To remain up to date amidst a changing landscape of climate action, HCMI has been reviewed and improved based on user feedback and research by Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research. This version has been updated to align with the latest GHG Protocol guidance and to better incorporate renewable energy with the support of Greenview. Publicly available carbon emissions factors have also been added into the tool to make it more accessible to all.
HCMI has been the only industry-recognised carbon calculation methodology for over ten years. The methodology is used widely across the industry by over 30,000 hotels including those of Hyatt, Marriott International, Radisson Hotel Group and Scandic, and some business travel platforms.
In addition, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance announce that the use of HCMI is supported by leading industry organisations including World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), who will incorporate it into the guidance they give to the industry and corporate travel managers. The methodology has also been recognised at the governmental level, with data based on it used in the UK government’s greenhouse gas reporting calculator. It also supports users of the One Planet Network’s Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism.
Free for all the industry, HCMI generates robust, comparable data which can be used to inform buyer decision-making, in addition to helping hotels track their carbon reduction progress. The methodology applies to all hotels, large or small, regardless of amenities offered. It can be built into existing systems or used as a stand-alone tool, by those without their own systems, making HCMI accessible to every hotel in the world.
Alongside HCMI, the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) and the Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology (HWMM) are available to help hotels provide consistent and transparent data on their water and waste footprints. All three methodologies are used in the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking index (CHSB), the largest industry initiative of its kind which enables hotels and their customers to benchmark sustainability performance.
HCMI originally developed by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and WTTC in collaboration with 23 leading global hospitality companies, and reviewed by external experts including the World Resources Institute (WRI).
“With sustainability rightly becoming an increasingly important focus for the industry and their guests, clients, investors and suppliers, it is vital that the industry has the tools to measure and monitor their impact, and can be accurately recognised for their progress. We therefore all need to be speaking the same language by using consistent and robust methods and we are proud to be updating HCMI which will enable everyone to focus on minimising negative impacts and accelerate action towards net positive hospitality for people and planet.” said Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and ICHRIE announce agreement to advance sustainability in the hospitality industry
Also, an agreement between the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) was announced at the Alliance’s Net Positive Summit in London. This partnership combines the Alliance’s sector-specific expertise and industry leadership with ICHRIE’s reach among the academia and hospitality student community. The agreement will see the two organisations collaborate on the development of research to support the people and planet innovation needs of hospitality industry, and the sharing of key learnings from within and beyond the sector.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together leading hospitality companies and strategic partners to address key challenges affecting the planet and its people. The organisation has a long history of supporting education within the hospitality industry. This includes providing guidance and trainings to improve the environmental impact of hotels and promote ethical recruitment and human rights within the industry. They have also run an employability programme for over 15 years which provides skills training and experience to disadvantaged people to enable them to build a successful future in the hospitality industry.
ICHRIE provides programs and services to continually improve the quality of global education, research, service and business operations in the hospitality and tourism industry. They are active in supporting ethical and progressive action and improvement of global hospitality and tourism education and research.
Glenn Mandziuk said: “In order to make our ambition of net positive hospitality a reality, it will require the commitment and engagement of every person involved in the hospitality industry. Therefore, it’s crucial that we are increasing awareness and education with every employee – and future employee – to ensure the sustainability is fully embedded within our daily activities as well as strategic plans. This partnership with ICHRIE will help to ensure that sustainability continues to be an integral part of quality global hospitality and tourism education and research.”
Dr. Ralf Burbach, President, ICHRIE, Head of Hospitality Management Discipline, School of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Technological University, Dublin, Ireland, said: “We are very pleased to be an official knowledge partner of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. This partnership is especially important at a time when sustainability is so critical to our businesses and our lives. This partnership will allow the hospitality industry and education to work together to foster research and to promote this agenda among the over 120,000 students represented by our ICHRIE member schools.”
