The GSTC certification recognises the hotels’ commitment to sustainable tourism and MICE. Initiatives encompass a wide range of strategies centred on three key pillars.
Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford has been awarded the prestigious Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Certification, reaffirming the hotels’ commitment to sustainable tourism, MICE and responsible business practices.
The GSTC Criteria serve as the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism. By adhering to the rigorous criteria set forth by the GSTC, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford have proven their dedication to purposeful sustainability planning and effective delivery in every aspect of the hotels’ activities including the jointly managed Raffles City Convention Centre, restaurants, bars, meeting rooms and management of wellness, pool, gym and related services.
This in turn translates to maximising social and economic benefits for the local community, enhancing cultural heritage, and reducing negative impact to the environment. Most notably, in November 2019, Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford launched an industry-first urban Aquaponics farm that caters to a rising demand among guests for quality produce while offering a thoughtful farm-to-table dining experience at events as well as select restaurants and bars in the hotels.
The Farm actively supports Singapore’s goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. Aquaponics is a sustainable, pesticidefree solution to traditional methods with substantially higher yields – approximately 1,500kg of leafy green produce a year and 200kg of fish – while requiring less water, space, and labour.
Today, the Farm has also extended its community outreach to educate and raise awareness on the benefits of Urban Farming with private tours for guests and students alike.
From an Aquaponics Farm to Artificial Intelligence, the complex-wide sustainability initiatives encompass a wide range of strategies centred on three key pillars: reinforcing sustainable hotel operations, embracing a sustainable food chain and promoting the local ecosystem and new ways of travelling.
An installation of an EcoServe Waterless Buffet Heating System is an example of an innovative strategy implemented by the hotels to support operations in more ways than one. By eliminating water usage, and reducing the electric power needed, EcoServe not only reduces carbon emissions but requires less physical labour. This system helps to drive efficiencies and productivity amongst the team especially during large scale operations.
Various strategic partnerships also contribute to the hotels’ cause in limiting their impact on the environment. An ongoing partnership with Wastemaster and LifeLab aims to build a circular ecosystem. When food waste is generated, it is loaded in a Wastemaster machine. Decomposition is expedited through the use of oxygen and 80 per cent of the waste is vaporised and released, while the remaining 20 per cent is sent to LifeLab. There, they extract microbial protein and are in the midst of developing these into animal feed for use in the Aquaponics Farm.
“We are delighted to receive the GSTC Certification, which attests to the longstanding dedication and efforts of the team to integrate sustainability into our daily business and operations. From our engineers to procurement teams, housekeeping to stewarding, this is a result of a brilliant collective effort.” said William J. Haandrikman, Managing Director of Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford.
He adds, “Responsible tourism and sustainable MICE is a core part of our industry’s future; ensuring that we align our business practices to achieve sustainability in environmental and socio-economic aspects through efficient use of resources and stakeholder engagement.”