Many companies preach about sustainability, but how many practice it to the T? ITC Hotels considers it the Holy Grail that encompasses every aspect of its business model to positively impact profit, people and the planet.
Nakul Anand, Executive Director at ITC Ltd stated that ITC Hotels’ commitment to various aspects of ‘Responsible Luxury’ resonates through all its initiatives. “This is right from the choice of material, design, layout, showcasing Indian art and artists through public spaces at all our properties, the WelcomJawan programme, our intense focus on revival of heritage foods through India’s back stories and making ‘Local’ a big part of our cuisine philosophy. Today, as the world recognises the power of high immunity diet, we have always integrated seasonal ingredients and low carbon footprint and healthy foods in our offering, thereby creating economic benefits for providers of local produce.”
Continuous efforts in the areas of energy conservation and efficiency, renewable energy and green buildings have put the brand in a league of its own. It is the first hotel chain globally with LEED Platinum premium luxury hotels, the highest rating awarded by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). While ITC Windsor is the only hotel worldwide certified with LEED Zero Carbon Certification, ITC Sonar has earned carbon credits under the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism, becoming the first hotel to bag this distinction. ITC Kohenur and ITC Grand Chola are 5-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) certified properties.
BUNDLE OF ENERGY
Energy efficiency forms the bedrock of the brand’s property design and construction. This explains how all ITC Hotels and Welcomhotels meet 57% of their electrical consumption through renewable sources, while several properties fully operate on renewable electrical energy.
Practices like rainwater harvesting, solar heating, room automation, 100% usage of recycled water, food waste composting and biogas generation are par for course. Moreover, unique temperature control and air-conditioning standards for HVAC and systems for thermal, water management as well as building management has helped enhance its performance efficiencies, while contributing to a lowered carbon footprint.
ITC Maurya is the world’s first LEED Platinum certified hotel in the ‘Existing Building’ category
The hotel chain has implemented innovative carbon mitigation programmes including installing the first onsite Paraboloid Solar Concentrator with 320 sqm reflective area at ITC Maurya in 2011 to address its thermal requirements (steam and hot water). In fact, its premium hotels use around 35% less energy than the USEPA benchmark for large size luxury hotels.
WANT NOT, WASTE NOT
In line with ITC’s commitment to achieve zero effluent discharge by treating or recycling all waste, it has set benchmarks to achieve 100% waste recycling. To achieve this, waste is segregated at source and
more than 99% of total solid waste is either reused or recycled through various recycling programmes.
All properties have an Organic Waste Converter to convert organic waste into manure. Additionally, wet
garbage is also converted into manure through the brand’s ‘Wealth to Waste’ programme. Bio-Methanation plants installed at many properties generate biogas, which the kitchens use for cooking purposes.
2.5 lakh kg single-use plastic was generated at ITC’s luxury hotels every year. The key contributors included 150 lakh water bottles, 15 lakh straws, 8 lakh stirrers, 8 lakh toothbrushes, 7 lakh earbuds and 3 lakh shoe shine.
To mitigate this consumption, it now procures more than 75% paper, stationery and wood from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified suppliers, preferring local vendors.
Taking giant strides in sustainability, ITC Hotels ha emerged as the poster child for going green in the hospitality industry. It has dissected the intricacies of eco-friendly practices to adopt a stage-by-stage approach for all its business processes. In doing so, it has not only made going green convenient for its guests, but also the norm.
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