Meliá Hotels International launched ‘The planet we love’, a project it has been working on with Climatetrade, wherein members of the MeliáRewards loyalty programme can now exchange points for carbon credits certified by the United Nations to support a selection of projects in developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This represents a major step forward in the company’s commitments to the environment and the transition to a low-carbon economy. The company claimed to be the first hotel company globally to offer its loyalty programme members the chance to become directly involved in compensating their carbon footprint through the purchase of carbon credits to assign to certified and guaranteed projects.
MeliáRewards members can participate directly on melia.com, where they can choose either of two projects selected by the company. The first is a project in Brazil to reduce methane emissions and transform the gas into non-polluting energy for thousands of homes at risk.
The second, endorsed by AENOR and developed by Acciona, aims to promote new sustainable water and energy infrastructure to benefit more than 700,000 homes in Mexico, avoiding the emission of more than 670,000 tons of CO2, equivalent to the photosynthesis carried out by 33 million trees.
Meliá has worked on the project with Climatetrade, a Spanish fintech company and leader in carbon-credit management, which helps companies achieve carbon neutrality by offsetting emissions with a large number of certified environmental projects, applying blockchain technology to guarantee the transparency and trackability of the entire process.
Gabriel Escarrer, Executive VP and CEO, Meliá Hotels International said, “The involvement of customers in our environmental commitments through this project is a new step forward in the integration of our environmental, social and governance criteria value chain, leading the company to aim to reduce emissions by 51% before 2035.”
To achieve this, Meliá is working in different areas such as the acquisition of electricity from renewable sources, the measurement and reduction of waste and the application of artificial intelligence to improve its management and control systems. The launch of ‘The planet we love” also responds to a commitment to encourage responsible behaviour among its stakeholders, such as measures to ensure the efficient and responsible use of water.
Meliá operates more than 390 hotels (portfolio and pipeline) throughout 40 countries, with brands including Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá, Meliá Hotels & Resorts, INNSiDE by Meliá, Sol by Meliá and TRYP by Wyndham. Its commitment to responsible tourism led the group to become the third most sustainable hotel company in the world in 2018, according to RobecoSam, the investment company that produces the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
