MCLEAN, Va. — Hilton has committed to cutting its environmental footprint in half and double its social impact investment by 2030 — becoming the first major hotel company to institute science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions.
The company has also committed to doubling the amount it spends with local and minority-owned suppliers, as well as its investment in programs to help women and youth around the world. These goals are part of Hilton’s Travel with Purpose corporate-responsibility strategy to further the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
“For nearly 100 years, Hilton has been driven by our mission to have a positive impact on the communities surrounding our hotels,” says Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton, and chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council. “In this Golden Age of Travel, we are taking a leadership role to ensure that the destinations where travellers work, relax, learn and explore are vibrant and resilient for generations of adventurers yet to come.”
In April, Nassetta joined Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to engage travel and tourism industry leaders in a “common agenda” to take action on climate change, implement the Paris Climate Agreement and adopt science-based targets to reduce carbon emissions.
Hilton’s new 2030 Goals include:
• Reducing carbon emissions intensity by 61 per cent, in line with the Paris Climate Agreement and approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)
• Reducing water consumption and produced waste by 50 per cent
• Removing plastic straws from managed properties
• Sustainably sourcing meat, poultry, produce, seafood and cotton
• Expanding existing soap recycling program to all hotels and sending zero soap to landfill
• Doubling the amount spent with local, small and minority-owned suppliers
• Doubling investment in opportunity programs for women and youth, including partnering with local organizations and schools
• Contributing 10-million volunteer hours through team member initiatives
• Doubling monetary support for natural disaster relief efforts
• Advancing Human Rights capabilities in Hilton’s value chain to eradicate forced labor and trafficking
“Companies play an integral role in solving our climate crisis,” said Sheila Bonini, SVP, Private-Sector Engagement, World Wildlife Fund. “By committing to significant intensity emissions reductions based on science, Hilton is setting in motion a plan that will have ripple effects across the hospitality industry while providing more sustainable options for travellers.”
