Tourexpi
Novotel, Accor’s founding brand, today announced
the launch of an international partnership with WWF (World Wide Fund for
Nature) that will see Novotel champion the protection and restoration of
the ocean through science-based action and conservation projects. WWF is a
global leader in building a sustainable future for people and the planet.
Under the three-year agreement, from 2024 to 2027,
WWF France will provide technical expertise to Novotel, helping its 580
hotels worldwide to have a positive impact on the ocean, challenging and
guiding the brand and its properties throughout many aspects of its operations.
The partnership will also see Novotel sponsoring several critical WWF
ocean-related conservation projects across the world.
Balance has long been at the core of the Novotel
brand, both in its business fundamentals and in its commitments to the
work-life experience of its guests. The brand’s focus on the ocean, the world’s
biggest carbon sink and greatest source of planetary balance, which regulates
the climate and protects habitats and wildlife, is a continuation of this
purposeful commitment to balance.
Novotel will build a three-year science-based
action plan, rooted in three of the United Nations’ priority ocean-related
actions, namely: reducing marine pollution and ocean acidification,
particularly from land-based activities; fighting overfishing and promoting
sustainable fishing models; and increasing scientific knowledge and research
for ocean health.
Mapped against these priorities, the Novotel action
plan will aim to rebalance its impact on the planet, determining short and
long-term initiatives across four pillars which form Novotel’s Positive
Impact Plan:
1.
Reduce
plastic, water & carbon footprint impact – empowering Novotel hotels
to deliver positive impact action plans to reduce pressure on natural
resources, with a strong focus on plastic, water & energy usage;
2.
Make
sustainable food choices – reducing meat, fish and waste within Novotel’s
food and beverage operations, and further development of sustainable seafood
policies;
3.
Enhance
education & ocean awareness – educating guests, hotel teams and local
communities on the necessity of ocean conservation and how to positively
contribute;
4.
Contribute
to research & innovation – partnering with NGOs and investing in
sustainable innovation.
The partnership with WWF will help Novotel drive
operational change and action for the greater good of the ocean and deliver
upon its Positive Impact Plan.
With a specific focus on the ocean, the WWF
partnership has four main objectives:
·
Work on
sustainable seafood policies and supply chains for Novotel hotels and
restaurants
·
Raise
guests’ and employees’ awareness of the importance of the world’s oceans
·
Advocate
for ocean preservation to inspire industry and policy makers
·
Preserve
and restore marine biodiversity through support of five WWF flagship projects
around the world
To inform Novotel’s work, WWF is conducting
extensive site visits to Novotel hotels to understand property-level operations
and practices, assess procurement data and make recommendations. WWF will
provide a dedicated steering committee to assess Novotel’s progress on its
commitments throughout the partnership.
The partnership will see Novotel supporting
essential WWF France conservation projects around the world,
including:
·
The
protection of Posidonia, an endemic flowering plant of the Mediterranean which
plays a key role as a carbon sink – removing carbon from the atmosphere - and
provides benefits to 25 different marine ecosystems.
·
The
identification and removal of “ghost gear” – lost, abandoned and otherwise
discarded fishing gear - the deadliest form of marine plastic waste which
impacts marine turtles and mammals, elasmobranchs such as sharks, rays and
skates, and marine birds.
·
Supporting
the WWF France’s Blue Panda boat, which sails across the Mediterranean carrying
out work including scientific dives, protecting cetaceans from collisions with
marine vehicles, and protecting endangered species of rays and sharks; as well
as introducing the public to the Mediterranean, its conservation challenges,
and the work being done to protect it.
·
Tracking
and tracing marine turtles in Asia-Pacific, gathering knowledge on their
movements from nesting beaches to migratory corridors and foraging grounds, and
mapping critical populations and conservation areas. Six of seven species of
marine turtles remained threatened by harvesting, illegal trade, being caught
by commercial fisheries and the loss of nesting beaches.
·
Protecting
the sea turtles of the Western Atlantic, strengthening regional cooperation on
sustainable fishing techniques and combating illegal fishing. Fighting illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing will help protect leatherback turtles
breeding on coastal areas of the Guianas, and green and olive ridley turtles
from Brazil to Venezuela.
Accor, Novotel’s parent Group, has an established
track record of developing sustainable solutions and innovations in the
maritime sector. To name just a few, Accor has supported Energy Observer since
2017 and recently partnered with the Fondation de la Mer in 2022 to adopt the
Ocean Framework, to assess the impact of its business activities on oceans
wildlife. The Group banned endangered fish species, promote responsible
fishing, and were the first hospitality group to commit to progressively
eliminate single-use plastic items from their guest experiences to fight
against oceans pollution. These Accor’s commitments are aligned and consistent
with the Group’s commitment to contribute to global carbon neutrality by 2050
and to remove all single-use plastics from the guest experience.
Created in 1967 in France, Novotel is Accor’s
founding brand. It now boasts over 580 hotels across 65 countries, with 42,000
Novotel “Heartists” looking after over 30 million guests a year.
Image Credit: © Novotel Hotels, Suites & Resorts
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