Kimpton Hotels’ Earthcare Program, Case No. 7
Roy Bryant
BUAD 326.003
11/30/2011
Final Exam Assignment
Kimpton Hotels’ EarthCare Program, case no. 7
1. What are the benefits of Kimpton’s environmental sustainability initiatives? What are its costs? - Kimpton’s environmental sustainability initiatives have proven successful and beneficial both in terms of its environmental and business benefits. Environmental improvement is one of the benefits of diverting waste. Some of the benefits are exemplified in their rollout phases, including: introducing non-disruptive and cost-reducing operational practices such as a recycling program, non-toxic cleaning products, promotional materials printed on recycled paper, complimentary coffee that was organically grown, their towel/linen reuse system. Investing in water and energy conservation, using organically grown cotton for their linens, and the most fundamental changes, renovating hotels or using these approaches in new hotels. The case study also discusses some of the potential benefits of the program, specifically dealing with availability of non-toxic cleaning agents. They found that “common cleaning products such as furniture polish, carpet cleaner, spot remover, air fresheners, disinfectants and bleach can contain hazardous compounds such as toluene, naphthalene, … and xylene. These and other hazardous ingredients found in many cleaning products are associated with human health concerns including cancer, reproductive disorders, respiratory ailments, and eye or skin irritation.” Kimpton’s research showed that they were aligned with keeping their mission statement visible in their work. There initiative also has business benefits. In addition to saving money in the long-term, this initiative had the potential to generate new business with government and non-government agencies, corporations, convention planners, who were interested in selecting hotels using environment criteria. - Kimpton also found that their
BUAD 326.003
11/30/2011
Final Exam Assignment
Kimpton Hotels’ EarthCare Program, case no. 7
1. What are the benefits of Kimpton’s environmental sustainability initiatives? What are its costs? - Kimpton’s environmental sustainability initiatives have proven successful and beneficial both in terms of its environmental and business benefits. Environmental improvement is one of the benefits of diverting waste. Some of the benefits are exemplified in their rollout phases, including: introducing non-disruptive and cost-reducing operational practices such as a recycling program, non-toxic cleaning products, promotional materials printed on recycled paper, complimentary coffee that was organically grown, their towel/linen reuse system. Investing in water and energy conservation, using organically grown cotton for their linens, and the most fundamental changes, renovating hotels or using these approaches in new hotels. The case study also discusses some of the potential benefits of the program, specifically dealing with availability of non-toxic cleaning agents. They found that “common cleaning products such as furniture polish, carpet cleaner, spot remover, air fresheners, disinfectants and bleach can contain hazardous compounds such as toluene, naphthalene, … and xylene. These and other hazardous ingredients found in many cleaning products are associated with human health concerns including cancer, reproductive disorders, respiratory ailments, and eye or skin irritation.” Kimpton’s research showed that they were aligned with keeping their mission statement visible in their work. There initiative also has business benefits. In addition to saving money in the long-term, this initiative had the potential to generate new business with government and non-government agencies, corporations, convention planners, who were interested in selecting hotels using environment criteria. - Kimpton also found that their