CSR and Sustainability

🎓 Spanish-American chef José Andrés received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Jan. 4 for his humanitarian work with World Central Kitchen (WCK), presented by President Joe Biden at the White House. Andrés founded WCK after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the organization has since served over 450 million meals globally to communities impacted by disasters. WCK operates in locations such as Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Spain, Mayotte, and North Carolina. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrés converted his restaurants and the Nationals Park stadium into soup kitchens. In 2022, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

🍴 The Food Made Good Standard, designed for foodservice businesses, focuses on sustainability across three pillars: Sourcing, Society, and Environment. It addresses the foodservice industry's environmental impact, which includes significant food waste, water use, and carbon emissions. The standard also considers social implications due to the industry's extensive employment reach. As of now, 22 UK universities have achieved this certification, with expectations to expand in 2025.

🌎 Amid worsening climate and biodiversity crises, with growing customer concern and stricter global environmental legislation, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of codifying sustainability in governance and policies, encompassing both environmental and social impacts.

🌱 Responsible sourcing in hospitality requires focusing on the ethical and minimal impact sources, starting at the supply chain's beginning. Third-party certifications like Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, MSC blue tick, and organic certification help manage reputational and financial risks, especially with high-risk ingredients such as avocados, chillies, citrus, cocoa, coffee, nuts, palm oil, seafood, or soy. Certifications, while imperfect due to costs and admin barriers for small farmers, are still crucial for maintaining transparency, ensuring fair treatment of workers, avoiding greenwashing, and meeting customer demands for transparency.

🍷 Sustainable wine practices prioritize fair labor and social responsibility, with a focus on community well-being. Ania favors honest, passionate, often family-run vineyards over large corporations. Flat Earth Pizzas echoes this sentiment, valuing integrity, environmental respect, and minimal intervention, alongside supporting women winemakers. Candover Brook is highlighted for its community involvement, employing up to 60 people seasonally, aiming for increased local engagement. Smaller brands are associated with higher quality due to fewer stabilizers and additives compared to large-scale producers.

🍴 From 3rd to 9th March 2025, the UK charity Prept hosts the Prept. Showcase, which features seven culinary collaborations between top chefs and restaurants to fund food education for children. Events are scheduled at various UK restaurants, like 64 Degrees and etch., with prices ranging from £120 to £275 and £10pp donated to Prept. Optional wine pairings cost up to £90. Sponsors include Bragard, HexClad, and Ridgeview. Book at https://prept.foundation/showcase-2025/.

🏦 Caption by Hyatt Downtown Nashville – The Gulch opened in Nashville, Tennessee, offering 210 rooms, 2,200 square feet of meeting space, and Café Between—an all-day coffee and cocktail lounge. Developed by HRI Hospitality and C. B. Ragland Company, the hotel is managed by HRI Lodging, LLC, and includes a fitness center and spaces for socializing. The brand has also seen global expansion with openings in Osaka, Japan, and Shanghai, China, and anticipates future openings in Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan. The Nashville location embraces local culture with Nashville-inspired décor and technology like self-service check-in kiosks, digital keys, and streaming TV. Sustainability efforts include a rainwater harvesting system. HRI Hospitality co-owns the property with C.B. Ragland and Peachtree Group, designed by Hastings Architecture with interiors by Studio 11, constructed by JE Dunn.

📝 Equality in Tourism's Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award, in its third edition, was announced on International Women’s Day at ITB Berlin. The 2024 award honored Accor Brazil’s Embrace Program in Accommodation for aiding domestic abuse survivors and Eternal Landscapes Mongolia in Travel & Destinations for supporting female workforce development. NH Hotel Group was the runner-up. Applications for the 2025 award, aimed at advancing gender equality in tourism in line with UNWTO’s 2030 Agenda, close on January 20, 2025. Winners will be celebrated at ITB Berlin in March.

🏢 Chris Tucker became CEO of NEWH, Inc. and NEWH Canada, Inc. on November 1, 2024. She succeeds previous CEO Shelia Lohmiller, who is now Chair Emerita/Founder. Tucker, with over 35 years in interior design, also handed over her role as President of NEWH Canada, Inc. to Tara Witt. NEWH has over 30 chapters globally, has given $9.3 million in scholarships over 40 years, and was co-founded by Lohmiller in 1984. The headquarters remains in Shawano, Wisconsin, with Tucker operating from Toronto.

🌎 Preferred Travel Group launched its Climate Action Plan, partnering with the Travel Foundation to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050. The plan, building on the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, focuses on five key pathways: Measure, Decarbonize, Regenerate, Collaborate, and Finance. CEO Lindsey Ueberroth emphasizes travel's responsibility to the planet. In collaboration with ecollective, the company conducted a baseline emissions inventory, aligning objectives with global climate frameworks, and identified actions for practical implementation. By 2025, they aim to refine policies and engage associates to foster a sustainable culture, with a focus on Scope 3 emissions from business travel and events.