5th June 2023, UK: Hilton Birmingham Metropole has installed new measures to expand on its long-term sustainability programme, one that has already saved more than 400 tonnes of CO2 since 2014. The reduction in carbon emissions equates to taking more than 600 cars off the road and supports the venue’s ongoing work to reduce its environmental impact in line with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.
During the same period, the venue has reduced water usage by the equivalent of 29 swimming pools and lowered its energy usage enough to power 1,251 houses for a year.
The team has also introduced a number of supporting initiatives that will further reduce waste, including:
· The introduction of Creventa technology, digitizing event planning to manage food orders and stocking, leading to more precision sourcing and around 18% reduction in food waste*
· Working with Event Cycle, a business involved in rehousing event materials to worthy charities and NGO’s
· Repurposing of food waste to turn it into sustainable fuel and compost
· The segregation of waste streams in line with the hotel’s goal of zero waste to landfill
· These initiatives are in line with Hilton’s Travel with Purpose 2030 Goal to reduce food waste sent to landfill by 50%
In addition, the hotel has become one of the first hotels in the UK to adopt Klimato carbon labelling. A system that calculates and shares the carbon impact of dishes served at major events, putting power into the hands of both event organisers and delegates to choose more sustainable options.
The hotel’s success is measured by Hilton’s custom-built proprietary ESG management platform, LightStay, and ties in with Hilton’s broader Meet with Purpose program, which helps clients create meaningful change in both the attendee experience and within the communities they visit.
Hilton practices hospitality in more sustainable and impactful ways than ever before offerings clients the chance to:
· Neutralise their CO2 emissions at selected hotels, based on their Meeting Impact Calculator, by securing carbon credits that go towards carbon reduction projects.
· Contribute to Hilton’s food donation practices, which are available at hundreds of participating hotels globally, feeding more than 160,000 people each year.
“Green initiatives are not new to us, but our refurbishment helped us to build on our earlier work around sustainability, waste, and the environment,” said Nicola Underhill, General Manager, Hilton Birmingham Metropole. “This is something we take really seriously and we work with our guests to ensure we do all we can to reduce our impact. Our work is important to our hotel, but is fully supported through Hilton’s global Travel with Purpose 2030 goals, and our collective desire to advocate for responsible travel and tourism.”
The hotel, which is located in the heart of the NEC estate, has undergone an extensive refurbishment with inspiration taken from Birmingham’s rich heritage and locally sourced materials. All 6,000sqm of conference and event space has been refurbished, alongside more than 600 bedrooms. Three new dining concepts complete the project and provide new, versatile dining options for corporate guests.