G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Conference Encourages Sustainable Hotel & Tourism Practices in Hong Kong & Abroad

On the 26 April 2019, the G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Conference will be hosted by Soap Cycling and funded by the Sustainable Development Fund to develop ethical and sustainable practices in the hospitality industry. Hospitality and tourism businesses have placed strain on local communities and the environment, making it vital for the industry to arrive at new measures to minimise these issues.

The not-for-profit event will be held in partnership with the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and The Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) and take place at the Cordis Hotel, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong boasts the fastest growing hotel market in Asia in 2018, which makes the role of the hospitality industry crucial when it comes to ensuring that its impact on the environment, society and labour is one that is ethical and sustainable. Currently, the lack of strategic planning and implementation of comprehensive industry-wide measures can exacerbate the pressing environmental problems the city faces. Attracting 60 million people to Hong Kong each year, tourism continues to place pressure on the city’s chronic waste and pollution problem.

Other popular tourism destinations in the Asian pacific region can demonstrate the disastrous ecological consequences that can occur in absence of environmentally sustainable solutions to current practices. Due to over-tourism that has seriously damaged ocean ecosystems and caused waste and pollution issues, Philippines and Thailand have had to close Borocay and Phi Phi Islands respectively.

Hosting the conference is Soap Cycling, a charity organisation that collects single-use soap from over 180 participating hotels globally, including 80 in Hong Kong, to reprocess them and then distribute to under-resourced communities locally and overseas. The organisation also engages with the community through providing disadvantaged youth and elderly members meaningful employment opportunities.

Alongside HKU’s Faculty of Business and Economics, and social entrepreneurship based FSI, the conference promises to encourage cooperation and meaningful discussions between experts, policymakers, researchers and industry professionals to develop innovative strategies for sustainable growth. A key feature of the conference is its industry-wide focus – from hotels, supply chains, airline companies and F&B – to ensure that solutions and ideas are comprehensive.

Researchers or experts in sustainable practices wanting to get involved as a panellist, or eco-friendly business owners interested in reserving a booth can get in touch with organisers.

RSVP here – Get HK$ 50 off tickets with promo code SCref2019

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Lead image courtesy of Pexels.