Eco-Friendly Hotel Database Unveiled

The Green Purchasing Network (GPN), an organization of companies and local governments promoting green purchasing in Japan, unveiled an open database (Japanese only) on March 3, 2003, that summarizes the environmental efforts of 157 hotels and inns.

To create the database, the GPN prepared an 89-item checklist on environmental activities of hotels, and each hotel then made a self-evaluation of its efforts, such as the replacement of incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps and reduction of food waste. These items were then classified into five groups: attitudes toward environmental protection, waste reduction and recycling, food waste reduction, energy and water saving, and green purchasing and chemical substances. Each hotel graded its own involvement in these groups on a five-point scale.

Users of the database can search for hotels by specifying geographical area as well as the their target ratings for hotels in each of the five groups. Together with the descriptions of each hotel's environmental features and eco-consciousness, green consumers can now choose where to stay, based on a hotel's environmental efforts.

The GPN has 2,741 members in total--2,108 companies, 364 local governments, and 269 private organizations--including NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Kokuyo Co., Okamura Corp., Tokyo Gas Co., IBM Japan, and Teijin Ltd. The members are considering using this database for planning business trips, meetings and parties. A survey conducted by the GPN in November 2002 says 94 percent of respondents would refer to the database in selecting hotels and inns.

Some 200 hotels and inns are currently registered in the database. By disclosing the environmental efforts of each hotel, the GPN aims to encourage people to consider the environment when selecting hotels. It also hopes that participating hotels and inns will increase in the future.



Posted: 2003/04/26 12:29:17 PM
Japanese version