Climate change is the topic on everyone’s lips these days, especially with the Macau government pushing to ‘green’ its tourism industry. It’s no wonder, then, that today’s eco-conscious consumers are voting with their dollar by supporting ethical companies that can demonstrate environmental and social responsibility.
GREEN KEY
This is the underlying principle of the Green Key, one of the world’s leading standards for environmental sustainability in the hospitality and tourism industry. The eco-label promises consumers that Green Key-certified businesses are committed to making a positive difference to the planet.
It is this dedication that has made Melco Resorts & Entertainment the first operator in Macau to win Green Key status for not one but four integrated resorts: Morpheus, Nüwa, City of Dreams and Studio City.
When it comes to green tourism, Melco puts its money where its mouth is.
City of Dreams – Macau’s first resort to meet environmental standard ISO 14001 – and Studio City have poured close to MOP200 million into energy- and water-saving infrastructure like advanced filtration, irrigation and food waste management. It’s paid off: to date, Melco has conserved CO2 emissions that would have needed over 6.9 million trees to absorb, and saved enough water to fill a whopping 438 Olympic swimming pools.
ELECTRIC BUZZ
2018 has been a good year for Melco, which has made energy efficiency a defining characteristic. In May, it launched a zero-emission fleet of 20 electric buses to ferry passengers between City of Dreams, Studio City and Altira Macau. The latter two resorts also took home top honours at the annual CEM Macau Energy Saving Contest in January.
Looking at all this, you might ask: can Melco surpass its own achievements? The answer so far seems to be “yes”. Melco, which incidentally also operates the second-largest centralised cooling system in South China’s hospitality industry, has big plans for the near future. It wants to roll out more e-bus services and install rooftop solar panels that will save over 5 million kWh of energy. It has also set higher annual waste reduction targets which focus on plastic and paper.
INSPIRING LEAD
Melco’s dedication to environmental sustainability has inspired employees to follow suit. Staff volunteers give back to the community through activities like Earth Hour, tree planting and beach cleaning. Guests are even encouraged to reuse towels and bedsheets, use public transport and choose ‘green’ dishes at hotel restaurants.
Through its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and conserve finite resources, Melco hopes to inspire the industry and the general public to take steps to protect the environment. If Macau wants to become a world-class capital for green tourism, it might just be up to companies like Melco to lead the way. This article is sponsored by Melco Resorts & Entertainment.
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