Industry Methodologies and Frameworks

Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI)

Since 2011, Greenview has been the technical partner in developing the methodology for the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). HCMI provides a standardized method for hotels to measure and report their carbon footprint, including: 

• Emissions per floor area
• Emissions per occupied room
• Emissions per meeting space on hourly basis

HCMI was first launched in 2012 by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) with contributions from 23 leading hospitality companies. With Greenview’s support, the HCMI was refined and updated in 2016 and 2022 to ensure its accuracy and relevance to the hospitality industry.  

Greenview also developed the latest free HCMI v2.0 Tool to enable hotels to calculate key carbon metrics, benchmark performance, share carbon impact with guests, and fulfil sustainability requirements in request for proposals (RFPs) from corporate clients.

Check out the HCMI v2.0 Tool to learn more.

 

Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark (CHSB) Index

The Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) Index is an industry-led global data initiative to enable any hotel to calculate its carbon footprint and benchmark its energy, water and carbon emissions at low cost.

Launched in 2013 through a partnership between Greenview and the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), supported by an esteemed industry advisory group of hospitality experts, the CHSB aims to establish reliable benchmarks tailored to the hospitality industry, utilizing industry-specific segmentation and metrics. Drawing from a dataset of 27,000 hotels worldwide, the CHSB Index features participation from hotel brands, operators, and owners, representing a diverse range of 1,072 geographical locations across 83 countries, 84 regions, 709 market areas, and 185 climate zones. 

Greenview spearheads CHSB’s development and collaborative framework and continues to oversee its management.

To learn more about or participate in the CHSB, visit here.

 

 

Hotel Sustainability Basics

Greenview is the technical partner for developing the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)’s Hotel Sustainability Basics (The Basics), a set of 12 fundamental actions serving as globally recognized sustainability indicators for hotels.

The Basics set hotels on a path towards meeting the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and other certification standards by providing a common starting point and tangible actions that benefit society. Greenview’s expertise helped create a practical framework, The Basics Toolkit, to guide hotel operators, owners, and investors in implementing sustainable practices.

The Basics strike a balance between ease and affordability of implementation while maintaining a level of robustness that ensures verifiability, thereby preventing greenwashing. Greenview is proud to be a premium verification partner for The Basics. Our full software, Greenview Portal, helps hotels understand the nuances of the 12 Basics indicators and allows users to compile all necessary documentation in one place for easy verification.

 

Net Zero Methodology for Hotel

The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels is a comprehensive methodology designed to guide hotel companies in achieving net zero emissions.

This initiative, led by Greenview in collaboration with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, aimed to establish standardized approaches and resources for helping the hotel industry to set net zero goals and decarbonize.

The methodology provides detailed guidelines for quantifying greenhouse gas emissions, setting reduction targets, and implementing carbon offset strategies. It emphasizes on prioritizing the various sources within Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions boundaries and offered practical steps for hotels of all sizes to develop and communicate their net zero plans. Greenview played a pivotal role in developing this methodology, leveraging its expertise in sustainability to support hotels in meeting their climate goals.

To learn more about this significant initiative and explore the detailed methodology, visit here.

 

 

 

 

Industry Footprint and Decarbonization Pathways

Greenview has conducted extensive research on the carbon footprint of the hotel industry worldwide and its progress toward science-based decarbonization pathways based on global climate action goals.

We were recently commissioned by the Tourism Panel On Climate Change to study the industry’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between 2017 and 2022. Our analysis revealed that although hotels have reduced their emissions intensity, the continuous growth of the industry – fueled by pent-up demand from travelers – will require deeper decarbonization in the latter half of this decade in order to catch up to global commitments.

We had also developed the 2017 Hotel Global Decarbonisation Report in partnership with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. It outlines the hotel sector’s decarbonization pathway and recommends actions the sector should take.

To find out more about how you can play a part in the industry’s decarbonization efforts, contact us.

 

 

GSTC SMS Guidance

In collaboration with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Greenview developed a comprehensive guide for hotels to implement a Sustainability Management System (SMS) that is aligned with GSTC Industry Criteria for Hotels, which outlines a step-by-step approach using the Plan-Do-Check-Act methodology, setting up a sustainability team, defining key issues, creating relevant policies and procedures, and continuously monitoring and improving sustainability practices, so that hotel practitioners unfamiliar with the concept of a Sustainability management System could obtain practical guidance for implementing a system as part of pursuing GSTC certification.

 

 

Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE)

As an initiative of the Joint Meetings Industry Council and launched in direct partnership with UNFCCC, the Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) convenes hundreds of the industry’s leading players across the value chain to decarbonize the event industry.

Greenview has served as the technical partner of the NZCE initiative since its 2021 inception, and leads the technical work. This includes the development of the NZCE Pledge, the Net Zero Roadmap, the event measurement methodology, and the reporting framework, along with coordination of workstreams and supporting guidance documents on:

• Offsetting
• Logistics
• Smart production and waste management
• Food and food waste
• Venue energy
• Travel and accommodation.

View the latest version of the measurement methodology for NZCE here.

 

Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology

In 2021, Greenview proudly developed the Hotel Waste Measurement Methodology in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-US, supported by leading hotel brands and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.

This first-of-a-kind methodology enabled hotels to effectively measure and manage waste at both property and portfolio levels, establishing industry-aligned definitions and metrics. Greenview’s technical expertise was instrumental in crafting detailed steps for data gathering, extrapolation and verification. Greenview also produced industry wide waste coefficients for both waste and food waste.

By following this methodology, hotels can accurately track total waste and food waste, measure waste per square meter, determine diversion rates, and set and achieve waste reduction goals.

To discover how your hotel can benefit from this methodology, contact us.

 

Destination Water Risk Index (DWRI)

The Destination Water Risk Index (DWRI), a collaborative effort between Greenview, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, STR, and Ecolab, provides a comprehensive analysis of water-related risks across global destinations.

This index evaluates physical, financial, and market risks associated with water scarcity, aiming to help the hotel industry integrate water risk management into their strategic planning and operations. The DWRI identifies high-risk destinations, highlighting the need for sustainable water management practices to mitigate potential negative impacts on business operations and local communities. By offering insights into water risk metrics and promoting proactive water stewardship strategies, the DWRI supports the hospitality sector in achieving sustainable growth.

Greenview, a leader in sustainability consulting for the hospitality industry, played a key role in developing and enhancing the DWRI. Greenview continues to guide hotel companies in implementing effective water stewardship strategies, promoting sustainable growth, and enhancing resilience against water-related challenges.

View the DWRI here.

 

Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool (HFT)

The Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool (HFT) is a free public resource designed for anyone wanting to calculate the carbon footprints of hotel stays or meetings spaces globally.

Developed and maintained by Greenview, HFT utilizes the HCMI methodology, which is recognized as the standard for measuring and comparing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions in hotels. Its latest source data is drawn from the Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark (CHSB) index, comprising over 27,000 hotels worldwide. This makes HFT an ideal tool for providing carbon offsetting calculations and supporting corporate reporting, particularly for Scope 3 emissions.

HFT users range from companies that want to calculate their carbon footprint of business travel and hotel stays to online travel agencies, travel management companies, tour operators, and consultancies.

If you would like to integrate data from the Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool into your system to calculate carbon footprints or to provide information to clients at point of booking, please get in touch.

View the HFT here.

 

Clean the World

Clean the World is a global leader in sustainable hospitality waste solutions, partnering with over 8,300 hotels to divert discarded soap and bottled amenities from landfills. To help measure and visualize the social and environmental impacts of these recycling programs, Greenview developed a new measurement framework. This framework includes a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach and measures against the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To learn more about how hotel partners can track their individual impacts using Greenview’s methodology, visit Clean the World’s New Impact Dashboard.

 

GTPI Plastics Measurement Methodology

Greenview contributed to developing the GTPI Plastics Measurement Methodology for Accommodation Providers, providing technical assistance through its collaboration with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) is a joint effort launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF).

This methodology supports the travel and tourism sector in combating plastic pollution and transitioning to a circular economy. It offers standardized guidelines for measuring plastic use, prioritizing problematic or unnecessary plastic items, and improving the accuracy of annual reporting. By establishing clear metrics, organizational boundaries, and data collection processes, the methodology ensures robust and practical application. The methodology also helps accommodation providers measure and communicate their plastics reduction progress in a transparent and accountable manner.

View the methodology here.

 

 

Benchmarking Methodology For Cruise Destinations

Greenview developed a sustainability benchmarking methodology for cruise destinations, including publication of a full evaluation criteria available for industry use and replication, on behalf of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and its National Tourism Organizations.

This methodology was developed as a follow-up recommendation from its strategic framework for sustainable cruise tourism development in Southeast Asia to enhance collaborative efforts among peers within the region. The methodology was piloted with 16 cruise destinations across Asia in 2017.

Learn more about the methodology here.

 

Hotels of Tomorrow (HOT) Coalition

Launched by Greenview in 2016, Hotel Owners for Tomorrow (HOT) emerged as an industry-leading coalition of over 35 organizations united by a common goal—to promote environmental stewardship and establish long-term sustainability practices into core business decisions within the hospitality sector.

Comprised of hotel companies, industry bodies, media, and development firms, the coalition engaged and assisted hotel owners to achieve property-wide sustainability endeavors through facilitated roundtable discussions and peer sharing opportunities. Through its collaborative spirit, HOT fostered forward-thinking hotel owners to embrace environmentally conscious initiatives, thereby driving positive change within the hospitality industry.

 

IFC for Hotel Green Revitalization

On behalf of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Greenview undertook an assessment to better understand the financial stress faced by hotels (both large and SMEs) due to COVID-19 and their willingness to include financing energy and water efficiency projects as part of credit and loan refinancing of existing debt.

The results and recommendations were used to structure a global credit facility to support debt restructuring for local financial institutions.

This support aimed to assist hotels with specific provisions for greening their properties to reduce costs during the pandemic recovery period. It focused on the countries of Indonesia, India, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Africa, and Jamaica.