’s social and environmental responsibility.

On the 21st of April, also known as Planet 21 Day, Accor employees take part in various activities such as tree planting, beach cleanup and the creative reuse of waste in the form of handicraft and fashion apparel in favour of sustainable development. In recognition of its efforts, Pacific Asia Travel Agency (PATA) awarded Accor the prestigious PATA Gold Award for Corporate Environmental Programme in 2013 and 2014.

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS IN 2014

Water: - 5.6% in water consumption since 2011 (owned and managed hotels)

Accor, which serves 56 million breakfasts a year on average, embarked on a new collaborative venture withBridor, leader in bakery and pastry products, to reduce the environmental footprint of the baguettes and croissants. Improvements in the manufacturing process have enabled electricity and water consumption reduction by 10% and 30% consecutively in the last two years.

Energy: - 4.5% in energy consumption and – 3.8% in CO2 emissions since 2011 over the owned and managed hotel base

Through the Carbon Optimizer, B2B clients can reduce the carbon footprint of their meetings and conventions. This online tool calculates the carbon footprint of a convention based on the number of participants, the length of their stay and their catering choices. The client receives the carbon assessment together with an invitation to participate in Accor's reforestation projects.

Waste: almost 90% of all the Group's hotels recycle their waste

Hotels in many countries, including Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, participate in the "Soap For Hope" operation. The used soaps are collected then recycled by Diversey, Accor's main supplier of eco-label cleaning products, to be distributed to underprivileged communities.

HotelInvest commits to greener buildings

In 2014 the Group's asset management division strengthened its commitment to sustainable constructionwith building certification according to environmental and energy performance standards (LEED, BREEAM, HQE) for owned hotels built as of 2015. To date, 11 buildings have been certified in five countries, including Mercure Kraków City Center, the first BREEAM-certified hotel in Poland, which will open at end 2016. In addition, almost 300 Group hotels use renewable energy sources. The Olympic Park hotel complex in Sydney, Australia is equipped with electricity and hot water production systems that harness solar energy.

Plant For The Planet: More than 150 sites planted in 21 countries

In seven years, Accor has planted four million trees through a tower re-use programme and generated €13 million in laundry savings, of which half was reinvested in over 150 reforestation projects that helps finance reforestation or agro-forestry projects, addressing local issues.”

Accor will be submitting a very unusual resolution at its Shareholders Meeting on 28 April this year: the"Tree Resolution". The Group is hoping to bring shareholders on board to step up its Plant for the Planet program, with a commitment to plant 10 million trees looking to 2021.

*To encourage hotels to use Charter 21 – a framework for their sustainable development initiatives - Accor has developed a rating system with four levels – “Bronze”, “Silver”, “Gold” and “Platinum”. This helps to guide the hotels in deploying the recommended actions, starting with the more basic ones and then progressing gradually to the most complex. The hotel must be validated at each level before it can move on to the next.

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