How Iberostar Is Changing Sustainability Standards
Iberostar is changing the way hotel and resort groups do sustainability, launching its ‘Wave of Change Discovery’ initiative worldwide.
Around eighty percent of Iberostar Group’s properties are located near the ocean. With such close proximity to the sea and its environment, the group has pledged itself to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 4, 13 and 14, focusing on educating individuals about the importance of sustainable practices, as well as working to understand and combat climate change while preserving ocean ecosystems.
The Wave of Change Discovery initiative officially launched on June 8, with all of its resorts participating in free educational events and activities for their guests, working towards Iberostar’s goal to have 90 percent of its guests aware of its sustainability initiatives by 2023.
“Iberostar’s Wave of Change program is built on a strong scientific foundation. As science continues to evolve, so do our plans to incorporate sustainability into our business. The goal for Wave of Change is to protect our oceans and ensure that future generations can enjoy them, and we do everything in our power to make certain that happens,” said Dr. Megan Morikawa, the Global Sustainability Director for Iberostar Group.
Iberostar’s Wave of Change movement originally began in 2017 and is focused on promoting a circular economy, promoting responsible consumption of seafood and improving coastal health. With this, the group’s goals for 2030 include becoming waste-free by 2025; reaching carbon neutrality by 2030; offering completely sustainable seafood at all of its resorts by 2025; and creating coral nurseries at all of its properties where reefs are located by 2030.
“To deliver on our goals, we have had to rethink processes in the hotels. When we installed water fountains at our resorts in the Caribbean to replace plastic water bottles, it required determining proper steps for communicating this information to our clients,” said Dr. Morikawa. “After removing single-use plastics from all our rooms, there were new cleaning and maintenance procedures that needed to be learned. Through all the changes, Iberostar and our employees have shown an incredible ability to adapt to new situations.”
Iberostar opened its fourth coral nursery earlier this month. Located in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the coral nursery will grow more than 1,000 elkhorn coral fragments, which will then be transplanted onto local reefs.
“With over 80% of Iberostar properties along seafront locations, we recognize the incredible responsibility we have to ensure the survival of those beautiful environments. As coral reefs continue to bleach at an alarming rate, we decided to develop a program to research the problem to help work towards a solution. We currently have an on-land coral reef laboratory and four coral nurseries to help work towards a solution for coral reefs in the Caribbean. We also understand that corals are not the only problem in the Caribbean, mangroves numbers have been shrinking. Mangroves are incredible at carbon sequestration, so we have begun planting mangroves to help us work towards offsetting our carbon footprint,” Dr. Morikawa explained.
So what can you do at home and abroad to lower your negative impact on the ocean? Dr. Morikawa mentions that research is critical: where does the seafood you eat come from? How many times can you reuse a product, if at all?
The second important thing is to actively participate in sustainable practices, whether that be participating in a beach clean-up or simply throwing away your trash instead of littering. Lastly, begin supporting organizations that help to protect our oceans and other natural ecosystems, whether that be financially or just signing up for their email list.
For more information about Iberostar’s sustainable initiatives and Wave of Change program, please click here.