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Hospitality industry works for a greener future
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The Chinese hospitality industry continues to grow in spite of the government’s anti-extravagance campaign. As the sector grows, more hotels are looking into ways of providing “green events” that reduce waste and do less harm to the environment.
A. T. Kearney, a consulting firm, recently published a report that says by 2023 China’s hospitality industry will become a US$100 billion industry with 6.3 million hotel rooms as demand rises for MICE in second and third-tier cities.
The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over a three-day period, a meeting involving 300 people uses enough energy to power eight small automobiles for one month and enough carbon to fill 25 million basketballs.
American hospitality researcher Deborah Popely studies the environmental impact of large-scale meetings. The assistant professor at Kendall College’s School of Hospitality Management in Chicago has 25 years of experience as an event planner. She has also spent more than 10 years working to improve the sustainability of events in the hospitality industry.
She says hotels play an important role in achieving “green MICE.”
“The meeting site is one of the most important factors in sustainable meeting planning. Shanghai’s URBN hotel was voted one of the most eco-friendly hotels in the world and extends its practices to on-site meetings and events,” she tells Shanghai Daily in an e-mail interview. Popely shares her thoughts on the future of the hospitality industry and what can be done to make it more environmentally friendly.
Q: What is “green” MICE? Why does it matter?
A: Green meetings are those that incorporate environmental considerations throughout all stages of the meeting in order to minimize the negative impact on the environment. Conventions and conferences can involve tens of thousands of participants who consume large amounts of energy, water and food, not to mention large amounts of printed materials, signage and decor.
Q: What can be done to minimize the environmental impact?
A: Meeting facilities, the setting, amenities, practices and policies, along with the proximity of lodging and transportation have a major impact on what can be achieved. A sustainable meeting site should have documented energy efficiency, recycling, waste reduction, water conservation and a sustainable purchasing program. Meeting planners must think strategically about how their plans, processes and purchases support organizational goals. Simple steps include reducing the amount of paper and printing, recycling name tags, creating reusable signage, eliminating bottled water and using water pitchers and glasses instead of disposables.
Q: What do you think of the MICE market in China? How does the “green” MICE concept work here?
A: The second and third-tier cities report some of the most rapid growth in MICE engagements and are building convention centers and other structures to compete for this business. One unique feature of the Chinese MICE market is the high number of government sponsored events.
Green MICE is still in the beginning stages in China as compared to North America and Europe, although government policies are supportive of the trend. There are a number of unique barriers. Firstly, the rapid urbanization of the country makes it difficult to invest in services that may not return an immediate profit. Second, there are cultural attitudes that work against the idea of reduction and reuse. Thirdly, there are infrastructure limitations that make it difficult to follow sustainable best practices, for instance, limited recycling and composting opportunities. However, because the hospitality industry is relatively young and growing, China has an opportunity to take a leadership role in green MICE by building and operating more responsibly from the start and by picking up best practices from others around the world.
Q: What are the latest MICE trends globally?
A: Firstly, limited budgets continue to push planners to do more with less, even as hotel and venue prices increase in North America and Europe. Secondly, shorter lead times have become the norm. “Pop-up” meetings are being organized on a few months or weeks’ notice. Hotels and venues have no choice but to respond. Thirdly, technology continues to increase efficiencies and raise expectations among meetings and event participants.
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