Businesses can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the challenges posed by climate change and the international call to action which continues to flood our media. There is evidence that mankind faces some of the toughest challenges of all time in the next century. As key stakeholders in the Travel and Tourism Industry the Eaton Hotel Hong Kong recognises the challenges faced by climate change and is committed to minimizing the impact that its operations have on both the environment and local communities.

As an environmentally conscious hotel the Eaton Hotel Hong Kong has aligned itself with EC3 Global who conducts the Green Globe programme. EC3 Global is an international management and advisory group wholly owned by the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC), the world’s largest dedicated research centre specialising in sustainable tourism. The STCRC is owned by 17 Australian Universities & Institutes who direct research funds and activities towards sustainable tourism. EC3 is globally focused and currently operates in over 50 countries worldwide. The company is the only international benchmarking and certifying programme for the Travel and Tourism Industry based on Agenda 21 Principals for Sustainable Development. EC3 Global administers the Green Globe programme that provides a framework for organisations to achieve desired outcomes for sustainable operations. The standards are also designed to assist organizations, communities, and developments to become environmentally responsible.

The Green Globe operations programme is underpinned by the Company Standard which consists of six interrelated stages, all aimed at ensuring the company achieves sustainability.

Policy
The organisation must have a written Environmental and Social Sustainability Policy that addresses the scope and extent of the organisation’s operations and the existing and potential environmental and social impacts relative to its location, the sensitivity of the local environment and the nature and scale of the services provided.

Benchmarking
The organization must regularly record the level of impact of its activities, and keep records for at least three years. Organisations benchmark their environmental and social performance annually against the Green Globe Sector Benchmarking Indicators and must achieve Green Globe Benchmarking above baseline performance for all indicators. This data is then submitted to Green Globe for assessment using the online Benchmarking software.

Compliance
The organisation must know and understand all relevant environmental, public, occupational health and safety, hygiene and employment legislation pertaining to its operations. As well as this the organisation must comply with other requirements, such as cultural/heritage/archaeological legislation to which the organisation is obliged to adhere.

Approach
The approach is the way in which an organisation commits to and manages their environmental and social sustainability performance. The approach must enable an organization to meet the objectives of the sustainability policy and address actual and potential risks identified by a risk assessment.

Performance
This monitors the organisation’s environmental and social performance. It provides a framework to assist operators improve their sustainability and achieve best practice in the 10 Green Globe Key Performance Areas.

Key Performance Areas:
• Greenhouse gas emissions
• Energy efficiency, conservation and management
• Management of freshwater resources
• Ecosystem conservation and management
• Management of social and cultural issues
• Land use planning and management
• Air quality protection and noise control
• Waste water management
• Solid waste management
• Storage of environmentally harmful substances

Communication
This details the requirements for the organization to communicate their environmental and social commitment, goals and objectives to all interested parties.