Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure business of global developer Emaar Properties and the Expo 2020 Dubai Official Hotel & Hospitality Partner, has launched a rigorous sustainability campaign, The Pearl Pledge, to conserve water and marine resources.

With active engagement across all stakeholder groups, The Pearl Pledge aims to promote the awareness of protecting and conserving the oceans, and to strengthen the adoption of sustainable water, energy and resource management practices across all the hotels, serviced residences, restaurants and leisure attractions of Emaar Hospitality Group.

Olivier Harnisch, CEO of Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “As the Official Hotel & Hospitality Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, we are committed to upholding the values that make the global event relevant to the whole of humanity. With sustainability as one of the sub-themes of Expo 2020 Dubai, the launch of The Pearl Pledge aligns all our operations in line with its spirit. Our new campaign also supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 14, which aim to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water, and conserve oceans, seas and marine resources, respectively.

“Over the years, we have continuously rolled out green initiatives to manage and optimise water, energy and resource use efficiency. The Pearl Pledge takes our focus on going green to the next level by fostering the participation of guests, staff and partners in promoting sustainable water use and strengthening awareness on the need to conserve our ocean and marine resources.”

To preserve and protect the natural environment, Emaar Hospitality Group has partnered with the recently rebranded environmental conservation organisation Emirates Nature-WWF, to deliver a series of initiatives that will engage both employees and guests to understand how small changes can make a big difference.

At the launch of The Pearl Pledge, Emaar Hospitality Group also announced its partnership with Dubai Sustainable Tourism (DST) to introduce DST’s ‘Hospitality Industry Board Game,’ developed in partnership with Emirates Nature-WWF, for all staff members. The game will help employees to measure their consumption baseline, understand which areas of the hotel have significant water and electricity consumption and how to save money while reducing consumption of water, energy and other resources.

Emaar Hospitality Group is a member of the global Green Key programme, a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operations in the tourism industry.  With the roll out of The Pearl Pledge, the leading hospitality company also aims to achieve Green Key certification for all its hotels.

Emaar Hospitality Group will engage with the green goals outlined by UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Green Growth Strategy, the Dubai Plan 2021, and the Dubai Demand Side Management Strategy and adopt best practices outlined by Emirates Nature-WWF. The immediate goals are to decrease water consumption across its hotels by 30 per cent and decrease energy consumption by 25 per cent, both by 2021. The Group also aims to cut down the amount of waste through the 4R approach – refusing, reducing, reusing and recycling.

“Every member of the Emaar Hospitality Group will be duty-bound to The Pearl Pledge with a clear communication framework, cultural integration best practices and the formation of on-the-ground and operational steering teams currently being set in place,” added Harnisch. “Within a year, we aim to achieve significant operational cost savings through water, waste and energy management.”

Emaar Hospitality Group aims to cut down on water consumption across its hotels through an effective towel/linen programme and the introduction of new technologies. Energy use will be managed by replacing all incandescent bulbs with LEDs and incorporating the use of electric cars and solar energy. The waste reduction programme envisages diverting 75 per cent of waste from landfill through a successful waste-reduction plan. Many hotels under the Group have already implemented the Winnow system to measure and manage food waste.

Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director – Tourism Development & Investments, Dubai Tourism, said “Guided by the future focused vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a sustainable environmental destination, the Dubai Sustainable Tourism initiative is a key driver for ensuring the ongoing development of the industry. An essential aspect of ensuring the realisation of our objectives is the strength of Dubai’s public-private sector partnerships, and we endorse programmes such as The Pearl Pledge, which encourage hotels and hospitality establishments to evaluate their processes, and make tangible improvements to their consumption and waste programmes.”

Mr Lootah added: “As we come together to focus our energy on conservation, we are pleased to support Emaar Hospitality Group’s efforts to foster more environmentally friendly practices within their business, reflecting the mutual goal of protecting and preserving the emirate for future generations.”

Planned sustainability best practices at the Group’s hotels include decreasing the number of plastic bottles and the amount of paper printed, and successfully segregating waste into plastics, aluminium and metals, paper and cardboard, and organic material. The Group will adopt a responsible procurement programme that covers the use of eco-friendly paper and biodegradable disposables while limiting the use of straws. All members of staff will be trained to manage energy, water and waste consumption baselines.