by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Tue June 12, 2018
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, long a leader in the sustainability movement, has just released documentation outlining the progress it is making minimizing the environmental impact of its properties around the world.
The newly released results cover energy and water consumption, solid waste, waste diversion, and carbon footprint.
Starting in 2012, each Six Senses property around the globe began monitoring and measuring its environmental efforts. All the group's hotels and resorts contribute to Cornell University's Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking program, which compares their performance against a global dataset of their peers.
In 2017, Six Senses sustainability data revealed that as a group:
-45 percent of solid waste was diverted from landfills
-90,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables were grown for guests and communities
-491,000 pounds of compost and natural fertilizer was given back to the earth
-1,093,950 glass water bottles replaced disposable plastic bottles
-2,831 meaningful local jobs were created
For the past 15 years, Six Senses has been bottling its own still and sparkling drinking water. By building onsite filtration and bottling facilities, each resort not only eliminates use of plastic water bottles, but also the transportation that would be associated with delivering single-use water bottles.
What's more, taste tests reveal the water bottled by the company is a winner with guests.
Another notable effort from Six Senses is its Earth Labs, which can be found at each resort. The labs were created to promote sustainable living in innovative ways, including hosting workshops designed to empower guests and community members to learn and connect more closely with the natural world.
Each property also has a Sustainability Fund that is supported with sales from house-bottled water and the purchase of stuffed animal mascots that reflect each location. In 2017, sponsored projects contributed $545,860 to the fund.
Some of the top ways that money was spent include:
-Building Public Institutions - $168,474
-Disaster Relief - $95,340
-Eco Tourism Education - $89,434
-Health Care in Communities - $55,464
-Local Schools - $47,890
"We're not just passionate about sustainability; we want to lead the industry. Through the environmental performance of our resorts and hotels, through preserving the natural and cultural heritage around us, and through enhancing social and economic benefits to local communities," Bernhard Bohnenberger, president of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, said in a statement. "It's motivating for everyone in the company that we can demonstrate our commitment to sustainability in this way."
"All of us - from our top management to our sustainability champions who drive initiatives, to our hosts at each property, through to our guests-understand that sustainability is about making the most of our natural resources and celebrating what's good in all the locations where we operate," added Bohnenberger.
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