SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
Hotel Solutions DMC Sustainability Policy 2024
(This document will be reviewed at an interval of 12 months)
Vision/mission/company ethos
Hotel Solutions DMC is a second-generation family business, specialising in venue sourcing, conferences, incentives and events. We believe in providing a creative and innovative approach to the management and delivery of your business events and travel on the island of Ireland which informs our mission and everything we do links into our core values (5 p’s) which are:
- Passion, Partnership, Professionalism, Proudly Irish, Delivered With A Personal Touch
Hotel Solutions DMC is aware that its business activities impact upon the environment and we are committed to alleviating those negative impacts and meeting the needs of this generation without compromising the needs for future generations.
UNWTO definition
At Hotel Solutions DMC, we believe that “sustainable tourism is tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities” (UNWTO, n.d.). We therefore aim to reduce our negative effects and increase our positive impacts.
Continuous improvement
Sustainability is a journey of continuous improvement, and we are aware that we still have a lot to learn. So far, we have undertaken a review of all aspects of our business and are committed to reducing our waste and energy consumption by separating and recycling as much of the waste produced as possible. We have upgraded our office lighting with low wattage LED replacements and our computer and office equipment are being replaced by low energy consuming alternatives.
Hotel Solutions DMC commit to responsibly achieving sustainable growth and performance through strong corporate governance and open dialogue with all our stakeholders. We will continue to strive for excellence in our business to reduce environmental impacts on our activities on and off site, and with a responsible management approach ensure sustainability initiatives form a core part of our corporate values.
Measuring and reducing negative impacts
4a. Energy consumption
We measure our electricity use at the electricity meter on the ground floor of the building every 2 months and reduce consumption by: replacing our lighting to LED lights (Min 5% replacement each year), electrical and computer equipment when being upgraded are replaced with energy efficient replacements. We switch off appliances when not in use and have the automatic timer set to its shortest setting for the lights in our bathrooms and ancillary offices. Our energy supplier is Energia one of Ireland Greenest energy providers and were awarded the winner’s trophy for The Green Energy Provider Award at the Green Awards for 2019 and 2020.
We aim to reduce our consumption by 10% and record measurements on an excel spreadsheet sheet on our company server.
4b. Water consumption
We measure our water use quarterly when we receive our water meter bill from Irish Water and reduce consumption by: using the dishwasher the eco setting and instead of handwashing kitchen utensils and encouraging the staff to reuse their coffee mug for the entire day not for 1 coffee break and have installed aerators/ low flow tap heads on all out taps in the building to reduce the amount of water used. We aim to reduce our consumption by 10% and record measurements on an excel spreadsheet sheet on our company server.
4c. Waste production
We measure our waste production at the warehouse door in the office weekly and reduce waste by: separating our waste and putting them into designated bins. We recycle as much waste produced as possible, our cardboard waste is broken up and paper waste is all shredded to reduce space used in the bin to decrease the amount of lifts needed annually. We aim to reduce our consumption by 10% and record measurements on an excel spreadsheet sheet on our company server.
Ethical purchasing
At Hotel Solutions DMC we are committed to reducing our consumption and buying only what we really need. We purchase our office materials from local companies who supply recycled products and paper. These companies also have a strong commitment to a sustainability policy. We purchase products in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging and the energy used for deliveries and always give preference to certified products where possible.
Carbon offsetting
At Hotel Solutions DMC we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible and to offsetting the remainder with a trusted partner. We are currently working with South Pole to offset our emissions. We prioritise reducing our impact first by using renewable energy suppliers to power our business premises and recycling and reducing our waste and global impact when we can. We support the Rwanda Safe Community Water Supply and donate to it annually to offset the emissions we cannot avoid to produce.
Responsible sustainability marketing
We know that it is important to communicate our efforts in an honest way. We are aware of the risk of greenwashing, and we therefore commit to not over claim when we communicate our efforts globally. We know we can’t always get things right first time. We therefore commit to honestly communicating where we are on our journey and our improvements.
Social responsibility/ Supporting Biodiversity
We are supporting community initiatives through our membership of SITE Global (Society of Incentive Travel Excellence) the Irish chapter has recently been become a silver sponsor in partnership with Grown Forest (www.grownforest.ie) to date have planted 2 Oak trees in our name and 10 other National Woodland species in their name. Hotel Solutions DMC are going to support this initiative directly by purchasing Native Irish Trees.
Hotel Solutions DMC have signed up to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2021-2025 have reached out to a local school to help raise awareness in the local community about a pollination program and are hoping to sponsor a project this year.
Signed by: Stuart Thornton
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Director
05/01/2024