The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC and commonly referred to as COP28, was held at Expo City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 30-Dec. 12, 2023. At the conference, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance launched a groundbreaking digital version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality, a tool that provides hospitality companies with a holistic roadmap to accelerate their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) progress regarding sustainability.
This latest edition of the pathway features more than 80 pages of detailed guidance along with new resources and case studies showcasing best practices. It touches on 10 crucial topics within an ESG framework, helping those in the hospitality industry—with its complicated ownership and management structures—better identify responsibilities in sustainability. The new digital versions also introduced a Progress Tracker, which allows companies to understand and record their progress along the pathway.
“At the alliance, we believe that every hotel can and must go beyond minimizing negative impact and work to truly give back to the community, the destination, and the planet, regardless of its starting point” says Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, at COP28 according to a prepared statement. “This digitized version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality provides the industry with a clear and user-friendly framework to instill sustainability across the entire ecosystem. Building on [version two] of the pathway, which has already been adopted by hotels worldwide, we hope that this innovative digital version will empower hotels to prioritize, plan, and take practical action, ensuring accessibility for hotels of all sizes and experience levels.”
