This month, Marriott International launched a new sustainability and social impact initiative called Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction.
Serve 360’s aims are inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and also the international hotel giant’s own 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Goals. They are split into four areas using initials that mirror the points of the compass: Nurture, Sustain, Empower, Welcome.
The goals take the form of specific, measurable accomplishments. For example, under the welcome initiative the company has committed to training 80 percent of its associates in recognizing and fighting human trafficking by the end of 2018, and 100 percent by the end of 2025. It has also committed to working with human rights organizations to fight forced labor and exploitation in the 126 countries where Marriott operates.
Marriott’s empower goal includes a commitment to establish global gender parity in leadership positions within the company by 2019. Externally, the company aims to invest at least $5 million to expand hospitality and business education programs for youth, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and refugees.
To nurture the communities Marriott operates in, company employees will contribute more than 15 million volunteer hours by 2025, and by 2022, 80 percent of its hotels will participate in community service activities. To achieve its sustainability goals, the company aims to reduce its environmental footprint by reducing water use by 15 percent, carbon use by 30 percent, landfill waste by 45 percent, and reduce food waste by 50 percent. It also aims to achieve a minimum of 30 percent renewable energy use, all by 2025.
To find out more about the programs go to serve360.marriott.com.
