Following a longstanding commitment to support its guests in achieving balance in their lives, Novotel has announced a three-year partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to champion the protection and restoration of the world’s oceans.
This initiative, unveiled after World Oceans Day on June 8th, highlights Novotel’s dedication to preserving the ocean, a crucial source of planetary balance.
Novotel, Accor’s founding brand, emphasizes balance as a core value and now extends this principle to the planet’s largest carbon sink—the ocean. The ocean plays a vital role in regulating climate, providing livelihoods for 3.5 billion people, and protecting diverse habitats and wildlife.
READ MORE: Mandarin Oriental to Open Luxury Property in Rome by 2026
However, it faces significant challenges, including overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and inadequate sustainable investment. The health of the ocean directly impacts global well-being, necessitating immediate and sustained efforts to ensure its future health and resilience.
In collaboration with WWF, Novotel aims to address these challenges through a comprehensive partnership. WWF France will offer technical expertise to help Novotel’s 580 hotels worldwide implement impactful ocean-friendly practices. Novotel will also sponsor several critical WWF ocean conservation projects globally.
Novotel’s Positive Impact Plan
The partnership with WWF will underpin Novotel’s three-year science-based action plan, aligned with the United Nations’ ocean-related priorities. The plan focuses on three main areas: reducing marine pollution and ocean acidification, combating overfishing and promoting sustainable fishing practices, and enhancing scientific knowledge and research for ocean health. Novotel’s Positive Impact Plan encompasses initiatives across four key pillars:
- Reduce Plastic, Water, and Carbon Footprint Impact: Novotel hotels will implement action plans to minimize their use of natural resources, with an emphasis on reducing plastic, water, and energy usage.
- Make Sustainable Food Choices: The initiative will reduce meat, fish, and waste within Novotel’s food and beverage operations while further developing sustainable seafood policies.
- Enhance Education and Ocean Awareness: Novotel will educate guests, hotel staff, and local communities on the importance of ocean conservation and how to contribute positively.
- Contribute to Research and Innovation: The partnership will support NGOs and invest in sustainable innovation projects.
Objectives of the WWF Partnership
The collaboration between Novotel and WWF aims to achieve four main objectives:
- Develop Sustainable Seafood Policies: Novotel will work on creating and maintaining sustainable seafood supply chains for its hotels and restaurants.
- Raise Awareness: The partnership will focus on educating guests and employees about the critical importance of the world’s oceans.
- Advocate for Ocean Preservation: Novotel will inspire industry and policymakers to prioritize ocean conservation.
- Preserve Marine Biodiversity: The partnership will support five key WWF conservation projects worldwide.
Key Conservation Projects Supported by Novotel
The partnership will support various essential WWF France conservation projects, including:
- Protection of Posidonia: This endemic Mediterranean flowering plant acts as a significant carbon sink and supports 25 different marine ecosystems.
- Removal of “Ghost Gear”: Identifying and removing abandoned fishing gear, which poses severe threats to marine life, including turtles, mammals, and birds.
- Support for the Blue Panda Boat: This WWF France initiative involves scientific dives, protecting cetaceans from collisions, and public education about Mediterranean conservation efforts.
- Tracking Marine Turtles in Asia-Pacific: Gathering data on turtle movements and mapping critical conservation areas to protect endangered species.
- Protection of Sea Turtles in the Western Atlantic: Strengthening regional cooperation to promote sustainable fishing techniques and combat illegal fishing, protecting leatherback, green, and olive ridley turtles.
By integrating these initiatives, Novotel aims to drive significant operational changes and contribute positively to the health of the ocean. This partnership reflects Novotel’s broader commitment to sustainability and underscores the importance of preserving natural resources for future generations.
READ MORE: Soneva: Pioneering Barefoot Luxury and Sustainable Elegance
