Study Shows Circular Economy Can Work in the Hotel Industry

In various projects, the partners have tested—in line with the circular economy principles of “reduce, reuse, reprocess, and recycle”—how resources can be conserved, waste avoided, and economic benefits achieved at the same time. The results make it clear: sustainability and economic efficiency are not a contradiction, but can reinforce one another.

At Motel One Aachen, for example, residual waste was reduced in favor of recyclable lightweight packaging through the use of trash can liners. This made it possible to divert an average of 4.6 metric tons of residual waste and reduce the costs for this waste stream by about 30 percent. “The potential cost savings from reduced residual waste, the environmental benefits, and the minimal additional effort required in hotel operations convinced us to continue this project in Aachen immediately after the pilot phase,” says Verena Ferner, Group CR & Sustainability Manager at the Motel One Group. The second project, the switch from single-use to reusable packaging for fruit salads, which took place at various Motel One locations in Hamburg, has proven in practice to offer significant potential for reducing single-use plastic, with stable return rates and a low rejection rate. During the test period, 2,261 single-use buckets, and thus 423 kilograms of single-use plastic were avoided.

At Leonardo Hotels Central Europe, the principle of the circular economy has been put to the test in practice during hotel acquisitions and renovations. Instead of simply disposing of existing furniture, it was systematically assessed to determine whether it could be reused, refurbished, or put back into service through comprehensive remanufacturing. In the pilot projects in Berlin and Hanover, a significant amount of furniture was thus able to be reused. The insights gained from these projects are now being incorporated into other renovation projects. In addition, recycling solutions for various materials: such as wood, plastics, and metals, have been implemented. The experience gained from the pilot projects forms the basis for tapping into additional material streams and further developing existing approaches in collaboration with additional partners.

“The pilot projects demonstrate that scalability is achieved through a systematic analysis of material flows and local conditions. At the same time, it is clear that a circular economy can only be successfully implemented in practice through collaboration with suitable partners,” says Natascha Michaelsen, Senior Project Manager ESG/CSR at Leonardo Hotels Central Europe.

Practical experience shows that the circular economy can be successfully implemented, particularly when it is integrated into existing operational processes. “In our view, it is noteworthy that the solutions were tested not under laboratory conditions, but during normal hotel operations. The project demonstrates how crucial close collaboration between hotels, suppliers, logistics service providers, and recycling companies is—as well as the active involvement and motivation of employees,” says Prof. Dr. Sandra Transchel, Professor of Supply Chain and Operations Management at Kühne Logistics University (KLU).

Guests can also make an important contribution: by giving preference to circular hotels when booking, treating furniture and amenities with care, using the waste separation systems provided, and accepting reusable options or using their own reusable containers.

For WWF Germany, the project results send a clear message to the hotel industry. “It is all too often claimed that environmental protection harms the economy. Our project results prove once again that the opposite is true for the hotel industry: Those who conserve resources, avoid waste, and use materials for longer can simultaneously reduce costs and strengthen their own long-term viability. The results thus make an important contribution to the transformation of the hotel industry. The potential is there—now it’s time to tap into it,” says Laura Griestop, an expert on the circular economy at WWF Germany.

Here you can find the full report “Circular Economy in the Hotel Industry,” which will also be presented tomorrow, Friday, September 18, at the international C2C Congress organized by the nonprofit organization Cradle to Cradle in Berlin. The study was carried out with financial support from Kaldewei, a long-standing WWF sponsorship partner.