AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator, is aiming to finance the planting of 10 million trees by 2021 under its pioneering Plant for the Planet programme.
As Earth Day 2016 (22 April) focuses on its plan to plant 7.8 billion trees by 2020, AccorHotels has reaffirmed its commitment to tree planting across the globe with this new, extended target. The Plant for the Planet programme, which is financed by money saved when guests choose to reuse towels rather than send them to be washed, has funded more than 4.5 million trees to date since its inception in 2009.
In the UK, the programme has funded the planting of over 43,000 trees across 41 farms since 2013. The UK programme also supports sustainable tree planting and agroforestry, focusing on schemes planting trees in smart ways which maximise their impact. Its aim is to cut costs, raise yields and improve the environment, promoting sustainable food production and nurturing links between hotels, guests and farms.
Plant for the Planet has been developed globally in partnership with Pur Projet, an expert in developing community forestation projects. The Woodland Trust manages the programme in the UK, with help from the Soil Association and Organic Research Centre.
Thomas Dubaere, Managing Director, AccorHotels UK and Ireland commented: “Plant for the Planet is an important part of our sustainability programme which simultaneously helps to cut our energy and water consumption and supports organic and low-impact farmers. Through our UK agroforestry projects, some of the farmers are literally beginning to see the fruits of their labour with trees planted under the programme now producing apples, for example.”
With the programme’s focus on sustainable farming, the choice of tree is vital to the success of each project. Planting of diverse native tree and hedge species helps in pest, disease and weed control and agrobiodiversity in any given site, therefore supporting the balance of nature.
Planet 21
Plant for the Planet is part of AccorHotels’ Planet 21 sustainable development programme. In five years, the programme has seen AccorHotels cut water consumption by nearly 9%, energy consumption by 5.3% and carbon emissions by 6.2%.
The hotel group just last week renewed its sustainable development commitments. Planet 21 [2016-2020] is structured into four areas of action enlisting its employees, customers, partners and local communities. The programme includes targets to reduce food waste in AccorHotels restaurants by 30 per cent and support urban agriculture with the creation of 1,000 vegetable gardens in its hotels.
Arnaud Herrmann, VP, Sustainable Development, AccorHotels, commented: “Earth Day has set the whole world a challenge of planting 7.8 billion trees by 2020 and I am proud to say that AccorHotels is doing its part. Currently we are planting an average of a tree every minute and we aim to plant 10 million trees globally by 2021. Plant for the Planet, like the wider Planet 21 programme, is designed to bring benefits to our guests, our supply chain, the communities we operate in and the environment. It creates the opportunity for individuals to take action and drive change toward positive hospitality, wherever we are in the world.”