Major Hotels Launch Supply Chain Alliance to Improve Sustainability Practices

Seven major hotels and purchasing organizations have partnered with EcoVadis to measure and improve the sustainability performance of their various supply chains.

The effort, known as the Hospitality Alliance for Responsible Procurement (HARP), includes:

• Hotels such as Accor, Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group.
• Hotel procurement firms such as Avendra and Entegra.
• Business sustainability ratings firm EcoVadis.

HARP, according to the founding members, will "work to accelerate sustainable practices by fostering close collaboration with trading partners to build transparency and scale positive impact across their value chains."

With those goals in mind, HARP's founding members collectively rated more than 2,000 suppliers upon the initiative’s launch. HARP plans to "further expand this number to gain greater insight into the sustainability performance of its supply chain and drive maximum improvement."

HARP arrives at a tricky time for hotels and their clientele. Among the variables to note, according to Booking.com's annual Sustainable Travel Report findings for 2023:

• 76% of travelers want to travel more sustainability over the coming 12 months;
• but 51% believe there are not even sustainable travel options;
• 49% believe more sustainable traavel options are too expensive; and
• 44% don't know where to find more sustainable travel options.

The Booking.com survey had spanned 33,000 travelers across 35 counties and territories.

With an eye toward those survey findings, hotels could potentially leverage HARP data and best practices to promote their supply chain sustainability improvements. Still, HARP members did not disclose specific metrics or findings from the initial supply chain ratings effort. Moreover, the organization did not say if HARP will be open to additional hospitality firms.

Who Is EcoVadis? Business Sustainability Ratings and More

Among the potential HARP winners: Founding member EcoVadis -- which develops scorecards, benchmarks, carbon action tools and various business sustainability ratings services.

The company, founded in 2007 and based in Paris, has roughly 1,500 employees listed on LinkedIn as of October 2023.

In a prepared statement about HARP's launch, EcoVadis Chief Customer Officer Richard Eyram said: “As companies seek to engage their value chain partners in their sustainability efforts, they realize the complex scope, as well as common challenges, in their own sector. It is through partnerships and industry-wide collaboration that the hospitality industry can maximize its collective impact. By joining forces, aligning focus and sharing best practices, HARP members can achieve positive outcomes that pave the way towards Net Zero targets and a more sustainable future for all."

The HARP members did not say if or how IT consulting firms and technology partners would be tracked within HARPs supply chain performance assessments.