EARTH DAY: CELEBRATION DAY FOR ALDEMAR RESORTS

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21.04.2022

Earth Day is a day of celebration, awareness and mobilization of people, governments, organizations and businesses. A day that is a beacon of activity for the Aldemar Group.

The planet is our home and the Aldemar Resorts Group family has for many years laid the foundations for actions aimed at preserving and protecting it. As the environment is being damaged by the effects of human activity and its impacts, our company, through a multi-year Sustainability Plan, has set as its primary objective the reduction of its environmental footprint.

The Hospitality sector and its impact on the natural environment

The hospitality industry, like many others, must stand up for humanity’s efforts to save the planet. Having a key position as a sector in a multitude of countries, the hospitality industry can be considered responsible for the waste of natural resources and the creation of large amounts of waste and greenhouse gases. This makes it imperative that decisions are taken, policies are created, procedures are designed and finally actions are taken by all stakeholders in the Hospitality Economy. There are already individual, but also global efforts of awareness and vigilance, all along the value chain of the industry.

Aldemar Resorts Group Pioneer in Environmental Protection

In absolute alignment with the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular with the 13th concerning Climate Action and the 14th and 15th “Life on Land” and “Life on Water” respectively, we have established systems and facilities to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, waste of water, natural resources and food, waste management and food hygiene and safety.

Innovative energy-saving actions

Aldemar Resorts Group, a pioneer in Greece, has been working since 1997 to achieve zero carbon emissions by implementing innovative energy-saving systems.

A. First in the hospitality industry to proceed with the largest installation of solar fields, reducing its energy and environmental footprint.

B. For the last 10 years, it has been following an annual renovation program, ensuring a 45-60% reduction in electricity consumption for heating or air conditioning.

C. All hotels are equipped with high-energy efficient heat pumps, both air-cooled and water-cooled, to meet operational energy needs.

This allows, firstly, the production of up to 100% hot water from renewable energy sources, secondly, the service of 70% of air conditioning from central systems – air-cooled and water-cooled heat pumps of high efficiency and 30% from automatic systems and finally, the annual water savings of 50% either by using biological purification or by using automation.

Innovative water management systems

We have adopted rational management practices in our efforts to stop water wastage, which are applied in all our hotels.

- Water meters were installed at key points to monitor water consumption by function, for example rooms, kitchens, watering etc.
- Mechanisms were installed to restrict water flows in showers, sinks and flushing toilets
- Consumption is monitored through the BMS system
- Systematically monitor any faults that may occur in the network in order to detect possible leaks on time
- Treated water is reused for irrigation in accordance with the approved environmental conditions for the operation of the hotels.

Garden maintenance – good practices

In order to reduce water consumption, our company has adopted a different approach with regard to garden flora. Minimising lawns and planting aromatic and other plants that are consistent with the flora of the area and have low to zero watering requirements is the path we have chosen to follow from now on.

Waste management

The Aldemar Resorts Group for over 15 years has been an ambassador of the concept of Circular Economy and sustainable waste management. It collaborates with approved Alternative Management Systems based on the principle of extended producer responsibility. At the same time, waste is systematically recorded during the season with numerical data on the recycling of light bulbs, electrical/electronic machinery parts, cooking oil, batteries, paper and glass, and the facility is registered every year in the Electronic Waste Register. In conclusion, we have succeeded in zero food waste through a system of internal procedures.

Innovative partnerships

Aldemar Resorts Group is once again pioneering with the validation of the partnership with SYCHEM in the Crete region. This is an innovative action concerning the collection and management of organic waste from hotels and the utilization of the heat generated through the innovative biological treatment system of the liquid digestate.

The Group’s vision for the preservation of the environment

For the Group, a key issue and a fundamental pillar of its vision is the more efficient use of resources and the elimination of any kind of harmful behavior that favors wastefulness. Uninterruptedly over the years, we have been working to achieve greater public awareness. Our desire and priority is to inform and educate those directly involved in environmental issues, our employees, customers and partners. Our ultimate goal is to create an environmentally friendly culture among our people, customers, partners and the wider society. We take great pride in achieving more with less.