Environment – environment

Sustainable tourism

At Arp-Hansen Hotel Group, we work to promote sustainable tourism with the least possible environmental impact.

We show our commitment through strategic focus areas and the use of a wide range of environmental certifications. In addition, our suppliers and partners must also commit to fulfulling our sustainability principles – just as our employees do, as it promotes the right mindset.

UN Sustainable Development Goals 8 & 12 as benchmarks

In particular, we work according to two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as it is through these that we can create the greatest possible impact. These are Goal 8 (Decent Jobs and Economic Growth) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Goal number 8 concerns decent jobs and economic growth. Quite simply, it is an integral part of our DNA that we treat our employees properly and that we always strive for development. Target 12 concerns responsible consumption and production. This is the very core of sustainability, and an area where we can positively influence all parts of the value chain – from production, transport and warehousing to packaging and disposal.

Strategic focus areas

More specifically, we have five strategic focus areas where we have a good data base that enables us to see the major impact we have. For example, by changing containers for soap, shampoo and lotions, we can eliminate the use of 1,350,000 million containers annually. The five focus areas are:

• Waste sorting
• From small plastic containers to larger containers
• 'Do not clean' signs on rooms
• Increased focus on organic procurement
• Further reduction of food waste

Environmental certifications as concrete tools

As a supplement to the Sustainable Development Goals – and as a natural part of our procurement strategy – we work with a number of eco-labels and certifications. On a concrete level, they commit us to implementing measurable actions, so we can see whether the things we do create the desired effect.

We work with certifications in three areas. One defines the things we do ourselves – and the certificates we have received through our own actions. The second defines our procurement strategy. The third is about our suppliers and their certifications.

Our work with environmental certifications is part of our overall procurement strategy to ensure and support a constant focus on sustainable procurement. The certifications are subject to ongoing evaluation so that we can ensure the best possible effect, including the use of as simple and usable a system as possible.

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel and the EU Ecolabel

The labels set strict environmental requirements in all phases of a product’s life cycle, including tough requirements for chemicals. Wherever possible, we use products that have at least one of these labels.