A panel discussion on ESG in hospitality sector at Hotel Show in Dubai
On the opening day of the Hotel Show at the Dubai World Trade Centre on May 24, Nadia Ibrahim, Farnek’s Associate Director of Sustainability, emphasised the company’s smart and green facilities management credentials in a panel discussion.
As part of the session, Sustainable Procurement which is a 360° overview of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) compliant procurement, Ibrahim outlined the importance of ensuring in procurement by highlighting, amongst other factors, the importance of responsible sourcing.
“We work with many clients and manage more than 2,000 suppliers, so ESG is an integrated and integral part of our corporate values. We ensure that we responsibly procure products and services on behalf of our clients, suppliers, and employees while recognising and awarding those committed to ESG practices,” said Nadia Ibrahim.
Additionally, Ibrahim also outlined the importance of the tourism and hospitality sector adopting a net-zero strategy, to impact climate change in a positive way and meet the environmental demands of various stakeholders that also includes customers.
Besides Ibrahim, other members of the panel included members from Accor, Kerten Hospitality, Premier Inn Middle East, and the consultancy AESG.
The discussion shed light on how companies have currently become more responsible for their sourcing and how within that, ESG has become a key element of every department and division within the hotel sector. The panel also noted on how the traditional role of procurement officers have now become one of the key drivers of sustainability though it was agreed that there was still some more work to be done in this sector.
Farnek had recently unveiled a roadmap to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, in line with the UAE’s strategic initiative, announced in October last year. Using 2021 as a baseline, Farnek says its consultants have already identified the scope and boundaries to accurately measure its carbon footprint.
In addition to building performance, which includes energy and water consumption, Farnek also considers employee travel, logistics, purchased goods and services, and waste disposal, while focusing on recycling, renewables and other lower-carbon alternatives.
Ibrahim believes that transparency, gauging progress and making adjustments will be important factors to the success of achieving net-zero ambitions by the company. She is confident that within the next five years, they will reduce their consumption of electricity, water, refrigerants and fuel by 30 pc, waste by 10 pc and lower emissions associated with purchased goods and services by 5 pc.
In 2031 Farnek’s objective was to decrease its emissions in these categories by up to 50 pc, and by 2048 its carbon footprint to 90 pc overall.
Farnek has been the preferred partner in the Middle East for Green Globe Certification, the premier worldwide sustainability management system and certification for the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. Additionally, the company has also developed an in-house, online solution called Optimizer which can carry out and benchmark total energy, water and waste audit for building owners and managers.
At the Hotel Show, Farnek is showcasing its dedicated standalone hotel management company, ‘Trendz’, that offers a unique 360° service for hotel owners and operating companies, with a focus on sustainability, technology and outsourcing, three of the most important trends in hospitality today.
In addition, Farnek’s digital section’s in-house app called ‘Flexi-Guest’, which digitalises the guest journey from pre-arrival to check out and ‘HITEK’, will also be showcased.
HITEK is able to integrate with Building Management Systems (BMS), and is fully equipped to identify, design, deliver, and finance energy reduction for and on behalf of building owners, creating more cost-effective buildings and a cleaner environment. The Hotel Show ends today.
