The theme of this year's Earth Day is "Restore Our Earth", and it's all about reducing our environmental footprint. Making planet-friendly purchasing decisions for your hotel can go a long way towards reducing impacts, while showcasing your commitment to guests. From straws to coffee cups, your hotel has an abundance of biodegradable alternatives for more responsible purchasing. Wondering where to start? Let's take a closer look.
Eco-friendly purchasing is as simple as choosing products that are made with both ethics and the environment in mind. Putting a sustainable purchasing policy in place is an important first step. Setting clear goals, accompanied by measurable targets, can help your property make meaningful changes.
The key to a good policy is to keep it simple. Getting started is easier than you think. Make a shopping list of all the common items that you buy like paint, office supplies, light bulbs, cleaning supplies, food containers, guest papers and amenities. Next, determine what your hotel values most in terms of green goals. Things like reducing landfill waste, protecting air and water quality or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, identify sustainability standards for each item on your list. Using third-party certifications can help you make choices that align with your goals. Here is a great example you can draw from as you draft your sustainable purchasing policy.
Once you have your policy in place, ask your staff to follow it when making purchase decisions for their departments. You’ll also want a way to track your performance and make improvements where you fall short of your expectations. One of the best ways to educate is to live by example, so don’t forget to share your commitments on your website and social media. That is how we change the world.
In honour of Earth Day we invite you to consider switching now and getting a head start on your new eco-friendly purchasing commitments.
