ITC’S THREE LEED ZERO CARBON-CERTIFIED HOTELS CREATE GLOBAL MILESTON

ITC’S THREE LEED ZERO CARBON-CERTIFIED HOTELS CREATE GLOBAL MILESTONE

 ~Experience ITC Hotels' timeless spirit of innovation #LoveNatureLivezero~

Delhi, Jun 2022- Reaffirming its credo of ‘Responsible Luxury’ with a comprehensive focus on sustainability, health, and hygiene, ITC Hotels is proud to announce that 3 of its properties in India have been ranked as the world’s top 3 LEED® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Zero Carbon certified hotels, a first-of-its-kind achievement globally. 

ITC Windsor, Bengaluru, became the 1st hotel in the world while ITC Grand Chola is one of the largest hotels in the world to have received the prestigious LEED Zero Carbon Certification. ITC Gardenia has become the third hotel in the world to receive the certification. 

LEED Zero Carbon recognizes buildings operating with net-zero carbon emission and LEED® Platinum is the highest rating awarded by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). ITC Hotels is the world's largest chain with the maximum number of LEED Platinum Certified Properties as per USGBC.

From using renewable energy and recycling solid waste to conserving water, actively mitigating single-use plastic and reducing the carbon footprint at every step, ITC Hotels have been delivering luxury experiences with planet positive offerings embedded in product, processes, people & progress. Over 40% of consumable food materials used at ITC Hotels is sourced locally and the properties have adopted infra-red based efficient cooking in the kitchen leading to near 20% energy savings. 

 Living up to its promise of ‘Responsible Luxury’, ITC Hotels launched a path-breaking “WeAssure” program, adopting the highest standards and protocols in health, hygiene, safety and infection control management. For this initiative, ITC Hotels became the first hotel chain in the world to receive Platinum level certification under DNV's My Care Infection risk management program. In addition, the hotel group introduced waste segregation methods to achieve more than 99% waste recycling and also pioneered the mitigation of single-use plastic. 

Anil Chadha, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC Hotels, stated, “ITC Hotels is committed towards sustainability and consistently works to achieve its vision of offering patrons an experience of 'responsible luxury. We pride ourselves on the milestones that we have achieved in our endeavor toward contributing to the Planet. Three of our luxury properties have put India on the global stage by being recognized by LEED as Net Zero Carbon Certified hotels. This achievement is not ours alone but of all our associates and guests who believed in us and shared the same value system. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of ITC Hotels in ensuring that we preserve the elements of sustainability. We shall continue in this direction with our promise to Mother Earth.”

All ITC Hotels have organic waste converters with most of them being equipped with Onsite Bio- Methanation plants. The group has reduced freshwater consumption by almost 50% with strategic conservation, treatment, and reuse over the last 5 years. 57% of electrical consumption at ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels is met through renewable sources. These include ITC Grand Chola, ITC Windsor, ITC Gardenia, ITC Maratha, ITC Grand Central, ITC Mughal, Welcomhotel Chennai, Welcomhotel Coimbatore, Welcomhotel Bengaluru, and Welcomhotel Sheraton New Delhi, which are powered by renewable electrical energy. ITC Hotels’ current carbon emission level is 61 kg per overnight guest stay and 58 kg per sqm per annum against the 2030 target of 65 kg and 129 kg respectively. These milestones have been accomplished through the implementation of various renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives.

Some of the pioneering eco-friendly initiatives of ITC Hotels are highlighted below:

• The design of every ITC Hotel is based on Green Building guidelines and standards which are energy efficient, utilize renewable energy, conserve and recycle water while taking concrete steps to preserve the eco-system around them.

• The hotels have witnessed up to 20% increased efficiency with the installation of a programmable HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) control called the Automated BMS System

• Key sustainability initiatives are executed in identified hotels. They include in-house production of water with the help of atmospheric water generators, rainwater harvesting, daylight harvesting, solar heating, food waste composting, biogas generation, and the switchover from HSD/biodiesel fired boilers to renewable electrical energy based boilers for steam application. 

All ITC Hotels and Welcomhotels are ISO 14001 Environment Management System and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management Certified. ITC Kohenur has received the 5-star Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) for incorporating various sustainable practices in building design & operation. ITC Sonar is the only hotel in the world to earn carbon credits under the UNFCCC (United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change) Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism.

All ITC Hotels & Welcomhotels have implemented COVID Mitigation in Conditioned Space in its HVAC system. The advanced oxidation patented technology neutralizes indoor air pollutants, bacteria and viruses. This technology cell creates photo hydro ions and destroys more than 99% of microbes present in the conditioned space. It is an active technology, where the ions neutralize every airborne organic contaminant it locates.

ITC Hotels is also committed to supporting local artisans while reviving and popularising ancient cuisines and is actively engaged in keeping alive India's time-honored rituals that promote well-being. Walmart, WelcomJawan, WelcomTheatre, Responsible Dining through Local Love, Eat Wisely and Food Sherpa are some of its signature programs that have defined Responsible Luxury.

About ITC Hotels:

ITC Hotels is the largest chain of hotels in the world, which has the maximum number of LEED Platinum Certified Properties (as per USGBC on June 2020, ). Continuing with its Planet Positive Promise, ITC Hotels launched Sunya Aqua or zero-kilometre water in glass bottles across the chain over a decade back and have taken this lead further and pioneered the mitigation of single use plastic from its operations pan India. 

ITC Grand Chola becomes world's largest hotel to get LEED Zero Carbon certification

The ITC Hotels group is already the world’s largest chain of hotels with the maximum number of LEED Platinum certified properties.

ITC Grand Chola, Chennai became the largest hotel in the world and the commercial buildings achieved the LEED Zero Carbon Certification, according to a release issued by ITC Hotels.

The hotel company is already the world’s largest chain of hotels with the maximum number of LEED Platinum certified properties, it added.

Earlier, in March 2021, ITC Windsor, Bengaluru became the first hotel in the world to achieve the LEED Zero Carbon Certification.

LEED Zero encourages a holistic approach for buildings and places, which will contribute to a regenerative future. Sharing the same vision, ITC Hotels decade strong ‘Responsible Luxury’ initiative seeks to adopt the highest standards of planet-positive experiences in its operations.
ITC Grand Chola has demonstrated extraordinary sustainability leadership over a decade by consistently enhancing its energy efficiency with world class energy-efficient and climate friendly technologies. It has further invested in building the renewable energy footprint through self-owned wind farm and solar energy, the release said.

The LEED Zero carbon certification demonstrates a deep commitment to implementing building and design strategies that assure an enhanced quality of life. It includes creating an environment where any human-produced carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere through technological or natural means.

Zubin Songadwala, area manager – south, ITC Hotels and general manager, ITC Grand Chola, said, “ITC Hotels has been at the helm of exemplary sustainability leadership with its innovative energy efficiency, renewable energy and mitigation of greenhouse gases emission initiatives. The LEED Zero carbon certification for ITC Grand Chola and ITC Windsor is one step closer to creating a better world for all of us where buildings are actually generating more energy than they consume and removing more carbon than they create.”

For more than two decades, LEED has provided a framework for creating high-performance green buildings and spaces and is an internationally recognized symbol of excellence. Supplementing this framework, the U.S. Green Building Council has developed LEED Zero, a complement to LEED that verifies the achievement of net zero goals. LEED Zero represents a new level of achievement in green building that is the goal of LEED certified projects around the world.

ITC Grand Chola receives ‘Swachh Hotel’ award from City Corporation

The ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Guindy was awarded the ‘Swachh Hotel’ award on Monday as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021 by the Greater Chennai Corporation, for its sustained initiatives in solid waste management.

“We wanted to recognize individuals and organizations that help us in our drive to minimize waste sent to landfills and create a sustainable solid waste management system,” said a Corporation official. In a statement, the civic body said several organizations, NGOs, restaurants, hospitals, markets, residents welfare organizations have contributed in their own way towards Corporation’s initiatives to create a clean city. On average, around 5,000 metric tons of waste is collected in city daily.

Speaking to Express, Zubin Songadwala, General Manager, ITC Grand Chola and Area Manager, ITC Hotels, South said that for over a decade ITC Hotels has pursued the path of ‘Responsible Luxury’ where every action attempts to be in harmony with the environment and society. “We stopped using single-use plastic in our premises from January 2020 and produce our own water bottles in our plant which is then filled with purified water.

Even if someone says that they want a sealed water bottle and not our in-house water, we make sure we have glass bottles in stock for that,” he said. “Even as far as the amenities in the rooms go, we stopped using disposable plastic razors and toothbrushes and instead have turned to bamboo toothbrushes and razors with bamboo handles. Nothing on our takeaway menu comes in plastic packaging- it is either paper, cardboard, or corn starch packaging,” he added.

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