The Impact of Workplace Initiatives on Low Carbon Behaviours - Case Study Report

7 HILTON EDINBURGH GROSVENOR HOTEL

The Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor case study illustrates how low carbon initiatives have centred on the kitchen, which provides an interesting context for the adoption of low carbon behaviours. Secondly the hotel industry more broadly presents unusual challenges not faced elsewhere in the economy, most notably that a significant proportion of the building's carbon use is used by guests rather than staff. Finally Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor's low carbon journey began relatively recently compared to other case studies and the maturity of initiatives varies across different departments. As such the hotel offers us a useful snapshot of an organisation at a mid-point in the development of initiatives.

Background

7.1 Hilton Worldwide is a global hospitality company with over 140,000 staff and over 3,800 hotels across 88 countries. This case study is focused on the activities within one hotel in the chain, Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor based in Edinburgh's West End. Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor is a listed building dating from the nineteenth century which has been a hotel since the 1920s. It was acquired by Hilton Worldwide in 2001 and subsequently underwent major renovation. Currently the hotel employs 135 staff. The hotel has a four star Scottish Tourist Board rating and its customers include both leisure and business travellers. The hotel also has a restaurant and provides event and meeting facilities.

Corporate framework

7.2 The commitment to corporate level sustainability principles is driven by both business benefits and ethical principles. There is a clear business benefit from having an advanced sustainability programme in the hospitality and tourism industry. Corporate customers, and, to a lesser extent, individuals are increasingly using sustainability criteria in making decisions when purchasing business travel services. Hilton Worldwide is a founding member of the International Tourism Partnership and has participated in initiatives to develop sector-specific environmental standards and is keen to lead that movement.

Initiatives in the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor

7.3 Within the corporate framework established by Hilton Worldwide, hotels vary regarding which aspects of sustainability they engage in. Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor has made particular efforts to promote low carbon management in the last two and a half years, and given the size of its workforce and customer base, the hotel felt it was in a position to influence a significant number of people. In addition to encouragement at corporate level, the hotel manager has obtained a Green Tourism Business Scheme certificate at silver level. He regards this as a way of attracting customers interested in the 'green' credentials of the hotel in addition to his own desire to reduce the organisation's environmental impact.

7.4 As part of the efforts to promote low carbon ways of working, Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor has implemented a number of low carbon initiatives, many of which have focused on the kitchen and administrative functions of the hotel. This was a deliberate strategy because these areas were identified as having potential to make large scale changes more simply than other areas of the hotel. These areas are relatively easy to monitor and control and, particularly in the case of the kitchen, were areas that saw significant sources of waste and energy usage.

7.5 Within the kitchen there has been a focus on reducing food waste both through less wastage at preparation stage and recycling where possible. Food waste is now recycled through CORE, a company which specialises in recycling commercial and industrial food waste and chefs have also been concentrating their efforts to use food more efficiently in the meal preparation process. The executive chef has stipulated that, whenever possible and appropriate from the quality perspective, food is sourced locally, within approximately an hour's travelling time from Edinburgh. In addition to reducing the kitchen's carbon footprint, he believed that customers would prefer locally sourced Scottish produce.

7.6 More broadly, the hotel has also sought to reduce total energy consumption. This has focused firstly on altering infrastructure by, for example, replacing existing light bulbs with more energy efficient models, introducing motion sensors in conference rooms, modifying the air conditioning systems and replacing older windows in the building to offer better insulation. Other initiatives have focused on staff behaviour. For example, the housekeepers have re-organised the process for stripping down rooms so that now an initial sweep of rooms is done to ensure electrical equipment within the rooms is switched off after guests have left before cleaning begins.

7.7 Recycling of non-food waste has been introduced including paper, cardboard, plastics, toner cartridges and batteries (eg from TV remote control handsets in rooms). A cardboard baler has been purchased for the kitchen to reduce the amount of space taken up by cardboard packaging and reduce the amount of time required to flatten packaging. Similarly, a recycling bin for plastic coffee cups has been provided next to the vending machine.

Process of implementation

7.8 Low carbon initiatives have been driven primarily by the Hotel Manager. The first phase of implementation involved raising awareness of low carbon management among heads of department. As a result, a senior level Sustainability Team was set up to implement low carbon initiatives involving monthly meetings of the hotel manager with heads of department (from the kitchen, housekeeping and maintenance) and the hotel manager's PA.

7.9 Getting the right people on the Sustainability Team was very important and the hotel manager ensured that heads of departments participated to ensure senior level leadership across the hotel. The hotel manager was particularly keen for the executive chef to captain the Sustainability Team, partly due to the power of his role within the kitchen and partly because he has an engaging personality which would help to encourage other staff to participate. He has led all the kitchen based initiatives, such as local sourcing of food and the recycling of food waste, and also takes charge of communications between the Sustainability Team and other staff. Together with other senior staff in the kitchen, he has been responsible for monitoring and enforcing low carbon activity by reminding people to turn off equipment, use pot lids and recycle correctly.

7.10 While low carbon initiatives are primarily developed, resourced and implemented in each hotel, having access to advice, resources and support from corporate managers was also important. The Sustainability Team has been able to get advice on a number of subjects from corporate level. For example a corporate sustainability manager helped the executive chef understand what being captain of the Sustainability Team would require.

7.11 Individual staff have also been involved in driving change. In housekeeping, an employee began separating waste out for recycling on her own initiative, which helped demonstrate that it could be done without adding too much additional work to the process of cleaning rooms.

7.12 As part of the development of green initiatives in the hotel, the senior Sustainability Team members recognised that they needed more input to develop low carbon initiatives. As a result, they began to recruit sustainability reps among front line staff in an effort to expand low carbon initiatives. The aim is that by including more staff with a different 'perspective' to the original Sustainability Team, new and fresh ideas for green initiatives will be generated.

7.13 As well as developing hotel level initiatives, the Sustainability Team is involved in implementing initiatives at corporate level. In particular they have made efforts to ensure all staff have completed the sustainability awareness e-learning courses.

Building staff awareness

7.14 Staff receive corporate information on Hilton Worldwide's low carbon initiatives at induction, through newsletters and e-learning modules. This information links sustainable management activities to the broader corporate responsibility objectives and it helps to reinforce the importance of low carbon principles to the Hilton Worldwide family of brands.

7.15 Within the hotel, communication about low carbon initiatives takes place face-to-face, with managers passing information to staff in their department both at departmental meetings and on a day-to-day basis. This is most obvious in the kitchen where the executive chef and some of the chefs de partie have informed staff about initiatives affecting their work. To encourage behaviour change in recycling and energy conservation in the kitchen the executive chef's approach was to keep awareness high. 'Constantly talking about it, constantly going around and switching off hobs, putting lids on things… constantly reminding people'. Similarly one of the chefs de partie sought to raise awareness about how much food waste was being generated in preparation by asking all staff on a shift to collect their food waste in an individual bucket. This helped staff visualise the amount of food wasted and encouraged them to think about how they might reduce it.

7.16 The same approach to communicating low carbon initiatives has been taken in housekeeping, where the head housekeeper has informed staff about the need to integrate recycling and energy conservation into their work.

Staff responses

7.17 Initial staff responses to low carbon initiatives have been mixed, with some employees very enthusiastic and others more resistant to change.

7.18 In the kitchen some staff raised concerns about turning off appliances frequently, sorting waste into different categories and finding ways to reduce food waste. They had some reservations about changing the way work is done in the kitchen, in case it reduced their efficiency in a busy environment. These concerns were shared by some staff in the housekeeping department

'[Staff said] things were working the way they were, why do we need to change them; I don't have time to do that.' - Head Housekeeper

7.19 Over time, however, staff adopted low carbon behaviours and they appear to have become habitual, particularly in the kitchen where the initiatives have been running longest. In the kitchen this has been achieved by repeated communication about the importance of recycling, re-using materials and conserving energy. Occasional lapses in staff behaviour occur, for example gas rings or grills being left on, but these are not widespread and are resolved through reminders from the Executive Chef or senior staff.

7.20 One new recruit who joined the housekeeping department since the initiatives began noted that they were covered in the induction process and felt that low carbon behaviour is increasingly 'part of the job'. Overall, newer members of staff were particularly positive about the new practices.

Key challenges

7.21 Setting up the Sustainability Team required consultation with some staff to get them engaged. The Executive Chef had limited experience of low carbon management practices and was unsure what the role would entail. Conversations with the Hotel Manager and a Corporate Sustainability Manager convinced him of the importance of low carbon management to the hotel and helped him understand the role within the Sustainability Team.

7.22 Like all hotels, a major challenge faced by the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor is that much energy use is controlled by guests rather than employees or managers. Guests vary in their use of energy within their rooms, but in an effort to help them reduce their energy usage, the hotel provides information on how their behaviour can help low carbon management.

7.23 Another challenge is the design of the hotel premises which is a listed building dating from the 1860s. This has been a particular problem for infrastructure changes with regards to replacing windows and re-wiring. Planning permission and specially designed windows are required and there is potential that the building may sustain damage associated with re-wiring. However it also poses problems for some behavioural initiatives. For example, rooms are located in narrow corridors and split across several different levels which has complicated recycling by housekeepers. The main issue has been how to store recycling in a way which separates it into different categories of waste, as there is only limited space in corridors for recycling bins so the nearest recycling points can often be several flights of stairs away. The head house keeper is currently redesigning and standardising the system for cleaning rooms and examining how best to fit recycling into these activities and how staff participation in recycling can be measured and monitored.

7.24 Although support from corporate level managers has been important in helping low carbon initiatives, managers have also worked flexibly with corporate procedures to implement local initiatives. In particular, hotel menus are usually based on chain-wide standard menus and food purchases are made through a common list of approved suppliers, which may not necessarily be local to each hotel. However, the Executive Chef was able to negotiate some freedom in order to implement the local food sourcing policy.

Evidence of impact

7.25 Hilton Worldwide monitors energy usage, water usage, waste output and carbon output through their LightStay system. It is difficult to disaggregate the effects of behavioural programmes versus changes to infrastructure or technology. At a global level between 2008 and 2010, Hilton Worldwide achieved reductions of 6.6 per cent in energy use, 3.8 per cent in water use, 7.8 per cent in carbon output and 19 per cent in waste to landfill output. The figures for Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor are a reduction of 22.4 per cent in energy use, 22.4 per cent reduction in water usage and a 13 per cent decrease in CO₂ emissions. In total 40 per cent of waste is currently being recycled and recycled food makes up 23 per cent of total waste volume.

7.26 There are also other qualitative indicators of impact. The hotel has been awarded a Green Tourism Business Scheme certificate at silver level which exceeded initial expectations. Although the initial inspection suggested the award would be at bronze level, the changes that were being implemented by the time of the official inspection a month or so later led to the higher level being awarded.

Critical success factors

Leadership

7.27 The first critical success factor for the hotel's low carbon initiatives is leadership at multiple levels. Leadership at corporate level has helped emphasise that sustainable management practices are taken seriously by the whole organisation. At hotel level, leadership from the general manager in instigating the low carbon projects, the Executive Chef and the Sustainability Team have been crucial in implementing the activities.

7.28 A lot of emphasis was placed on involving right people in the right positions to 'get things done' through colleagues who have the necessary resources and appropriate attitudes to push through changes. The hotel manager was keen for the Executive Chef to captain the Sustainability Team despite his initial lack of experience in sustainability issues. The rationale was that the chef was the head of a department where significant gains could be made and that he has a strong leadership style to influence others and effect change.

Habits

7.29 Within the kitchen, in particular, another critical success factor has been breaking old habits and replacing them with new, low carbon habits. Similar processes are under way in housekeeping where recycling is starting to be seen as part of the job by newer staff. This has been achieved primarily through constant reinforcement and reminders about appropriate behaviours. Key to the success was the emphasis from managers that it was important not simply to 'nag' people without explanation. Thus reminders are coupled with provision of information to explain why the hotel is implementing these initiatives, the potential benefits and feedback on how initiatives are progressing. This helped to justify the behaviour changes to staff.

Policies and procedures

7.30 Changes to policies and procedures have also helped shape habits. This is particularly clear in housekeeping where work is fairly standardised and employees are required to perform tasks using common processes following the same sequence. Building energy conservation into the procedure for cleaning rooms appears to have been fairly successful so far.

Provision of equipment

7.31 Material factors, in particular, providing recycling bins and the cardboard baler have been important in supporting a change in habits in the kitchen. Having easy access to this equipment has made it relatively straightforward for staff to break with their old habits.

Access to support and services

7.32 Finally, the ability to access support and services outside the hotel has been important. Some of this support comes in the form of advice and resources from the corporate level. For example, the hotel was able to access LightStay, one of Hilton Worldwide corporate brand standards, to measure various aspects of its energy and water usage and carbon emissions as well as advice from corporate sustainability managers. However Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor has also used external companies in a number of areas. In particular, it would be difficult to recycle food waste if they were not able to access food recycling services and local sourcing of food is dependent on having a range of good quality suppliers in the area.

Future plans

7.33 The key extension to the project, which is currently getting underway, is the introduction of sustainability reps from among front line staff. Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor hopes that these reps will be able to generate additional ideas and identify potential areas for improvement which the more senior Sustainability Team has not identified. While employees interviewed felt that they could make contributions and suggestions, this extension to the project will bring an additional level of staff involvement.

7.34 As a department, housekeeping has faced more challenges than the kitchen. In this area a number of possibilities are being investigated including ways of reducing waste from plastic toiletry bottles and how to improve the housekeepers' access to recycling facilities.

Key learning points

• Pick high impact changes for quick wins that make a difference. Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor focused its resources and effort on areas where it was easiest to make significant change, specifically the kitchen. This has helped develop a sense of momentum and a confidence among the Sustainability Team that they can affect change within the hotel. The hotel manager believes that if had they attempted to tackle 'everything' at the outset, they would have spread themselves too thinly and potentially become disheartened if progress had not been made. Using specialised yet user-friendly online platform such as LightStay to monitor and benchmark performance helped to identify areas for change.
• Gaining commitment of influential managers is invaluable. Interestingly, selecting staff for their power to influence others appears to be successful, even if staff are not already engaged in low carbon behaviours. Mutual support from managers of different departments through the Sustainability Team helped sustain commitment at a senior level.
• Frequent and consistent reinforcement of new behaviours is required. This requires persistence and determination. It helps to break undesirable habits and form beneficial new ones. Face-to-face communication by managers is important on this front.
• Flexibility in corporate policies and willingness to challenge these at local level can be important in enabling local level change, as in the case of local food supply.
• Material factors of incorporating low carbon behaviours as part of work schedules and providing tools and equipment such as the cardboard baler to make low carbon behaviours physically practical is essential. This improves individuals' sense of agency and perception that they have the power to alter their behaviours.
• Making the most of internal and external resources through supply chain networks or access to individuals as sources of expertise can be important in sourcing knowledge, equipment and services.
• Embedding sustainability principles within corporate values and connecting them to commercial pressures such as customer preferences can make a powerful argument for change, although it can be challenging to ensure front line staff recognise how these values relate to their daily work.