Whitbread publishes economic and social impact study of Premier Inn hotels
Independent research quantifies the positive economic impact of Premier Inn hotels in locations across the UK & Ireland.
Force for Good
We believe it is our responsibility to help people live and work well. Our sustainability program, ‘Force for Good,’ is designed to make a positive impact on all our stakeholders, the communities we belong to, and the world around us. This program is divided into three pillars: Opportunity, Community, and Responsibility.
Opportunity
No. 1
HOSPITALITY APPRENTICESHIP PROVIDER
14 years
AS TOP EMPLOYER
Opportunity is all about the people in our business, all 38,000 across the UK and Germany. This pillar aims to set our teams up for success through industry leading training and development, ensuring team member wellbeing is considered in everything we do, helping teams to feeling proud to work for Whitbread and championing inclusivity across the organisation and improving diversity.
Community
£ 24 m
RAISED FOR GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S CHARITY
259140
MEALS DONATED TO CHARITY PARTNERS
It’s crucial that we go above and beyond for the communities we are a part of. The community pillar of our strategy focuses on giving back, whether it’s through volunteering, fundraising or making sure we’re responsible for the wellbeing of our guests through a great night’s sleep and providing healthy and delicious food.
Responsibility
54 .9%
REDUCTION IN CARBON EMISSIONS INTENSITY IN 6 YEARS
100 %
SUPPLIERS GIVEN SUSTAINABILITY RISK ASSESSMENT
The Responsibility pillar focuses on doing everything we can to support the world around us. Through driving down our carbon emissions and reducing waste, to collaborating with global supply chains to respect the human rights of workers and making sure our company policies ensure robust governance. We have a responsibility to do business the right way.
Governance of Force for Good
Governance of our sustainability programme is managed by our core sustainability team, who work closely with stakeholders across the business to deliver and manage progress against our targets.
This team reports into the General Counsel who sits on the Executive Committee and Board, enabling quick escalation for any emerging focus areas or issues. For more information on how sustainability is governed at Whitbread, please see our ESG report.
Force for Good in Germany
While some of our targets are already being rolled out across our German business (going Net Zero by 2050 for example!), we are focusing on rolling out an implementation plan for Force for Good in Germany in much more detail. This will address the most material issues for the German market, aligning key objectives under the overarching aim to enable people to live and work well.
Sustainability through our financing
In February 2021 we issued £550 million in Green Bonds, we were the first company within the hospitality industry to issue a Green Bond, enabling us to demonstrate how our ESG programme is embedded in our core functions.
In 2023 we allocated the full amount against eligible Green Projects such as green construction (investment relating to building properties to BREEAM standards, or investing in water saving projects), green operation (such as investing in renewable electricity) and sustainable procurement (expenditure relating to the procurement of sustainable timber and fish). The use of this money across the UK and Germany has enabled us to build, fit out, or operate 46 sites to BREEAM standards, avoid over 400k tonnes of CO2e due to the purchase of renewable electricity and diverting waste from landfill, and ensure that 100% of our whole fish is MSC or equivalent certified. You can read more about our Green Bond allocation in our Green Bond report.
Latest sustainability related press releases
Innovative subterranean hub by Premier Inn hotel to open at The Brunswick Centre, Bloomsbury
207-bedroom hotel will be created within an underutilised, double-storey, subterranean car park beneath the Grade II listed residential and shopping centre building.
Premier Inn Swindon Town Centre – winner of edie Built Environment Project of the Year Award
Whitbread’s new 195-bedroom Premier Inn hotel which is fully powered by renewable energy has been named the winner of the Edie Built Environment Project of the Year award.
First all-electric Premier Inn hotel powered entirely by renewables opens in Swindon
The opening marks the first of a new generation of new-build Premier Inn hotels that will operate with 100% renewable energy.
Whitbread gains SBTi validation and reinforces commitment to net zero with detailed transition plan
In conjunction with the release of its 2022/23 ESG Report, the owner of Premier Inn provides further details of its step-by-step approach to achieving its net zero goals and announces that its net zero target is now validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) (London, 01/06/23). Whitbread PLC, the UK’s
