On March 15th, the Company joint this London stock exchange listed index which tracks the socially-responsible investing records of companies worldwide
? Ftse4Good is one of the most prestigious international barometers for the ethical pledges, transparency, environmental management, climate change efforts and human and labour right championing of all kinds of listed companies
? In recent years, NH Hoteles has approved a new Code of Conduct which engages all its stakeholders, surpassed all its environmental management targets and undertaken numerous sustainable investing measures as well as a successful community work campaign
The FTSE4Good socially-responsible investing index created by the London stock exchange has just announced the addition of NH Hoteles.
FTSE4Good was conceived of to help investors factor environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment decisions. This index?s task is to identify the companies that best combine all these factors as the foundation for searching for funds, structured products and returns. These classifications are subsequently used by investors looking to factor ESG criteria into their decision-making processes. They also provide a reference point for collaborating with other companies or administrations.
To determine which companies are included in this prestigious index, over 1,000 international listed companies are analysed in respect of socially-responsible consideration which encompass six ESG criteria: environmental management, climate change, human and labour rights, supply chain labour standards, countering bribery, and corporate governance.
[quote]?We are very proud to be the only Spanish company to achieve this international recognition as it endorses the effort we have been making for years to position the company as the benchmark hotel chain in the corporate responsibility field. Thanks to all the measures we have rolled out, we have provided the lead in the tourism sector on CR policy, environmental management and our ethics pledge to all stakeholders, among other matters?, according to Marta Mart?n, Director of Corporate Responsibility at NH Hoteles.[/quote]
NH Hoteles, socially responsible tourism player
The mission NH Hoteles set itself a few years ago embodied a commitment to provide sustainable, consistent and efficient services for all its stakeholders, integrating sustainable development criteria into the economic, environmental and social dimensions of its business with the aim of becoming the benchmark socially-responsible player in its sector.
In May 2011, the Board of Directors of NH Hoteles approved a new Code of Conduct which is binding for all employees, directors, shareholders, suppliers and other stakeholders. This Code also provides a practical manual for the Company?s staff as it lays out the hotel chain?s rules and values in a concise and didactic manner.
Elsewhere, since embarking on its 2008-2012 Environmental Action Plan, NH Hoteles has undertaken a series of innovative sustainability initiatives which have enabled it to deliver all its targets – namely energy savings of 25%, water savings of 30% and reductions in carbon emissions and waste generation of 44% and 34%, respectively. Delivery of these targets was facilitated by creation of the NH Sustainable Club, an ideas lab in which the hotel chain works with its more conscientious suppliers on sustainable and innovative solutions for the hotel sector, among other initiatives.
Community work is another of the causes championed by NH Hoteles. The Company?s Community Work Action Plan encompasses three key lines of initiative: Up! for the People: Up for Opportunities, an international training and work experience program at the Company’s hotels for young people at risk of exclusion; Up! for Volunteering, NH Hoteles? corporate volunteering effort; and Up! for Hospitality, under which NGOs and charities are granted special rates and product/service donations.
NH Hoteles is firmly committed to providing an example as an ethical and transparent company. For the last six years it has published an annual Corporate Responsibility Report which gives an account of its economic, social and environmental performance.
[box type=”tick”]About NH Hoteles
NH Hoteles (www.nh-hotels.com) is Europe?s third-ranked business hotel chain. It operates close to 400 hotels with almost 60,000 rooms in 26 countries across Europe, the Americas and Africa. NH Hoteles currently has 20 new hotels under construction which will add over 2,500 new rooms to its portfolio. NH Hoteles is traded on the Madrid stock exchange.[/box]