PATA in partnership with global travel and tourism sector launches a Net Zero methodology
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has partnered with Greenview, a global sustainable hospitality consultancy, to make the hospitality sector comply with a new net zero methodology that the association has launched for the industry.
The methodology is a detailed guideline on how hotels can approach the technical aspects of net-zero, and decarbonisation through renewable energy. The guide also explains what needs to be included in Scope 1, 2, 3 emissions, the targeted milestones to be reached by the years 2025, 2030 and 2040 and guidance to align with the framework such as the science-based targets, Race to Zero and the Glasgow Declaration.
“We are delighted to have supported the development of this new net zero methodology for hotels. Although many parts of Asia are still suffering significantly from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as we gradually reopen it is clear that sustainability is top of the agenda. This methodology will help hotel companies understand the steps they need to take to get on the path to net zero,” says Graham Harper, PATA Sustainability and Social Responsibility advisor.
“As more and more hotel companies make net zero commitments, it is important to document how the specific challenges faced by this sector should be addressed. All too often existing guidance relates to commercial real estate which does not take into account issues such as the particular owner-operator-franchisee relationships in hotels, ongoing changes in portfolio, or the differing status of renewable energy in countries around the world. The methodology provides comprehensive and detailed guidance on all the topics which will need to be addressed by a hotel owner or operator wishing to achieve net zero by 2050,” says Eric Ricaurte, founder and CEO of Greenview.
The methodology is not only for those in the hotel sector wishing to set a net zero pathway, but also aims to provide additional insights for the wider climate change and net zero community so that the specific challenges and opportunities faced by hotels can be better understood, says Ricaurte.
“We are seeing a great momentum now within the tourism and hospitality sector when it comes to net zero, with many commitments being made by companies large and small. The challenge now is how to realise those commitments and this methodology represents a critical tool in supporting actual progress being made. The challenge is significant, but by following the guidance set out in this methodology hotel companies can start to plot their own pathway, in a way which is aligned with global frameworks and, importantly, in line with climate science,” says Jeremy Smith, founder of Tourism Declares.
“At the COP 26 meeting in Glasgow in November last year, we launched our net zero roadmap for the travel & tourism sector. In it we identified the opportunity for the hotel industry to decarbonize more quickly than some other industries in our sector, such as cruise and aviation, and this methodology provides the details which they can follow in order to achieve this,” says Chris Imbsen, Director of Sustainability at WTTC.
“It is a significant innovation which will enable hotels to make credible and achievable net zero commitments. The methodology helps hotels to set boundaries, to measure and report emissions in a consistent way, and to make appropriate use of carbon offsetting in the short to medium term. It will help those hotels who have yet to make significant progress to start immediately on their net zero journey,” says Patrick O’Meara, CEO of Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, an industry body.
