REGENT BEIJING UNDERTAKES BENCHMARKING OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

August 8th 2011, Located in JInbao Street of Wangfujing – In an important milestone, the environmental performance of Regent Beijing has been recognised by EarthCheck; the travel and tourism industry’s leading environmental management, benchmarking and certification company.
EarthCheck operates the world’s most scientifically rigorous benchmarking program and measures key indicators such as energy and water consumption, total waste production, and community commitment to provide a holistic picture of operational performance.

Benchmarking involves submitting a year’s worth of operational data to EarthCheck, and this is in turn compared with industry data collected from more than 1200 organizations in over 65 countries.

By taking such a scientific approach to measuring the effectiveness of their sustainability practices, Regent Beijing has been able to identify where they were out-performing others and where room for improvement remained.

“We are very honored to receive this award. It is indeed an outstanding accomplishment for The Regent Beijing. The management, the staff and our clients all make their own contribution, approaching the initiative with great enthusiasm. By implementing various energy saving measures, we could reduce the environmental impact of our business operations.” said George Francis Benney, Managing Director of The Regent Beijing and Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Hotel.

Regent Beijing rated at or above Best Practice levels for water saving, waste disposal, paper, cleaning and pesticide products.

For economies reliant on travel and tourism, EarthCheck’s benchmarking data provides the only historical record of the global environmental impacts of the industry over the past 12 years. More importantly, it rates the effectiveness of industry efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) and conserve natural resources at a project-by-project level.

“I am delighted that Regent Beijing have Benchmarked their operations,” stated Stewart Moore, EarthCheck CEO. “They have recognized the need to be responsible for the impacts of their operations and transparent in their environmental statements.”

By undertaking benchmarking with EarthCheck, Regent Beijing has joined other industry leaders who have demonstrated a willingness to take meaningful steps towards resolving some of the very real issues that face the planet.