Accor spearheads global Water Stewardship Initiatives and joins CEO Water Mandate 

As global concerns over water scarcity and quality continue to escalate,  Accor reaffirms its commitment to drive water stewardship with a  comprehensive suite of initiatives aimed at preserving this precious resource. 

Accor’s water stewardship efforts focus on three key areas: 

• Water Quantity & Quality: Accor is committed to (i) reducing water  consumption through efficiency and sufficiency measures, and (ii) improving  water quality through avoiding chemical-based products in our operations and  fighting micro-plastic pollution. Initiatives such as the deployment of Accor’s  

Water Plan to optimize water use in operations, and source sustainable solutions, have already yielded promising results. 

o As an example, Mövenpick Petra converted 90% of hotel rooms from  bathtubs to walk-in showers, aiming for a 15% reduction in room water  consumption by 2025. This has led to a decrease in water usage from  45,000 m3 in 2019 to 27,000 m3 in 2023. 

• Food & Beverage Value Chain: Recognizing the significant water footprint of  the food and beverage sector, Accor is prioritizing initiatives and actions on its  food & beverage offers to reduce its water footprint. 

o The first issue to tackle is food waste, given that 53% of the waste  generated in a hotel comes from food.  

o Then, strategies include promoting sustainable sourcing practices and offering guests alternative dining experiences that embed sustainability at the core. 

o Moreover, Accor has just signed a strategic partnership with BE WTR, a  premium sustainable water brand, to eliminate single-use plastic water  bottles from its properties by 2025. Through BE WTR’s innovative  refillable glass bottling plants, Accor hotels worldwide will offer guests a  sustainable hydration solution that aligns with the company’s  commitment to reducing plastic waste. 

• Guest Engagement: Accor is empowering guests to contribute to water  conservation efforts through initiatives such as the “Skip the Clean” project,  which encourages guests to forgo daily room cleaning to conserve water and  energy while earning loyalty points. By fostering awareness and changing  behaviors, Accor aims to amplify the impact of its sustainability initiatives. 

o If all multi-night’s guests would opt-out of daily cleaning of their room  (except every third day), it’s estimated that up to 4% of Accor Group  direct water consumption could be saved. For an average hotel, it is the  equivalent of 6 500 showers that could be saved each year. 

Foster Collaboration to Amplify Water Stewardship 

Accor’s commitment to water stewardship extends beyond its own operations. Accor  plays an active role in international coalitions that foster the emergence of shared solutions to environmental and social challenges and push to redefine and set new  standards for the industry. 

In addition of being part of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (SHA) and having  launched the “Hospitality Alliance for Responsible Procurement” – HARP amongst others  key leaders, Sébastien Bazin, Accor’s Chairman & CEO, has announced today at Change  Now Summit 2024, (the largest event of solutions for the planet) having signed the CEO  Water Mandate, an initiative created by the United Nations in 2007 that gathers 256  committed companies on water issues. Joining the coalition, Accor is committed to  continual progress along six areas of water stewardship: direct operations, supply chain  & watershed, collective action, public policy, community engagement and transparency.  Accor will forge partnerships that will strenghten its ability to address urgent water issues  listed above. And accelerate collective positive water impact in 100 priority basins by  2030.  

“When at least 50% of the world’s population live under highly water-stressed conditions  for at least one month of the year, we cannot operate hotels as we did before”, said  Brune Poirson, Chief Sustainability Officer at Accor. “Water is a vital resource that  underpins our operations, our value chain and the well-being of the communities we  serve. Therefore, Accor is dedicated to pioneering sustainable solutions & experiences  that make every stay a contribution to the society and the environment. To do so, we  foster collaboration over competition to set new standards and drive water stewardship  actions in all territories where we operate.