Ecolab headlines EarthCheck sustainability and responsible tourism forum

Ecolab Inc., the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services, has joined forces with EarthCheck, the world’s leading environmental management and professional service group, to address the most critical sustainability challenges facing Asia’s booming travel industry.

Industry thought leaders representing 15 tourism brands including hotel groups with a combined portfolio of more than 300,000 rooms will meet for EarthCheck’s Fourth Annual Inner Circle Forum April 22, 2015, in Bangkok to discuss water conservation and supply chain management in the hospitality industry.

During the forum, Ecolab and EarthCheck will release the Water Health Check, an educational tool that puts water scarcity in focus and provides practical solutions for operators to improve water efficiency and protect water resources.

Dr. Raj Rajan, RD&E Vice President and Global Sustainability Technical Leader for Ecolab, said the Water Health Check follows two international white papers published in 2013 and 2014 by EarthCheck, Ecolab and Australia’s Griffith University on the pressing need for responsible water management in Asia.

“The tourism industry is a significant consumer of water and our white paper research found that, in some cases, the per guest consumption of water in certain Asian destinations was up to eight times greater than that consumed by local residents. If not managed responsibly, this inequity of use can have polarizing impacts on local communities and interrupt business.”

“Water conservation is a rising challenge for the tourism industry. International tourism arrivals into Asia are forecast to grow by four percent over the next 12 months to more than 270 million, adding more pressure on resources. We hope that by collaborating with EarthCheck and their tourism clients, we can provide the water expertise and solutions for the industry.”

CEO and founder of  EarthCheck , Stewart Moore said EarthCheck’s Inner Circle was established to engage travel and tourism leaders on pivotal environmental issues and to promote global best practice for sustainable tourism.

“Inner Circle has become the leading sustainability forum in the Asia Pacific region. The forum continues to challenge industry leaders while at the same time putting forward practical operational approaches and leading edge science to address the major environmental, social and economic issues facing the future of travel and tourism.”

“When it comes to water resource management, we’ve done the hard yards. We’ve benchmarked hundreds of businesses  throughout the world, released two international white papers and developed practical tools and resource kits. What we’ve found is the weakest link in the whole water-energy nexus is generally poor operational practices,” said Mr. Moore.

“The Water Health Check, developed in conjunction with Ecolab, provides practical guidelines and resource materials to be used immediately by staff to protect water resources.”

Mr. Moore said Inner Circle is a key opportunity for industry leaders to learn and benefit from one another’s experiences.  Attendees include senior representatives from leading hotel and travel groups as well as a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize.

About EarthCheck

EarthCheck is the world’s leading environmental management and professional services group for the travel and tourism industry. Its flagship product, EarthCheck Certification, has helped clients in more than 70 countries realise over $500 million in operational savings while reducing their footprint on the environment. EarthCheck believes smart business practice and sustainability go hand-in-hand. It focuses on productivity, profitability and performance as well as resource efficiency, eliminating waste and safeguarding the social and natural environment.