Cordis Auckland, the flagship Cordis hotel in the Pacific region, has been honoured with EarthCheck Master Certification in recognition of its ongoing commitment to sustainability.
EarthCheck Certified is the world’s leading environmental certification and benchmarking program for the travel and tourism industry. EarthCheck Master Certification – which requires more than 15 years of commitment to the highest standards of environmental and social care – is the highest accolade that can be awarded under the program.
EarthCheck CEO and founder Stewart Moore congratulated the Cordis Auckland team for their long-term sustainability commitment at an event held at the hotel on Thursday 16 February.
“Achieving EarthCheck Master Certification is not an easy task and it takes the commitment of the whole team to deliver improved operational results across the business,” he said.
“There are no shortcuts and there needs to be an ongoing commitment to both measured and improved performance.”
Since 1987, EarthCheck has assisted travel and tourism organisations to increase their efficiencies, maximise their guest experience and minimise their environmental footprint. Organisations that participate in the EarthCheck Certified program can call on independently audited and benchmarked EarthCheck data to show their commitment to sustainable tourism practices.
Cordis Auckland has been EarthCheck accredited since 2006, and now becomes one of only 15 hotels globally to achieve EarthCheck Master Certification. It forms part of a global portfolio of EarthCheck accredited hotels owned by Langham Hospitality Group.
The hotel, which is known for its extensive locally commissioned art collection, state-of-the-art meeting rooms and popular restaurants, recently launched its new 244-room Pinnacle Tower, bringing the hotel’s total number of rooms and suites to 640.
Mr Moore highlighted the consistent sustainability measures that Cordis Auckland has taken, in line with EarthCheck’s science-based approach.
“Cordis Auckland has persistently worked towards optimising its energy performance, improving water usage, integrating responsible waste management systems and reducing its carbon footprint with science-based targets,” he said.
Cordis Auckland’s notable achievements and initiatives include:
- Establishing a beehive on a level of the hotel to assist with pollination and support the rehabilitation of bees in urban areas
- Redistributing unused soap bars to the community, in partnership with Beyond Skin Deep
- Removing single use amenities where possible, including toiletries, and swapping to liquid reusable pumps, reducing plastic waste
- Sourcing seafood that is caught sustainably from reputable companies
- Offering sustainable meeting solutions to assist organisers in integrating environmental considerations and promoting positive social impact
Having been awarded EarthCheck’s highest honour, Cordis Auckland remains committed to measurable, year-on-year improvement.
The hotel plans to introduce a water bottling machine on site as an alternative to plastic water bottles, and is re-introducing its ORCA (Organic, Refuse, Conversion, Alternative) food waste solution, which was used pre-COVID to turn food waste into environmentally safe liquid that can be used to create renewable, sustainable energy.
Managing Director of Cordis Auckland, Franz Mascarenhas, said the hotel’s EarthCheck Master Certification recognises his team’s consistency and the small actions they take every day to make a difference.
“Fifteen years ago we made a commitment to be a sustainable business and we have been working in incremental steps to achieve this,” he said.
“This accolade is testament to that, showing that small, consistent steps can make the biggest changes long-term.
“This is the way forward for business, and we want to lead the way in the hospitality industry. Change, however, cannot be done in isolation – it’s a global effort to ensure the world we live in is sustainable for future generations.”
Learn more about how your organisation can achieve EarthCheck certification here.
