Natural steps towards a better world
Environmental work is continuously ongoing at Scandic. Here you can see how it started and what drives us forward.
Pioneers in environmental work
In 1993, we decided to try to create a better future. Europe was suffering from deforestation and acidified lakes, and seals were washing up on the beaches. More and more people were becoming concerned about the future and wanted to do something about the problems. This sparked Scandic’s interest for creating a better environment. The organisation The Natural Step helped us to understand what sustainability is and how to map out the way there.
We trained all our team members in sustainability issues and everyone helped think up good ideas. Within 6 months, we had implemented 1,500 different activities and we had thousands of dedicated team members.
That was when a Scandic team member invented the ‘hang-up-your-towel-if-you-want-to use-it-again’ concept, which is the global standard today. That was when a team member questioned all the small packages in the bathrooms and at the breakfast buffets; today we have dispensers and bowls and are saving millions of packages every year.
Time to follow up and challenge ourselves
After a period of activity, we decided to start measuring and reporting, so we could see the changes. Since 1996, all our hotels report energy, water and waste every month. And there is no doubt that we have reduced our resource consumption.
The next step was to have a third party evaluate our work. The choice fell to the Nordic Ecolabel, the Swan. In 2004, Scandic Sweden became the world’s first ecolabelled hotel chain and now almost all of our hotels are labelled. We appreciate the tough requirements and monitoring that Nordic Ecolabel stands for.
For a better future
Although we have achieved a great deal, we must never get complacent. We are constantly taking small steps in the right direction – more organic food, lower carbon emissions, more ecolabelled suppliers, and maintaining our trained and dedicated team.
New hotels
When new hotels join the Scandic chain, they obviously receive organic food, socially certified coffee, our sorting bins, and everything else we believe in, but it may take some time – just be patient with us.