Scandic took the year’s best environmental initiative

The Grand Travel Awards are given to the travel and tourism industry’s leading players, with the winners voted for by almost 600 Swedish travel agency staff. This year, at the 17th annual awards, Scandic was the proud winner of the award for “Environmental Initiative of the Year” for its work on replacing bottled water with water dispensed at the hotels.
“We used to have almost four million bottles of water a year transported to our hotels. Since 1 December 2008, we’ve replaced all bottled water in our restaurants and bars with our own water, which is filtered, chilled and dispensed in a smart bottle on site at our hotels. Made from recycled glass, the bottle was designed by top Swedish swimmer Therese Alshammar. The initiative has proven highly popular with team members and guests alike, and it now feels fantastic that the industry has also shown its appreciation,” comments Helena Nilsson, Vice President Corporate Communications and head of sustainability issues at Scandic.

The water tastes great, is available still or sparkling and comes in a bottle that is attractive, reusable and recyclable. But the story doesn’t end there. One krona from each bottle sold goes to Scandic’s newly founded Sustainability Fund, which in 2009 will award a million kronor to individuals and organisations that make an outstanding contribution to a better and more sustainable world.

The awards jury praised Scandic, whose excellent environmental work goes back many years, for making an innovative new move on a major scale. “As well as cutting Scandic’s environmental impact, it has been a clear and successful way of marketing the eco-message to customers,” writes the jury.

“The response from those customers has been extremely positive. The bottle attracts attention and means that a simple and everyday decision like drinking water suddenly takes on a positive glow,” concludes Helena Nilsson.

Contact
Helena Nilsson, VP Corporate Communications, Scandic
tel: +46 709 5145
helena.nilsson@scandichotels.com
Scandic is a modern hotel chain where conscious people come for inspiration and renewed energy. With about 150 hotels and 30,000 rooms, we are already one of the largest hotel operators in Europe. And we are continuing to grow – within a few years, there will be over 200 Scandic to choose from. Visit scandichotels.com.