We’ve joined Race to Zero, continuing our commitment to tackling climate change through our Force for Good programme!

On 29th October, we proudly announced that we’ve signed up to Race To Zero, a global alliance committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest, backed with science-based targets. We also revealed our ambitious new green targets as part of our industry-leading Force For Good sustainability programme.

Our announcement was welcomed by Andrew Griffith, UK Net Zero Business COP Champion, who said:

“The hospitality sector has a vital role to play in finding meaningful ways to take positive environmental action, so it’s fantastic to see Whitbread setting clear targets for reducing their carbon emissions. With the UN COP26 summit happening in Glasgow, I hope this type of commitment is a sign of things to come and encourages other flagship businesses to show the same level of ambition.”

As part of our commitment to Race To Zero, we’ll be aligning our targets to the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement – limiting global to 1.5°C – to help effectively combat climate change.

For us as a company, our scope 3 emissions largely come from our value chain, with purchased goods and services making up the majority. This includes anything from the sources of electricity used by suppliers to the way buildings are heated. With this in mind, the new scope 3 commitment will see us working closely with hundreds of suppliers ranging from global organisations to sole traders, communicating, educating and collaborating with them to help achieve our goal.

Alison Brittain CEO said:
“The world’s eyes are on the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow and we couldn’t be more delighted to announce our support for the UN’s Race To Zero campaign ahead of the historic occasion. Driving sustainability has been at the heart of Whitbread’s strategy for many years now and guests who stay with us can rest easy knowing they’re choosing a business which takes care of its people, the communities we operate in, and the world around us as well as one that is constantly striving to become even more environmentally-focused. Businesses need to play a role in protecting the planet and we are particularly pleased that our commitment to Race To Zero aligns our targets with the most ambitious under the Paris Agreement”.

Our exciting new commitment to the Race To Zero campaign builds on our long-line of existing environmental ‘firsts’, such as our drive to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastics. The move also follows the major efforts we’ve made in cutting carbon, which we’ve been working on by switching 100,000 light bulbs to energy efficient models, purchasing 100% renewable energy in the UK and now in our German operations, and installing energy-efficient appliances and smart heating controls in our Premier Inn hotels, as well as using solar panels.

Additionally, we recently teamed up with energy giant EQUANS to deliver the UK hospitality sector’s biggest roll-out of high-powered electric charging points. Earlier this year, we also issued £550m of green bonds, and funding raised through them will help deliver initiatives and infrastructure to support our ‘Force For Good’ sustainability strategy.
 

We know our work affects the environment and the people around us, which is why we have industry leading targets across our programme to reduce our impact on the environment and respect the human rights of workers across our value chain.