Worldwide Hospitality Awards

BLU PLANET is an overarching initiative of Radisson Blu with a multi-purpose impact. The initiative does not only aim to reduce our hotel’s water consumption and carbon reduction, it also concentrates on community impact, both local and globally at an economic and social level.

BLU PLANET Program executive summary

Water is considered one of the biggest issues of the 21st century. Water use has been increasing at more than twice the rate of population increases in the last century. Experts predict that, by 2025, more than half the world’s population will be facing water-based vulnerability. Meanwhile tourism and hotels create an increase in water consumption, significantly impacting local water availability for the communities in which we operate.

BLU PLANET is an overarching initiative of Radisson Blu with a multi-purpose impact. The initiative does not only aim to reduce our hotel’s water consumption and carbon reduction, it also concentrates on community impact, both local and globally at an economic and social level.

BLU PLANET has:

• Increased towel reuse: Since 2015 more than 2.4 Million towels have been reused and guest engagement has increased the towel reuse by 10%.
• Provided safe drinking water directly to 15,000+ children in Kenya, Peru and India, in partnership with Just A Drop.
• Decreased the hotels’ water usage by an estimated 36 million liters since we launched the program.

• Improved hygiene and sanitation for more than 45,000 people by recycling and donating 1.7 tons of soap per hotel through Soap for Hope.
• Reduced emissions of the projects in India, Malawi and Guatemala by 378,000 CO2e per annum.
• Reduced our water intensity by 29% since 2007.

BLU PLANET principles     

Our purpose is to conserve and protect the earth’s priceless water supply by focusing on the following elements:

·         Towel Replacement in support of JUST A DROP

For every 250 towels that our guests reuse, Radisson Blu hotels give a donation to JUST A DROP – providing a child with safe drinking water for life.

• BLU PLANET Housekeeping

A housekeeping bypass initiative designed to help conserve resources like water and energy, resulting in a reduced environmental footprint.

• BLU PLANET for Meetings

All meetings and events at Radisson Blu hotels are guaranteed carbon-free through offsetting projects that also deliver safe drinking water.

• Soap for Hope (with Diversey)

Soap for Hope encourages our hotels to recycle their used soap to create fresh bars for distribution in local communities with limited access to hygiene and sanitation.

Discover more about these elements: www.radissonblu.com/bluplanet

General principles

• Community

As a global hospitality company, we try to make the relationship between our business and the communities where we operate beneficial to both.

•  Employees

Radisson Blu employees are trained in the mandatory Responsible Business training, which includes a module on BLU PLANET practices.

• Guests & clients

Involvement of all stakeholders is key to the success of BLU PLANET. Guests need to know what hotels are doing to reduce water consumption, and how they can participate in supporting the local communities.

Partnerships

Building sustainable relationships with partners is the foundation for success with BLU PLANET.

JUST A DROP partnership

JUST A DROP’s mission is to reduce child mortality by delivering accessible, clean, safe water where it is needed most.

BLU PLANET has provided more than 15,000 children in Kenya, Peru and India with clean drinking water for life, in support of JUST A DROP.

First Climate partnership

The carbon offset of BLU PLANET for Meetings happens in collaboration with First Climate, one of the largest carbon offsetting organizations in the world.

Our sustainability initiatives with First Climate help reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as:

• Restoring boreholes for clean water in Africa

• Providing cook stoves and water filters in South America

• Supplying biogas plants to sanitize water in Asia

Soap for Hope partnership

Developed in partnership with our global cleaning supplier, Diversey, our collaboration with Soap for Hope saves hundreds of lives, enhances livelihoods and protects the environment in emerging markets, where it is needed most.

Diversey provides soap recycling equipment, training on the process and coordinates the distribution to communities. Each hotel provides soap, shares in creating jobs and helping local communities.

Social impact of BLU PLANET   

The BLU PLANET initiative has a positive social impact on communities.

• Empowering women

Typically, the responsibility for walking miles to gather water falls on women. Through BLU PLANET, this time can now be spent earning money, or getting an education.

• Relieving poverty

It’s also been shown that without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene investments, countries grow poorer, losing on average 1.5% GDP a year.

Other social impacts include a reduced child mortality rate, improved disease control, and time saved in water collection – all of which boost the economic development of local communities.

By mobilizing our hotel teams, we are creating a wave of positive influence: starting with each employee’s individual actions, we build up a ripple effect of positive impact across the whole of the planet. BLU PLANET.