IHG Says it Will Miss its Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets

The Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) said on Tuesday it will not reach its 2030 goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 46%.

In addition, it said emissions across the group’s 6,700 hotels and resorts, including its signature brand, Holiday Inn, have risen by 7.2% since 2019.

Catherine Dolton, the chief sustainability officer of IHG, said in a financial presentation that external factors such as slow take up of renewable energy slowed progress. 

“For our hotels to decarbonize at pace, we need to see some really big shifts in the external market. Unfortunately, a number of these are not within our control and are not moving quickly enough, so despite our ongoing efforts, we are not on track to meet our 2030 target,” she said.

Dolton said that most countries where IHG operates have not set national net zero policies. 

“These are crucial to provide certainty to invest behind infrastructure and incentivize support decarbonization across our estate,” she said.  

One big challenge for hotel brands like IHG is that they do not own most of their hotels, which means they don’t control the budgets of individual properties. 

But Dolton said IHG can still influence operations.

“As a leader in our industry, IHG is committed to being a force for good by actively driving improvements within our organization and supporting global efforts to combat climate change,” she said.”

What has IHG done to reduce emissions so far?

During the call, Dolton gave some actions IHG has taken to cut emissions. The group has asked hotels to use LED lighting, which is more energy efficient. It has installed aerated shower heads to save water and added lighting controls that turn off lights automatically when rooms are empty. 

It has also brought in thermostats in some hotels that switch off heating or air-conditioning in unoccupied rooms.

Dolton said IHG has developed hotels that operate at very low or zero carbon. These are sites that have no or low fossil fuel use and instead use renewable energy. 

“These hotels are badged as low carbon on the IHG app, helping guests wanting more sustainable stays to seek them out,” Dolton said. 

IHG said it will soon re-evaluate its climate targets and focus instead on what it can control and influence.

Skift’s in-depth reporting on climate issues is made possible through the financial support of Intrepid Travel. This backing allows Skift to bring you high-quality journalism on one of the most important topics facing our planet today. Intrepid is not involved in any decisions made by Skift’s editorial team.