Latest eco-friendly move bolsters Sands ECO360° global sustainability programme
In an important milestone, the environmental performance of The Venetian® Macao 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 our environmental performance through EarthCheck fits in well with the goals of our Sands ECO360° global sustainability programme,” said Mark McWhinnie, Senior Vice President of Development and Shared Services and Director of Sands Cotai Central. “The impact of our various sustainability efforts has already been recognised by the Macao government twice through its Green Hotel Awards; working with EarthCheck further validates the effectiveness and success of our many eco-friendly initiatives.”
Developed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. and implemented at its properties worldwide, Sands ECO360° integrates best practices, technologies and methodologies in the area of sustainability via the four integral pillars of Green Building, Environmentally Responsible Operations, Green Meetings, and Sustainability Education and Outreach.
Benchmarking through EarthCheck involves submitting a year’s worth of operational data, which is in turn compared with industry data collected from more than 1,300 organisations in over 70 countries.
By taking such a scientific approach to measuring the effectiveness of its sustainability practices, The Venetian Macao is able to identify where it is out-performing others and where room for improvement remains. The integrated resort achieved Bronze Benchmarking by EarthCheck, rating at or above EarthCheck Best Practice levels for several indicators within the sectors of Restaurant, Vacation Hotel, Convention Centre, Vehicle Hire, Display and Retail, Casino, and Arena.
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 The Venetian Macao is benchmarking its operations,” said Stewart Moore, EarthCheck CEO. “The integrated resort recognises the need to be responsible for the impacts of its operations and transparent in its environmental statements.
By undertaking benchmarking with EarthCheck, The Venetian Macao is in the company of other industry leaders who have demonstrated a willingness to take meaningful steps towards resolving some of the very real issues that face the planet.
