Why is Sustainability Important to the Hospitality Industry in Taiwan?

Why is Sustainability Important to the Hospitality Industry in Taiwan?

Sustainability should be at the center of the hospitality industry in every country. People travel to experience cultures and environments that are different from what they are used to at home. Travelling is the ultimate way to enjoy free time, but this awesome experience is impossible to offer without sustainability. Here are other reasons why sustainability is so critical to the hotel industry in Taiwan. 

• More guests and travelers are demanding to only work with sustainable or green hotels.
• The efforts that hotels and other players make in the hospitality industry are central to calculating their ESG ratings. 
• Sustainable hotels have lower costs of operations compared to those that are not green. This is crucial in optimizing profits. 
• Taiwan is an island and failing to adopt sustainability practices can have severe implications, especially from global warming. Therefore, cutting down greenhouse gasses (GHG), among other sustainable actions, can help to save Taiwan from the rising sea levels because of global warming. 
• Adopting sustainability gives your hotel, staff and its management the satisfaction that they are helping to address the challenges facing the planet. It is a sure way to secure the planet for future generations. 

The Sustainability Status of the Taiwan Hospitality Industry

Taiwan is an island that comprises 121 small islands and boasts numerous visitor facilities. For years it used to be regarded as a "chimney-free" sector, but this trend has changed pretty fast. As Taiwan relies more on fossil fuels, the growing demand from the hospitality sector indicates that the industry has a high carbon footprint. Indeed, the carbon footprint of the hospitality industry in Taiwan is higher compared to other top destinations, such as Sweden and Finland, in the world. 

In Taiwan, the focus on green operations in hotels is mainly from the point of view of clients. However, many hotels rarely reveal how they use their energy. Most of the hotels use a lot of energy. 

To try and improve the situation and encourage hotels to adopt sustainability, the Environmental Protection Administration of Taiwan created the "Green Mark" in 2008 to satisfy the growing global demand. However, the use of the Green Mark has been pretty limited. By 2019, out of the 13,268 hotels in Taiwan, only 1,450 qualified for the rating green hotels. 

The hotels are also lagging behind on other fronts, from waste minimization to reducing water use. Even for the few that prepare ESG reports annually, concerns have been raised about greenwashing. For the hotel industry to be considered sustainable, it has to do a lot more. The next section will highlight some of the actions that can help to improve sustainability ratings in the industry.  

Efforts that Players can Use for Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry  

We must say that there is no silver bullet when it comes to fixing climate change and other sustainability-related issues. It is the duty of everyone because the problem faces us all in the industry. For the hospitality industry, this post has highlighted the benefits that come with adopting sustainability. So, here are some expert suggestions on what you can do to improve the ESG rating for your hotel. 

• Support Sustainable Local Enterprises 

Notably, the definition of the term sustainability gives a lot of emphasis on the local communities and cultures. On this end, your hotel or firm can improve its ESG rating by working and supporting local organizations that promote sustainability. There are several ways of doing this. 

First, you can target buying food and other materials used in your hotel from the local communities. This will not only allow them to earn a livelihood but also help to cut down emissions that could have been released to transport such supplies from abroad. Indeed, your guests will enjoy more because the supplies will be fresher compared to sourcing from far regions. 

Working with other firms in Taiwan can also help to encourage them to also operate sustainably. Indeed, this method can be very effective because more firms will join the group that is committed to making the planet a better place. If you can cut the emission from your hotel by 50%, the impact will be even bigger if all the company’s partners in the supply chain make similar reductions. 

• Encourage Your Guest to be Green 

When guests check into a hotel, they are always looking for the best experience. However, you will be surprised to realize that most of them are also interested in enjoying their time in a responsible manner. Therefore, your hotel can encourage them to operate more sustainably by offering options and putting forward requests. 

You can place cards requesting guests to turn off the lights when they are leaving or ask them to reuse their towels. Also, your hotel should provide guests with recycling bins and use refillable water bottles as opposed to disposables. 

Another impressive action that can help to make your hotel in Taiwan sustainable and stand out is smart faucets. These taps use sensors that only release water when someone is next to them. This means that even if your guests forget to turn off the taps, there is no danger of losing water the whole night or weekend. 

• Train Your Staff on Sustainability 

We must say that success in your hotel’s sustainability journey cannot yield much without the assistance of the staff, from room attendants to chefs. With the best sustainability training organization, such as Climate Fresk, it becomes easy to understand the whole concept of ESG in the hospitality industry. Climate Fresk uses the latest training models and research findings to help firms in Taiwan and other jurisdictions to adopt sustainability. 

For Climate Fresk, sustainability for any hotel in Taiwan should be considered a journey. This means that whether you run a small restaurant in downtown Taipei or a large resort with hundreds of guests, there is something you can do to improve sustainability. Climate Fresk helps to make every staff part of this journey to make the process more successful. 

They also walk with you and come in handy in helping your management to draw better decisions to attract eco-friendly guests. Whether you are considering sustainability for your hotel for the first time or improving ESG rating, Climate Fresk is one organization that will never disappoint.  

• Shift to Renewable Energy 

When trying to improve the sustainability of a hotel in Taiwan, one of the things that you have to factor in is energy use. In Taiwan, 80% of the energy is produced using fossil fuels. This means that the high use of electricity or gas to drive machinery is going to pull down the ESG rating of the hotel. The best alternative is to shift to clean energy, such as wind or solar. 

The impressive thing about renewable energy in Taiwan is that most of the solar panels are produced on the island. For example, Taiwan is one of the largest producers of solar panels on the globe. This makes acquiring panels to harvest solar energy will be way cheaper in Taiwan compared to other nations. 

If you find the cost still high, consider doing it in phases. You can start by changing the energy source for lighting the office and rooms and later install more for powering the HVAC system. Again, you need to appreciate that although the cost of installation might appear high, it will be almost negligible in the long term. 

• Install CONTINEWM to Improve the Energy Efficiency of the HVAC System 

When guests visit hotels in Taiwan or other regions, they want to have the best moments. To guarantee this comfort, hotels use HVAC systems that help to regulate temperatures, remove bad odors and guarantee the best indoor air quality. However, this also means powering the HVAC system, which takes a lot of energy. In many hotels in Taiwan, this can reach up to 40% of the entire energy use for the hotel. 

To make your hotel sustainable, you should consider installing CONTINEWM in the HVAC system to reduce energy use by up to 50%. So, how exactly can CONTINEWM help to cut down energy use for your hotel in Taiwan? 

When a hotel HVAC system is running, the moving parts generate positive electrostatic charges, which cause resistance to air movement. The impact is the HVAC system working harder to force the air through. This also means using more energy. CONTINEWM addresses the challenge by releasing negative charges that help to clear the positive charges. Once installed, you can cut the energy use in the hotel by a huge margin, but this is not the only benefit of using CONTINEWM. 

Unlike other strategies used to cut down energy use in hotels, CONTINEWM is pretty easy to install. All that you need to do is fit it on the front part of the heat exchanger. It is also pretty easy to install and requires minimal to no maintenance. 

The Taiwan hospitality industry is lagging on sustainability matters. While sustainability is so crucial for the industry, most of the players are yet to embrace it fully. This raises the risk of losing a big percentage of the eco-visitors across the globe and falling into losses. Therefore, it is time for every player to adopt changes, and the suggestions we have listed above can come in handy. 

No matter the size of your hotel or hospitality facility, know that there is something that you can do to help make the planet a better place and home for all. 

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