Sustainability
Bursa Malaysia has always advocated corporate responsibility as key to sustainability. Today, sustainability, which supports stakeholder value creation, should be the main focus of every responsible company.
Tip of the Week: Approximately only 10 percent of every landfill can be cleaned up.
Focus Areas
Hotels
The hotels group comprises hotel chains and hotel owners who aim to provide clients with a lifestyle offering. There are luxury, boutique as well as budget hotels available to cater to the needs of clients.
Many hotel groups are just beginning to address the wider range of social and environmental challenges facing this sector. As a result of the financial crisis, travel and tourism reduced significantly allowing hotel groups to assess their position. Whilst tourists and businesses resume travel, many discerning clients will begin seeking differentiation with regards to sustainability practices.
Sustainability Issues by Sustainability focus areas
Most hotel groups have acknowledged that climate change, employment practices, community welfare, waste management and sustainable buildings are main issues. Integration into local cultures, the sustainability of franchisees, the climate change impacts of tourist travel and sex tourism are rarely considered.
Community
- Stakeholder engagement
- Local culture preservation
- Heath & nutrition
- Local impact of business operations
- Food safety
- Healthy living
- Social inequity
- Abuse of natives
- Community health & safety
- Destroying local capability via access to better products / processes
- Social inclusion
- Support education
Environment
- Resource Conservation & Resource Efficiency
- Waste management
- Biodiversity
- Access to water
- Sustainable materials
- Transport strategy
- Depletion
- Environmental damage
- Use of energy
- Pollutions / Spills
- Emissions
- Use of energy
- Use of water
- Use of raw materials
- Use of packaging
- Waste management
- 'Green' marketing
- Sustainable packaging
- Energy & efficiency
- Climate change strategy
- 3 R's (Reduce, reuse, recycle)
- Environmental management / policy
- Operational eco-efficiency
Workplace
- Fair employment practices
- Discrimination
- Union rights
- Health & safety
- Working hours
- Standards for suppliers
- Diversity & inclusion
- Meritocracy
- Respect union rights
- Good health & safety
- Good working hours
- Pay for performance
- Health & awareness programmes
- Talent attraction, retention & development
- Corporate Governance
Marketplace
- Eco-tourism
- Corruption
- Child labour
- Human rights
- Standards for suppliers
- Facilitation payments
- Truthful selling
- Ethical marketing
- 'No logo' attack
- Consumer awareness
- Fairtrade
- Standards for suppliers
- No corruption
- Obey the law
- Avoid politics
- Customer relationship management
- Brand management
- Innovation management
- Avoid facilitation payments
- Responsible government lobbying
- Corporate Governance
Hotels Case Study1
Alila Villas Hadahaa in the Maldives achieved the prestigious Green Globe "Building, Planning and Design" Certified Status in August 2008. The villas were built with nature in mind. Its design and construction blueprints were guided by impact studies prior to implementation.
The hotel is also designed to promote rainwater harvesting and minimises disruption to corals around the island. Waste treatment plants ensure that pollution to the island is minimised. The concept of the Alila Vilas is to preserve and reinforce the natural foliage of the island.
Alilas has also launched a "Gift-to-Share" programme, a community effort that encourage guests to give any amount they wish to donate in support of any three Maldivian Community programmes initiated by the resort. This includes building a reference and research library in the local schools and introducing community farming projects.
Ricoh products are also designed with up to 87% recyclable parts to reduce waste to landfill.
For further information on Alila Hotel's Sustainability Initiatives, please visit: http://www.alilahotels.com
Hotels Case Study2
Landmarks Berhad which owns The Andaman in Langkawi has made every effort to ensure that the rainforest, in which The Andaman was is locked was preserved during the construction period, and that no further development would compromise the rainforest.
The Board also recognises the need to preserve the environment and provide assistance for the betterment of the community. The Group has initiated its plan to allocate land to Yayasan Mandiri Sejahtera during the development of Treasure Bay Bintan on Bintan Island, Indonesia to establish a night market that will provide economic opportunities to the local community.
For more information, please visit http://www.landmarks.com.my
1 Alila Hotels, www.alilahotels.com, accessed March 2010
2 Landmarks Berhad, Annual Report, 2009