For the NH Hotel Group, environmental sustainability drives innovation, seeking to surprise our guests as well as achieving efficiencies in the use of natural resources, particularly water and energy. In our responsible commitment to the Planet, we work to minimise our impact on Climate Change, increase the efficiency of resources and develop more sustainable services. All this minimises our environmental footprint with responsible consumption of natural resources.
Continuity was given to the environmental achievements of recent years in 2019. Thus, compared to 2007, per Average Daily Room energy consumption has been reduced by 31%, water consumption by 23% and our carbon footprint by 61%. NH Hotel Group is committed to renewable energy, which reduces its carbon footprint. This consumption of green energy, certified as renewable, is available in 99% of our consolidated hotels in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg, covering 67% of the total electricity consumed in Europe.
NH Hotel Group works with the ISO 14.001 environmental management system and ISO 50.001 for energy efficiency in accommodation, catering, meetings and events. In total, the Company has 149 individual sustainability certifications in hotels such as BREEAM, LEED, Green Key, Hoteles+Verdes, ISO 14.001 Environmental Management System and/or ISO 50.001 Energy Management System. These environmental certifications are internationally recognised (ISO 14.001 and ISO 50.001) and those from the hotel sector itself such as Hoteles+Verdes and Green Key are recognised by the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council). The NH Hotel Group has reported its commitment to and strategy against climate change to CDP Climate Change since 2010 and received a B in its annual ranking.
It is also noteworthy that, in 2019, the NH Hotel Group became the first Spanish hotel company to establish emission reduction targets that are scientifically validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – a leading alliance in the promotion of the business sector against climate change in which CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute and World Wide Fund for Nature are a part. With this formalisation, the NH Hotel Group is committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 20% throughout its value chain before 2030. This objective marks the Company’s roadmap towards a significant reduction in its activity’s carbon footprint in the coming years, aligned with the purpose set in the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in the global temperature to less than 2ºC, and join the efforts that are being made globally towards the transition to a low carbon economy.