Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers Communication on Progress Report August 17 th 2011
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Our Social Responsibility Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers supports the UN Global Compact principles for internationally proclaimed human rights (Principles 1-2) including the core labour rights (Principles 3-6). We recognise that our employees are an essential resource to our hotel and play a significant part as ambassadors in making the company successful. Commitments & Policies We commit to continue to let the principles of the Global Compact guide us in our daily decision making, in regard to our social responsibility. We have written CSR policy, stating that we uphold human rights and the core labour rights. We have written policies stating employee rights and responsibilities and their compensation and benefits. These are described in our employee handbook, which is available to all employees. We also pledge to continuously monitor our governance system to ensure compliance with basic human rights and labour rights standards within our company. We will work actively in creating a healthy working environment - physically, psychologically and ethically for all our employees. We will educate and facilitate our employees in making conscious decisions in favour of socially sustainable solutions in their private and work lives. We will continue to place particular focus promoting diversity in our hotel team and we enforce a zero tolerance policy towards discriminatory behaviour due to for example sex, sexual preferences, age, ethnicity or religious affiliation. We will communicate and promote awareness about social responsibility with our stakeholders. 3
Actions & Results Diversity We have continued to focus on diversity in our recruitment of staff. In collaboration with Copenhagen municipality, the hotel provides internships and jobs for candidates coming from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, who all face problems in finding employment. The hotel also offers flexible jobs for people with a reduced ability to work. These are all initiatives to foster a culture of inclusion and to promote fair treatment and equal opportunities for all. At present, we have employees representing 22 nationalities in our hotel. In addition, our employee gender ratio is 46% (w)/ 54% (m). Employee satisfaction We have conducted our first employee satisfaction survey in order to help us better understand and measure our employees' attitude, opinions, motivation, and satisfaction. We have used this data to define areas which need improvement, which we will continue to work with in the year to come. Health, nutrition and food safety We have given all our staff private health insurances in order to ensure our employees have access to the highest standards of health care. In the last year, absenteeism due to illness was 3,97 %. Our hotel is 100% smoke-free and we provide our guests with 24-hour access to the hotel s fitness facilities. We have also ensured that our employees and guests are all offered healthy and fresh food options. Our staff-canteen always serves nutritional meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our kitchen also maintains the highest standards for food safety at all times. Our Restaurant Storm and Bar & Lounge Still have been rewarded the highest rating during food inspections by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. This means that we were accredited with the highest smiley by the Ministry s Smiley-scheme. Work / Life Balance We encourage employees to maintain a healthy balance between work life and private/family life. Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers offers, amongst other things, flexible working hours, the option to work from home and favourable maternity and paternity leave. 4
Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining We encourage our staff to be members of a union and we keep a steady dialogue with these unions. As a result, we have a very good relationship with all unions and have had no conflicts with them. Planned activities 2011/2012 DS 49001 Certification Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers plans to implement the Danish Standard for Social Responsibility DS 49001 based on the guidelines and requirements of OHSA 18001 (Health & Safety), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management). By means of this certification, we hope to systematise our work with CSR to a greater extend in order to ensure implementation in our organisation. Our Environmental Responsibility Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers supports the UN Global Compact for environmental sustainability (Principles 7-9). The tourism industry has an enormous effect on the environment. As a hotel we therefore believe that a responsibility of equal size follows this fact. Copenhagen Towers is the only building in Denmark to meet the standards of the EU Green Building Program; the first hotel to be certified as a Low Energy Class 2 -building and; - Denmark s first carbon-neutral hotel building. As an industry leader, we hope to play a crucial role in leading the industry to embrace ever-higher environmental standards. Commitments & Policies We commit to develop sustainable environmental practices and to let the UN Global Compact principles guide us in our daily decision making. We will aim to invest in solutions and technology that we are convinced will be cost-effective both now and in the future and which does not compromise the experience of quality, comfort or luxury which our hotel offers. 5
We have a written company environmental policy outlining the principles and guidelines which all employees must adhere to in their daily work. This policy is fully described in our employee handbook, which is available to all employees. We will educate and facilitate our employees in making conscious decisions in favour of environmentally sustainable solutions in their private and work lives. We will continue to communicate and promote awareness about sustainability with our stakeholders Actions & Results 2010/2011 Optimising operational procedures Crown Plaza Copenhagen Towers is the only EU Green Building and Low Energy Level 2 certified hotel building in Denmark, which is also CO2-neutral. We have achieved this by investing in innovative new technological solutions, including cutting-edge groundwater-based cooling and heating system; the solar cellar panels implemented on all the sunny surfaces of Copenhagen Towers and; by acquiring the remainder of the required energy through green-energy agreements. We thus believe our most significant contribution to environmental challenges at this stage, regards the optimisation of existing technologies, operations and processes. As a pioneer in implementing advanced, environmentally-friendly technologies and procedures, it is critical to ensure these are functioning most advantageously. Some of the projects we have initialised over the past year include: - The replacement of all halogen light bulbs, with energy-efficient LED bulbs. We do not have any measurable results for this initiative as of yet but all light sources in the entire building is now of a low energy variety. - Installing aerator faucets throughout the hotel, so as to mix water with air. By doing this, we minimize water consumption from 5 liters p/min to 4 liters p/min. - Constantly reducing the use of printed products and making more use of electronic means of communication. All our printed matter is printed on 100% recycled FSC certified Cocoon paper. 6
- We have a carbon neutral website, through our participation in the initiative CO2 Neutral website. - We prioritize making use of CO2 neutral taxi-services. - Replacing our airport shuttle bus with a newer and more energy efficient model cutting emissions by 10%. Sustainable sourcing As far as possible, we have prioritized buying organic, local and seasonal ingredients for our Nordic dishes. We have also aimed at retrieving our raw materials within a radius of 300 km, wherever possible. We always try to minimize our supplier-deliveries to as few times a week as possible. When selecting our wines, we calculate CO2 emissions and prioritize wine-producing countries and regions, which make use of the most environmentally friendly forms of production and transportation. Planned activities 2011/2012 Walk of Sustainability Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is planning to launch our Walk of Sustainability in late summer 2011. By following our Walk of Sustainability guests can interactively discover and learn about the sustainable solutions we have implemented, by walking around the hotel. Through this initiative, we hope to encourage awareness of environmental challenges among our guests, which extends beyond their stay at the hotel. DS 49001 Certification Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers plans to implement the Danish Standard for Social Responsibility DS 49001, based on the guidelines and requirements of OHSA 18001 (Health & Safety), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management). By means of this certification, we hope to systematise our work with CSR to a greater extend in order to ensure implementation in our organisation. 7
Our Economic Responsibility Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers supports UN Global Compact Principle 10 and will work against corruption in all its forms, and uphold all local anti-corruption and bribery laws. At Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers we take our economic responsibilities very seriously and strive to uphold a high reputation of integrity and always act responsibly in the way we do business. Commitments & Policies We commit to continue to let the principles of the Global Compact guide us in our daily decision making, in regard to our economic responsibility. We also pledge to continuously monitor our governance system to ensure compliance with the principle for anti-corruption is upheld and to encourage stakeholders to do the same. We will continue to provide investors with timely, accurate and transparent information on our business practices as well as related risks and opportunities. We have a written company policy of zero-tolerance of bribery, anti-corruption and extortion. Here, it is stated that we do not accept that our employees offer, demand or receive money, presents or other services in order to achieve personal or commercial preferential treatment. Neither do we allow anyone to accept invitations, travels or participating in supplier or business partner events without permission from our managing director. This policy is described in our employee handbook, which is available to all employees. Actions & Results 2010/2011 Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Plaza always follows local laws and regulations, including mandatory financial audits. Fundamentally, the company also permanently maintains an internal control programme for all financial transactions. We have, ensured that our anti-corruption policy was communicated to all employees via the employee handbook. Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is not aware of any incidents of corruption, extortion or bribery which may have arisen since our last Communication on Progress. 8
Planned Activities 2011/2012 DS 49001 Certification Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers plans to implement the Danish Standard for Social Responsibility DS 49001, based on the guidelines and requirements of OHSA 18001 (Health & Safety), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management). We hope to systematise our work with CSR to a greater extend with this effort and to ensure implementation in our organisation, which includes focusing on optimising the company's anti-corruption efforts. 9