London, August 2015: The Ritz London is delighted to have achieved the Gold certification from Green Tourism, the largest independent sustainable programme of its kind. Measured across ten different criteria throughout the hotel, including waste minimisation, social responsibility, energy saving and innovation, The Ritz London has achieved the highest level Gold Award overall, based on the level of the hotel’s sustainability.
Commenting on the Green Tourism Gold Award, Paul Winfield-Brown, Maintenance Manager at The Ritz London says; “We are delighted that our efforts to operate in a sustainable way have been recognised by Green Tourism with the Gold Award. As an iconic London landmark we recognise and are committed to contributing to promoting a greener future”.
Having first opened in 1906, almost 110 years ago, The Ritz London is committed at all levels of the business to both the conservation of the Grade II listed building as well as contributing to the future well-being of the environment. Recognising that the day-to-day services and operations have an impact on the environment, the team at The Ritz London strive to reduce the hotel’s environmental impact and carbon footprint through sustainable practices and minimising the potentially harmful effects of such activities wherever possible.
The Ritz London has partnered with CleanConscience, an innovative new company set up with the aim of reducing waste from the hospitality industry from hitting landfills, by recovering partly used soap and guest amenities. CleanConscience manually sort, sterilise and reprocess soaps and toiletries and distribute globally to people suffering from life threatening diseases, preventable by the simple process of hand washing with soap.
The Ritz London, a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, has a policy of purchasing the freshest ingredients available to the market place for each season. Local suppliers and where possible fair-trade produce are utilised to reduce the carbon footprint, enabling the shortest distance from farm to fork. The kitchen has been recently renovated and now uses induction throughout with no gas, making it far more energy efficient. The new workspace enables the majority of cooking to be done on planchas, minimising the need for fats and oils and the many traditional pots and pans, and therefore reducing the amount of water used in washing up and grease in the drainage system.