Accor, the global leader in hospitality and committed to sustainable development, announces that 7 hotels in Brazil have been awarded the Green Key socio-environmental certification, making them the first in the country to be awarded the label. The list includes ibis Maringá in Paraná, ibis budget Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul, ibis Styles Barra Funda, Pullman Vila Olímpia, Grand Mercure Vila Olímpia, ibis Budget Paraíso and Pullman Guarulhos Airport, both in São Paulo.
Earlier this year, Accor announced its partnership with the global associations Green Key and Green Globe, both of which have their standards recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). These certification programs evaluate businesses on the four pillars of sustainability: sustainable management, environmental impacts, cultural impacts and socio-economic impacts, confirmed by an independent third-party audit of hotel practices.
With more than 4,400 certified establishments in 60 countries, Green Key is the leading seal of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism and hospitality industry. In Brazil, the program is coordinated by Instituto Ambientes em Rede (IAR - in a free translation, Networked Environments Institute). The certification process proposes a large number of criteria, divided into 13 main themes that address aspects related to environmental management, energy conservation, waste management, water conservation, among other sustainable practices.
Achieving the first Green Key certification in Brazil is recognition of Accor and its hotels' commitment to environmentally responsible practices, efficient resource management and social responsibility. With the certification, the units appear on the map of globally certified hotels on the ‘Green Key Sites’ and then also on the other websites of the OTAs linked to the Green Key program.
Antonietta Varlese, SVP of Sustainability and Communications Accor Americas - Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, comments on the Accor Group's progress in its commitment to sustainable transformation. "Accor has been committed to sustainable development for many years. In 2020, we established our commitment to contribute to zero carbon emissions globally by 2050 and to reduce our absolute emissions by 46% (Scope 1 and 2) and 28% (Scope 3) by 2030. By encouraging the sustainable certification of our hotels, we guarantee the transparency and reliability of our actions for investors, clients and other stakeholders, reducing risks and increasing the performance of our hotels."
Leana Bernardi, national coordinator of Green Key, comments on this great achievement of the program. "We firmly believe that efforts to reduce the hotel industry's environmental footprint play a crucial role in preserving our country's natural beauty. We are seeing a growing interest among tourists, managers of tourist establishments and public authorities in this direction. Motivated by this growing demand, we decided to relaunch Green Key in Brazil, promoting sustainable practices throughout the industry. As well as being an indicator of the institutions' commitment to sustainability, the program responds proactively to the growing demand from conscious tourists who are looking for accommodation options with environmental, social and responsible values.”
Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Director of Green Key, adds: “I'm very happy to have the first Green Key certified hotels in Brazil, which serve as a model for other hotels in the country and in the Americas region that want to join the program.”