Sustainability at our core

A Scandic team member thought guests could perhaps reuse their towels and came up with the ”hang up your towel” concept that today is the global industry strandard.

In 1995, we began phasing out single-use disposables from our hotels starting with shampoo bottles. Since then, we’ve also removed all other single-use disposables made of plastic. Here are a few examples: 

• Plastic straws and swizzle sticks are no longer used at any of our hotels. In total, this takes about 1.3 million straws and 120,000 swizzle sticks out of circulation each year.
• Eco-friendly lids have replaced plastic lids for takeaway coffee.
• We only offer toothbrushes made of bamboo.

In 200, the first Scandic hotel, Scandic Sjølyst in Oslo, was certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Today, 25 years later, Scandic is the largest ecolabeled hotel company with more than 256 certified hotels .

Since 2001, Scandic has been running Scandic in Society. Through the program, team members at Scandic hotels participate in at least three activities per year to give back to local communities. Initiatives include Scandic team members donating food, pillows, blankets and other items from our hotels or donating their time and energy to activities that benefit the communities where we operate.  

Started working to make hotels more accessible to people with disabilities. This attracted global attention and led to Scandic’s 159-point Accessibility Standard.

We used to transport almost 4 million bottles of water to our restaurants every year. No more! 

Instead, we serve our own tap water – cooled, carbonated and filtered so no valuable minerals are lost. This has reduced our fossil fuel emissions by 160 tonnes per year based on earlier sales volumes.

Our breakfast buffet includes lactose, milk and gluten-free products as well as vegan items.

Here’s what you’ll enjoy at a Scandic breakfast: 

• Lactose-free products
• Plant-based drinks and toppings
• Vegan sandwich spreads
• Gluten-free products
• Vegan dairy-free products

Many guests stay with us for more than one night. By not cleaning rooms their rooms every day, each year we save: 

• Up to 10 million liters of water
• 6,000 liters of cleaner  

100% renewable electricity. Already back in 2012 all Scandic Hotels used 100% renewable energy, and we have since the aqusition of Restel implemented a strategy for making sure that all hotels run on 100% renewable energy.

Today, we’re the leading hotel company when it comes to most sustainability measurements, both in terms of transparency and overall performance. Read more about our sustainability goals in our strategy

Our goal is for 100 percent of Scandic’s hotels to be certified by the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Today, 93 percent are certified.

Recertified 100 percent of previously certified hotels according to the Nordic Swan Ecolabel’s new, stricter requirements and certified 50 hotels for the first time.