Novotel, founding brand of Accor, a French multinational hospitality company, has launched an international partnership with WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), to enhance efforts to protect and restore the ocean thro Novotel, founding brand of Accor, a French multinational hospitality company, has launched an international partnership with WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), to enhance efforts to protect and restore the ocean through science-based action and conservation projects.
Under the three-year agreement, from 2024 to 2027, WWF France will provide technical expertise to Novotel, helping its 580 hotels worldwide to have a positive impact on the ocean, challenging and guiding the brand and its properties throughout many aspects of its operations. The partnership will also see Novotel sponsoring several critical WWF ocean-related conservation projects across the world. Novotel said its focus on the ocean, the world’s biggest carbon sink and greatest source of planetary balance, which regulates the climate and protects habitats and wildlife, is a continuation of its commitment to balance – a core philosophy of the brand that is adopted both in its business fundamentals and in its commitments to the work-life experience of its guests. Novotel will build a three-year science-based action plan, rooted in three of the United Nations’ priority ocean-related actions, namely: reducing marine pollution and ocean acidification, particularly from land-based activities; fighting overfishing and promoting sustainable fishing models; and increasing scientific knowledge and research for ocean health. Mapped against these priorities, the Novotel action plan will aim to rebalance its impact on the planet, determining short and long-term initiatives across four pillars which form Novotel’s Positive Impact Plan: 1. Reduce plastic, water and carbon footprint impact – empowering Novotel hotels to deliver positive impact action plans to reduce pressure on natural resources, with a strong focus on plastic, water and energy usage; 2. Make sustainable food choices – reducing meat, fish and waste within Novotel’s food and beverage operations, and further development of sustainable seafood policies; 3. Enhance education and ocean awareness – educating guests, hotel teams and local communities on the necessity of ocean conservation and how to positively contribute; 4. Contribute to research & innovation – partnering with NGOs and investing in sustainable innovation. The partnership with WWF will help Novotel drive operational change and action for the greater good of the ocean and deliver upon its Positive Impact Plan. With a specific focus on the ocean, the WWF partnership has four main objectives: ● Work on sustainable seafood policies and supply chains for Novotel hotels and restaurants ● Raise guests’ and employees’ awareness of the importance of the world’s oceans ● Advocate for ocean preservation to inspire industry and policy makers ● Preserve and restore marine biodiversity through support of five WWF flagship projects around the world To inform Novotel’s work, WWF is conducting extensive site visits to Novotel hotels to understand property-level operations and practices, assess procurement data and make recommendations. WWF will provide a dedicated steering committee to assess Novotel’s progress on its commitments throughout the partnership. The partnership will see Novotel supporting essential WWF France conservation projects around the world, including: ● The protection of Posidonia, an endemic flowering plant of the Mediterranean which plays a key role as a carbon sink – removing carbon from the atmosphere - and provides benefits to 25 different marine ecosystems. ● The identification and removal of “ghost gear” – lost, abandoned and otherwise discarded fishing gear - the deadliest form of marine plastic waste which impacts marine turtles and mammals, elasmobranchs such as sharks, rays and skates, and marine birds. ● Supporting the WWF France’s Blue Panda boat, which sails across the Mediterranean carrying out work including scientific dives, protecting cetaceans from collisions with marine vehicles, and protecting endangered species of rays and sharks; as well as introducing the public to the Mediterranean, its conservation challenges, and the work being done to protect it. ● Tracking and tracing marine turtles in Asia-Pacific, gathering knowledge on their movements from nesting beaches to migratory corridors and foraging grounds, and mapping critical populations and conservation areas. Six of seven species of marine turtles remained threatened by harvesting, illegal trade, being caught by commercial fisheries and the loss of nesting beaches. ● Protecting the sea turtles of the Western Atlantic, strengthening regional cooperation on sustainable fishing techniques and combating illegal fishing. Fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing will help protect leatherback turtles breeding on coastal areas of the Guianas, and green and olive ridley turtles from Brazil to Venezuela. Commenting on the Novotel WWF partnership, Karelle Lamouche, Chief Commercial Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Accor, said: “Today, we are starting a bold new ambition, championing a sustainability cause globally. “Novotel has a long-standing commitment to innovation and balance, and we now take that commitment further, by choosing to help the greatest source of balance on our planet – the ocean. “There is a deep imbalance in the way the ocean is treated. Globally, over-exploitation and pollution are depleting the ocean's resources, while only a tiny fraction of climate finance is allocated to its preservation. “As a primarily land-based brand, Novotel has a unique opportunity to increase awareness of the impact everyone, everywhere has on the ocean and inspire positive change for the ocean’s future.” Yann Laurans, Conservation Director, WWF France, said: “We are confident our world-renowned technical and scientific expertise will help Novotel drive operational change for the greater good of their business and the ocean,” Accor, Novotel’s parent Group, has an established track record of developing sustainable solutions and innovations in the maritime sector. Its commitments are aligned and consistent with the group’s commitment to contribute to global carbon neutrality by 2050 and to remove all single-use plastics from the guest experience. Brune Poirson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Accor, said: “Novotel's commitment and investment in ocean preservation, alongside the WWF, represent a major turning point in its history. “It demonstrates the determination of the brand and the Accor Group to act resolutely in favour of biodiversity and fight climate change, while inspiring the entire sector. Tourism has a major impact on marine resources.” – TradeArabia News Service ugh science-based action and conservation projects. Under the three-year agreement, from 2024 to 2027, WWF France will provide technical expertise to Novotel, helping its 580 hotels worldwide to have a positive impact on the ocean, challenging and guiding the brand and its properties throughout many aspects of its operations. The partnership will also see Novotel sponsoring several critical WWF ocean-related conservation projects across the world. Novotel said its focus on the ocean, the world’s biggest carbon sink and greatest source of planetary balance, which regulates the climate and protects habitats and wildlife, is a continuation of its commitment to balance – a core philosophy of the brand that is adopted both in its business fundamentals and in its commitments to the work-life experience of its guests. Novotel will build a three-year science-based action plan, rooted in three of the United Nations’ priority ocean-related actions, namely: reducing marine pollution and ocean acidification, particularly from land-based activities; fighting overfishing and promoting sustainable fishing models; and increasing scientific knowledge and research for ocean health. Mapped against these priorities, the Novotel action plan will aim to rebalance its impact on the planet, determining short and long-term initiatives across four pillars which form Novotel’s Positive Impact Plan: 1. Reduce plastic, water and carbon footprint impact – empowering Novotel hotels to deliver positive impact action plans to reduce pressure on natural resources, with a strong focus on plastic, water and energy usage; 2. Make sustainable food choices – reducing meat, fish and waste within Novotel’s food and beverage operations, and further development of sustainable seafood policies; 3. Enhance education and ocean awareness – educating guests, hotel teams and local communities on the necessity of ocean conservation and how to positively contribute; 4. Contribute to research & innovation – partnering with NGOs and investing in sustainable innovation. The partnership with WWF will help Novotel drive operational change and action for the greater good of the ocean and deliver upon its Positive Impact Plan. With a specific focus on the ocean, the WWF partnership has four main objectives: ● Work on sustainable seafood policies and supply chains for Novotel hotels and restaurants ● Raise guests’ and employees’ awareness of the importance of the world’s oceans ● Advocate for ocean preservation to inspire industry and policy makers ● Preserve and restore marine biodiversity through support of five WWF flagship projects around the world To inform Novotel’s work, WWF is conducting extensive site visits to Novotel hotels to understand property-level operations and practices, assess procurement data and make recommendations. WWF will provide a dedicated steering committee to assess Novotel’s progress on its commitments throughout the partnership. The partnership will see Novotel supporting essential WWF France conservation projects around the world, including: ● The protection of Posidonia, an endemic flowering plant of the Mediterranean which plays a key role as a carbon sink – removing carbon from the atmosphere - and provides benefits to 25 different marine ecosystems. ● The identification and removal of “ghost gear” – lost, abandoned and otherwise discarded fishing gear - the deadliest form of marine plastic waste which impacts marine turtles and mammals, elasmobranchs such as sharks, rays and skates, and marine birds. ● Supporting the WWF France’s Blue Panda boat, which sails across the Mediterranean carrying out work including scientific dives, protecting cetaceans from collisions with marine vehicles, and protecting endangered species of rays and sharks; as well as introducing the public to the Mediterranean, its conservation challenges, and the work being done to protect it. ● Tracking and tracing marine turtles in Asia-Pacific, gathering knowledge on their movements from nesting beaches to migratory corridors and foraging grounds, and mapping critical populations and conservation areas. Six of seven species of marine turtles remained threatened by harvesting, illegal trade, being caught by commercial fisheries and the loss of nesting beaches. ● Protecting the sea turtles of the Western Atlantic, strengthening regional cooperation on sustainable fishing techniques and combating illegal fishing. Fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing will help protect leatherback turtles breeding on coastal areas of the Guianas, and green and olive ridley turtles from Brazil to Venezuela. Commenting on the Novotel WWF partnership, Karelle Lamouche, Chief Commercial Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division, Accor, said: “Today, we are starting a bold new ambition, championing a sustainability cause globally. “Novotel has a long-standing commitment to innovation and balance, and we now take that commitment further, by choosing to help the greatest source of balance on our planet – the ocean. “There is a deep imbalance in the way the ocean is treated. Globally, over-exploitation and pollution are depleting the ocean's resources, while only a tiny fraction of climate finance is allocated to its preservation. “As a primarily land-based brand, Novotel has a unique opportunity to increase awareness of the impact everyone, everywhere has on the ocean and inspire positive change for the ocean’s future.” Yann Laurans, Conservation Director, WWF France, said: “We are confident our world-renowned technical and scientific expertise will help Novotel drive operational change for the greater good of their business and the ocean,” Accor, Novotel’s parent Group, has an established track record of developing sustainable solutions and innovations in the maritime sector. Its commitments are aligned and consistent with the group’s commitment to contribute to global carbon neutrality by 2050 and to remove all single-use plastics from the guest experience. Brune Poirson, Chief Sustainability Officer, Accor, said: “Novotel's commitment and investment in ocean preservation, alongside the WWF, represent a major turning point in its history. “It demonstrates the determination of the brand and the Accor Group to act resolutely in favour of biodiversity and fight climate change, while inspiring the entire sector. Tourism has a major impact on marine resources.” – TradeArabia News Service
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Novotel joins forces with WWF for ocean restoration
