Rotana Corporate Sustainability Report 2017

Rotana Corporate Sustainability Report 2017 60 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT The implementation of our Environment Management System (EMS), as part of our EHS management system continues to increase throughout our hotels and has translated into reduced costs through operating efficiency, improved environmental compliance, reduced monitoring costs, reduced energy and waste disposal costs, and increased colleague participation in our environmental programmes. EHS is also enhancing our sustainability image, which in turn has strong financial benefits for our business. Our approach calls for each hotel to establish, implement, and maintain documented environmental objectives and targets. When establishing an EMS plan, each hotel must address financial, technological, operational, and business considerations. The objectives and targets should be measurable and consistent with our environmental policy, including our commitments to prevent pollution and be compliant with applicable regulations and other requirements to which we subscribe. Rotana’s multifaceted strategy for implementing environmental management systems and global auditing of environmental practices for our operations is key to understanding any potential gaps and addressing these quickly. As part of the EHS management system, hotels are required to develop management programmes detailing actions required by each department to achieve the hotels’ set targets. ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENTS For the moment, we do not specify a budget for capital projects related to protecting the environment. However our hotels do allocate expenditure for environmental purposes at new and existing hotels which are being constructed or renovated including: • Energy efficient lighting • Waste water treatment plant improvements • Building management system • Water savers • Energy audits • Chillers changing • Energy efficient equipment • Waste composting /digesters machines • Solar panels installation ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT Rotana has developed a checklist for environmental site assessments of new hotel locations with the goal of identifying potential environmental impact. As a result of the assessments, we identify areas with high-value biodiversity and wetland areas such as beaches, creeks and potential wetlands that are on or near the location. As much as possible, we try to offset the damage caused to local fauna and flora by planting trees, participating in animal conservation programmes. APPLYING ISO 14001 ISO 14001 is an international standard that provides an organisation with a set of standardised requirements for environmental management systems. In 2015, Rotana worked on developing and implementing the ISO 14001 system. As of the end of 2017, 19 hotels successfully completed certification to the ISO 14001: 2005 standard and 1 hotel to the new version of the standard 14005: 2015. Additional locations will undergo the certification audit over the next two years. We are targeting to have 50% of our hotels ISO certified by the end of 2020. Hotels that are currently certified account for approximately 37% of Rotana’s total operating hotels. Our Actions 77% of our operating hotels have implemented the Environment, Health and Safety management system. 20 of our UAE hotels are ISO 14001 certified on the management system, accounting for approximately 37% of Rotana’s total operating hotels. 71% of the lighting in our hotels are highly efficient. The turtle conservation programme, at Saadiyat Rotana Resort and Villas Abu Dhabi: ensures the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles continue to nest on the destination’s beachfront by locating conserving the the season’s nests.