Comwell Hotels has worked purposefully with our green transition since 2015. For several years in a row, we have been nominated as the most sustainable hotel in the Sustainable Brand Index Awards. Driving our business with a green profile is increasingly more important, as companies today tend to choose a professional partner with high sustainable focus, when it comes to both meetings and overnight stays. 

According to Danish consumers, Comwell Hotels is perceived as a supreme leader in the category "hotel" in Denmark, representing sustainability. The Dutch analysis agency, SB Insight, has conducted a comprehensive user survey, in which they asked 7.400 Danish consumers about their knowledge and attitude towards sustainability in 16 different categories. As a result of this survey, Comwell Hotels therefore received the award "Industry Leader 2019" for our great work in our green transition. 

“At the beginning of 2019, we carried out a major customer analysis in cooperation with an external, analysis agency. The results clearly demonstrate that sustainability has become an essential factor, when companies are choosing their business partners. Today, many companies have revised their CSR policy, meaning they now commit to choosing those suppliers, who integrate sustainability in their business. This also applies when their employees are sent off for meetings, courses and overnight stays, ”says Comwell's Commercial Director, Michael Hansen.  

The hotel industry is often perceived as one of the major culprits, when it comes to sustainable operations. At Comwell, our green transition started back in 2015 in our kitchens with a main focus on reducing food waste. 

“In the restaurant industry, it is a basic rule that there must always be plenty of food. So when we cleaned up after the lunch buffet, way too much food was thrown out. Therefore, our first focus was on figthing this specific issue, and soon some of our employees were given a course targeted at avoiding food waste, and we started measuring how much food was actually discarded, "says F&B manager, Rasmus Rasmussen, from Comwell Copenhagen Portside. 

Although the courses were primarily about food waste, there was also a strong focus on packaging and sustainability, and when the UN adopted the 17 world goals, Comwell set up a steering group to work dedicated with increasing and transitioning our entire hotel chain to become more sustainable. All initiatives were grouped under the work title "Comwell Care". 

“We started seing our operation in a bigger perspective, and we looked into everything from ecology, drinking water, electricity consumption and a lot of other things. The first step was to start measuring our actual consumption. This allowed us to compare our results with each other, ”explains Rasmus Rasmussen. 

From 5% to 50% in just 3 months 
Since then, our transition has been fast paced. Comwell has achieved impressive results in a very short time and has - among other things - received the Organic Food Label in bronze at all hotels. This work also resulted in us receiving the Eco Prize of the Year, in 2017. 

“In 2017, we only used 5% organic goods, today we are up to almost 50%. In fact, we were just three months after the restructuring was launched. We have also reduced our electricity consumption by 20%, and we are constantly working with our suppliers to bevome even greener, ”says Rasmus Rasmussen. 

According to him, it is actually common sense that drives the work with sustainability. 

“We are constantly thinking along the lines of sustainability and integrate this in all areas. For instance in new construction and renovation projects, we choose sustainable materials, our laundry is washed in rain water, and when buying new furniture, we prefer Danish brands with a good CSR policy.”  

Food and beverages 
When we at Comwell cover everyday life and parties in our restaurants, we have a special focus on: 

• Offering organic drinks 
• Prioritizing the use of biodegradable disposable service 
• Ensure environmentally friendly washing of table cloths, cloth napkins, uniforms, etc. 

More ecology and less food waste
In Comwell's kitchens, we have initiated a number of initiatives and set targets for our daily work. This entails: 

• The Organic Dining Label in bronze in all hotels 
• Food waste is reduced by 50% 
• Training of 1050 employees 
• Delivery of organic pigs and free-range cattle from local farmers
• Local produce in season and fish caught in local waters 
• Increasing amount of vegetables and less - and better - amount of meat. 

Lower energy consumption and environmentally friendly office supplies Comwell's sustainability efforts also include our energy consumption and procurement of office supplies. This entails: 

• Electricity, water and heat consumption reduced by 20% 
• Purchase of environmentally certified, Danish wind power 
• Light sources switched to low energy 
• Optimized heat regulation 
• Focus on material selection in new construction, renovation and interior design projects 
• Plain paper is being phased out and transformed into recyclable and biodegradable paper types
• Digital solutions rather than print material

Want to learn more about our sustainability journey?

Head to our sustainability universe and discover much more about our green transition at "Comwell Care". Our journey is continuous and we pay close attention to international standards and strive to always raise the bar.