As part of its commitment to achieve net zero by 2050 and Serve 360 Goals, Marriott International aims to source at least 30% of its total electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of 2025.
In 2022, Marriott could source only 2.1% of its electricity requirements from renewable energy. While it is behind schedule on its goal, the company said it is continuing to look into the viability of onsite renewable energy.
As part of Marriottās Serve 360 Goals, the Bethesda, Md.-based hospitality giant aims to reduce carbon emissions per square meter of conditioned space by 30% from a 2016 baseline by the end of 2025, Marriott mentioned in its recently released 2023 Serve 360 Report.
CARBON REDUCTION
Marriott International has set a short-term science-based emissions reduction target and a long-term target to reach net zero value chain greenhouse emissions by 2050. In 2022, Marriott began identifying decarbonization levers to help meet its goals.
In 2022, the company created a program to accelerate the installation and adoption of EV charging stations at hotels globally. By the end of the year, more than 5,500 EV chargers had been installed at Marriott hotels worldwide. Marriottās headquarters in Bethesda has over 60 EV charging stations installed.
Many of Marriottās managed hotels implemented energy efficiency projects, which saved 45,000 MWhs of energy, the report stated. Between 2021 and 2022, 15 Marriott properties in the Greater China region installed heat pumps, which are likely to reduce emissions by more than 1.8 million kgs per year.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
As part of Marriottās Serve 360 Goals, Marriott seeks to reduce its water usage per occupied room by 15% from a 2016 baseline by the end of 2025. In 2022, Marriottās global reduction in water consumption per occupied room stood at 6.3%.
The company aims to reduce waste-to-landfill by 45% and food waste by 50% by 2025. Marriott set up an internal core waste team in 2022 and hired a consultant to develop a waste baseline.
The company continues working on the first phase of its Residential-Sized Bath Amenities Program, transitioning to bigger pump-topped shampoo bottles, conditioner and body gel. When fully implemented, this will prevent nearly 500 million small bottles from being dumped at landfills every year, the company said.
BIODIVERSITY
Marriott aims to collaborate with owners to create 250 adaptive reuse projects to reuse existing projects and sites by 2025. Marriott is ahead of schedule in achieving this goal. As of 2022, Marriott had 223 open adaptive reuse projects and 116 adaptive reuse projects in the pipeline.
To preserve biodiversity, Marriottās properties support natural capital projects which improve the local environment and communities. The company has supported mangrove restoration in the UAE and Mexico, reforestation in the US and renewal of fisheries in South America and Thailand to promote ecosystem resilience and protect biodiversity.
SOCIAL IMPACT
Marriott has allocated $50 million to increase hotel ownership among historically underrepresented groups through the āMarriottās Bridging the Gapā development program in the US and Canada.
Since 2016, the company has trained more than one million managed and franchised associates to identify and respond to the signs of human trafficking.
Besides spending around $660 million with diverse suppliers across its portfolio in 2022, Marriott contributed more than $5 million to The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation to support those affected by the war in Ukraine in 2022.
