generated anually
provided to local communities from surplus food redistribution
of EarthCheck Certification
Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok is celebrating five years of EarthCheck Certification with an upgrade to Gold status. The accolades are a result of continuous improvement by the luxury hotel, which seeks out unique ways to reduce its environmental impact.
Bangkok is not the obvious setting for a sustainability story. It’s a city of scale, noise, and energy; not where you’d expect a sustainability story to begin. Which is exactly what makes Sindhorn Kempinski’s achievement worth paying attention to.
The 274-room urban luxury hotel, set within a precinct that integrates wellness, residences and green space in the heart of the Thai capital, has held EarthCheck Certification for five consecutive years. In 2026, that streak translated into Gold status, recognition reserved for properties that have not just met EarthCheck’s environmental and social performance standards, but sustained and improved on them year after year.
Gold status isn’t awarded on good intentions. It’s earned through five years of verified procedures and performance data.
EarthCheck Certified provides a science-based benchmarking and certification system used by tourism and hospitality operators in more than 70 countries.
Members are required to monitor, report and improve across a range of indicators, from greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency to water stewardship, waste management, land use and ecosystem protection, verified through an independent audit.
For Sindhorn Kempinski, the program has provided both structure and a means of honest self-assessment.
“The hotel uses EarthCheck as a framework for managing and improving performance,” says Stewart Moore, Founder and CEO of EarthCheck. “It measures what is really happening and ensures operational accountability. We commend Sindhorn Kempinski on this achievement.”
The hotel now exceeds regional averages by 11.8% in water conservation and 11.6% in energy efficiency. Its rooftop solar installation alone generates more than 255,000 kWh of renewable energy annually, helping reduce the property’s reliance on Bangkok’s power grid.
One of the more telling indicators of a mature sustainability program is how a property handles what it cannot avoid producing. Sindhorn Kempinski has developed a circular approach to waste that goes well beyond compliance.
The results speak for themselves. Each year, the hotel composts more than 22,000 kilograms of kitchen and garden waste, redistributes over 5,000 kilograms of surplus food to support more than 21,000 meals for local communities, sanitises and recycles around 100 kilograms of used soap bars, and responsibly processes 2,316 kilograms of electronic equipment in line with environmental safety standards.
This approach is supported by a broader set of initiatives, including the elimination of single-use plastics across all food and beverage outlets and menus that prioritise organic, locally sourced ingredients. The hotel also works directly with Thailand’s Royal Project, a sustainable agricultural initiative, to support ethical farming and strengthen regional food systems.
– Thaddaeus Weiss, General Manager of Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
“Sustaining EarthCheck Certification for five consecutive years and reaching Gold status reflects our long-term commitment to responsible hospitality,” says Thaddaeus Weiss, General Manager of Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok.
“At Sindhorn Kempinski, sustainability and well-being are intrinsically connected. From energy performance and water stewardship to mindful sourcing and community engagement, every decision is guided by our belief that refined luxury and environmental responsibility must coexist.”
It’s a framing that’s gaining traction at the upper end of the market, where guests increasingly want the claim backed by evidence. Certification provides that.
EarthCheck Gold status is awarded to properties that have demonstrated five or more consecutive years of compliance with EarthCheck’s Company Standard. It is a signal not of a single good year, but of embedded practice. Sustainability built into the fabric of operations, not retrofitted.
Gold status marks a milestone, not a destination. For Sindhorn Kempinski, the work continues. The benchmarks keep moving, the standards keep tightening and the data keeps coming.
That is precisely the point.
There are more than 476 million Indigenous Peoples, found in all regions of the world, from the Arctic to the tropical forests. They make up more than 6 per cent of our global population.
In the spirit of reconciliation, EarthCheck acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout the world and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous Peoples today.
EarthCheck acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples are guardians of the forests and biodiversity hotspots we all depend on. Research shows that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples, with secure rights, experience lower deforestation rates, store more carbon, hold more biodiversity, and benefit more people than other lands — including protected areas.
We recognise and support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is a positive document that maps out a path for Indigenous Peoples to be free from discrimination and secure in their identities and life choices.
EarthCheck science and products were developed by the Australian Government Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre (STCRC) over ten years. Our science is reviewed annually to ensure that it meets international standards relative to greenhouse gas protocols, responsible tourism, and certification.
EarthCheck products and services are built on the Agenda 21 principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 Heads of State at the United Nations Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 and aligned to the SDGs.
EarthCheck Certified provides a framework for organisations to achieve the desired outcomes for sustainable development as set out in the final report of the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
EarthCheck Certified complies with the Mohonk Agreement (2000), which outlines the guidelines and principles for an international sustainable tourism certification program. It is also a Recognised program of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
EarthCheck Certified is a verification standard accepted by CDP. It is also an approved program of the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA), London & Partners, the Mexican Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) and the City of Sydney.
EarthCheck Certified is an approved program for meeting the EU Energy Directive for the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle – BAFA) in Germany and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) in the Netherlands.
EarthCheck partners with international research organisations to maintain the currency of EarthCheck science and our benchmarking systems.
The EarthCheck brand signifies scientific excellence, better environmental, economic, and social performance, improved community interactions, and savings through more efficient use of resources. It provides recognition and promotional support to a global consumer market.
