The Langham, Auckland Strikes Gold with Prestigious EarthCheck Certification
Source: Langham Hospitality Group
The Langham,Auckland has secured the prestigious
EarthCheck Gold level of certification through the world's
leading certifier of travel and tourism organisations.
Widely acknowledged as the country's best five-star
hotel, The Langham has achieved a New Zealand first as well as
a regional one, by being the first
'Accommodation - Business Hotel' in the
Pacific region including Australia, to
achieve EarthCheck Gold status.
The Langham has joined an elite group of industry leaders
who, over a period of five years or more, have consistently
demonstrated their commitment to their
local communities with the highest standards of
environmental management.
To gain EarthCheck Gold certification, The Langham has
also had to report their environmental footprint and adhere to an
internationally recognized standard of best practice.
Each year leading up to certification, The Langham
submitted 12 months of operational data to EarthCheck to be
benchmarked against industry best practice. A number of key
indicators were measured; including energy and water consumption,
total waste production and community commitment.
"Achieving EarthCheck Gold Certification is not an easy task,"
explains EarthCheck CEO Stewart Moore. "There are no short cuts, no
ways to buy your way in; it's a matter of being able to prove the
integrity of an organisation's operational practices year-in and
year-out, and then be willing to have everything verified by
an independent, third party auditor. By taking a scientific
approach to measuring the effectiveness of their sustainability
practices, The Langham was able to identify where they were
out-performing others and where room for improvement remained."
Jeffrey van Vorsselen, Managing Director of The Langham says
that for travellers the world over, it's good to know there's a
credible certification body keeping track of sustainability claims
and that The Langham, Auckland is delighted to once again be
an industry leader in Australasia.
"I would like to thank the efforts of our environmental
champions at the hotel, Mr Colin McCaughan and Mr Adrian
McInroy and our Green Team who have supported their
endeavours. The Langham began its sustainability journey back in
2006 so it is very pleasing to be recognised as
a business that is taking environmental and social
responsibility very seriously. The achievement is also a first
for the Langham Hospitality Group
internationally so it is exciting for Auckland and New
Zealand to be leading the way," says Mr van Vorsselen.
