Happy Earth Day. We like to take this time to reflect on what's been done and what lies ahead in our sustainability journey. And a journey it has been - last year, we took a big step forward by appointing our first Sustainability Manager to guide our efforts forward – and with new properties opening up – we have even more on the horizon to look forward to. So as we gear up for another exciting year ahead, we wanted to share some of the positive changes we’ve made and what's on the agenda for the coming months.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We are fully committed to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aligning our efforts with these global benchmarks across all of our properties through the implementation of science-based targets. Furthermore, in compliance with new EU legislation (CSRD, CSDDD), we are working towards balancing our supply chain and aim to handle waste responsibly – we already have waste separation in each hotel.
Max Brown Missori
Looking forward, 2024 will be another big year for us. This year, at the opening of Max Brown Missori in Milan, we made initiatives to minimize its environmental impact and contribute positively to the community. We achieved this through refurbishing, re-using & up-cycling previous furniture and materials - plus donating to local charities such as Casa della Speranza.
EarthCheck Certified
We’re also happy to share that all of our hotels have been EarthCheck benchmarked, with the goal of being EarthCheck Certified this year – demonstrating that we are implementing a new energy management system across our portfolio. So far, Sir Victor, Park Centraal Amsterdam, and Den Haag have already earned EarthCheck Certified status, and we're continually developing our wider certification strategy to ensure best practices. Sustainability is a continuous improvement process, so the first step is to establish a robust baseline to measure progress from. We stay up-to-date on industry trends and best practices by paying attention to ESG and CSR policies from OTAs, airlines, and global innovations, as well as European directives. We work with hotels to continuously improve their sustainability efforts by providing training and staying abreast of what modern guests demand.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Sources
Additionally, we're prioritizing renewable and sustainable energy sourcing across all of our hotels – with 30% of our hotels already using energy from a renewable source*. Furthermore, we have introduced energy-saving and energy-efficient technology, like Lutron sensors, in the guest rooms at Ibiza's Sir Joan and we are moving towards solely using LED lighting at all our hotels.
Sir Cares and Charitable Organizations
And over at Sir Hotels, our Sir Cares charity initiative is continuing to give back to local communities and making a real impact right in our neighborhoods. This includes our partnership with charities such as the IbizaPreservation who protect the local environment of Ibiza. At Max Brown Hotels and Park Centraal Hotels, we've teamed up with Too Good to Go to actively cut down on food waste. Plus, you'll find the eco-friendly products of Zenology exclusively used in all our hotels.**
ESG Efforts
As part of our new Sircle Impact ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) and sustainability strategy, we’ve already participated in a park cleanup at Vondelpark in Amsterdam and have more activations planned this year. Including a canal cleanup on Earth Day in Amsterdam. It's an exciting start to many new projects that will lead our properties towards a more sustainable future.
Interested to know more? Check out our environmental responsibility page at https://sirclecollection.com/esg/
*information provided by energy contract data.
**Eco-friendly as described by product manufacturer.
