The world’s leading Bedbank, Hotelbeds has announced that it has been certified for the second consecutive year as a Carbon Neutral Organisation by Cabon Fooprint Ltd, an independent body that accredits carbon management measurements and best practices for businesses, by offsetting companies CO2 emissions.
This impressive official recognition reflects Hotelbeds’ pledge towards reducing its environmental impact and ensures long-term sustainability by offsetting its carbon emissions generated in the last two years.
As business travel being one of Hotelbeds’ larger carbon emissions factor, keeping that in mind the company created a programme during 2018 whereby a small fee is charged per business flight taken by employees. This money is then used to finance the carbon neutral project and also forms part of a desire to persuade a reduction in travel and increase company and employee awareness around the importance of carbon offsetting.
The funds raised in 2018 out of this programme were donated to the Portel-Para Deforestation Project, which is located within Brazil’s Amazon, the largest remaining rainforest on our planet, to prevent unplanned deforestation.
For 2019 Hotelbeds has decided to give the funds to the Renewable Energy Project in India, that manages the installation of solar panels in the country, ensuring energy security, diversification of energy sources and sustainable development in the generation of electricity in India.
For this accreditation process, carbon emission calculations, including energy and paper consumptions, waste management, business travel and water supply, were completed by Hotelbeds, using metrics devised by Carbon Footprint Ltd, the sustainability experts.
Carbon Footprint Ltd has also effectively completed a verification of the carbon footprint assessment for Hotelbeds Group. This included spot-checking source data from across the group as well as reviewing the overall methodology.
Teresa Laso, who leads Corporate Sustainability at Hotelbeds, says: “We are proud to have been certified a Carbon Neutral Organisation for a second consecutive year as it underscores our sustainable business outlook.”
“As leaders in the travel industry we wanted to be at the forefront of environmental consciousness, inspiring both other companies and even individual travelers, reducing what we can and offsetting the rest.”
About Hotelbeds
Hotelbeds provides over 180,000 hotels across the globe with access to high-value, complementary distribution channels that considerably enhance occupancy rates and optimise RevPAR – whilst not competing with the hotelier’s direct distribution strategy.
Hotelbeds does this by offering hoteliers access to a network of over 60,000 hard-to-access B2B travel buyers like tour operators, retail travel agents, airline websites, and loyalty schemes in over 140 source markets worldwide.
Besides accommodation, Hotelbeds is also the world’s largest B2B seller of travel ancillaries, offering 24,000 transfer routes and 18,000 activities, as well as attractions, tickets and car hire. Operating under the ‘Beyond the
The company has its headquarter in Palma, Spain and has around 5,000 employees across over 60 offices worldwide.
