We understand the importance of creating unique and memorable experiences, whilst also meeting sustainability standards.

As social responsibility continues to increase in importance on corporate radars, the demand for a sustainable venue is driving a higher demand for the delivery of green and eco-friendly meeting and events.

As part of the world-leading University of Warwick, we have recently aligned our objectives with the University’s mission to make the campus greener, resulting in both organisations working together to ensure a positive impact on the wider community.

So, as of 2017, our four training and conference centres were accredited by Green Tourism as a demonstration of our on-going commitment to reducing impact to the environment.

In light of this week’s campaign for the national awareness for ‘Go Green Week’, here are our top five sustainable and eco- friendly initiatives within the practices of our venues.

Energy Efficiency

Our venues have all been designed with a continuing programme of conversion to energy-efficient LED lighting. 70% of lighting at Scarman and Radcliffe is energy efficient, whilst our newest venue, The Slate, has an EPC A-rating and a BREEAM excellent rating for sustainable design, construction and operation.

Radcliffe has also recently undergone a £6.5m refurbishment, focussing on an improved thermal conductance within the venue. This involved a full venue heating and ventilation modification programme, including a full replacement of external windows and the fitting of modern double-glazed units to help reduce energy usage. These efforts all work towards us enhancing our sustainable service, whilst ensuring an elevated guest experience.

Water Conservation

Our Gold standard Green Tourism accreditation has been indicated as an ‘inspirational and outstanding’ commitment to sustainability with efficient control of resource use such as flow control values on all taps and WCS to reduce water consumption.

We also installed low flush toilets, including dual flush or displacement devices, at Scarman and Radcliffe, alongside the use of dishwashers that are at least ‘A’ rated in order to reduce the level of water consumption across the business.

Recycling and waste reduction

As part of the University, we recycle 58% of all our waste, with only 3% going to landfill. We also have reduced the usage of plastic and paper packaging within our venues.

This has included removing the option of paper coffee cups within our coffee lounges. When we found out that 2.5 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away a year in the UK, yet only 1 in 400 cups are actually recycled, we knew it was time to put the lid on our usage!

We also only invest in ‘VegWare’ packaging that is environmentally friendly and completely combustible. Our venues also have recycling bins implemented as a way to encourage the separation of client’s waste.

Locally sourced catering

In addition to our Green Tourism accreditation, we have also been accredited within the Soil Association programme. This mark of excellence and credibility highlights our demonstration of lunch and dinner menus that meet the exacting standards of the scheme.

This includes at least 75% of our dishes being freshly prepared from unprocessed ingredients, made from no genetically modified ingredients and no undesirable additives or artificial trans fats.

We’re passionate about using locally sourced ingredients with a clear provenance, whilst supporting the best local producers. That’s why our kitchen teams use free range eggs from Seven Acre’s farm just 1.5 miles down the road, and where possible, vegetables are supplied by E. Sidwell in Leamington Spa.

We also ensure all of our meats meet the animal welfare standards and our fish is consciously sourced making sure it is not on the Marine Conservation Society’s ‘fish to avoid’ list. This initiative is an effort to respond to the shift for more sustainable and healthier cuisines, further allowing us to offer guests a unique opportunity to experience a greater connection to the locations they are visiting, in a more sustainable way.

We’ve also created a Food Vlog as a way to visualise to clients how we reduce food waste, and also provide applicable ways in which they can too, in the practice in their own kitchens. The Food Vlog features our Head of Food, Mark Ralph creating a pork burrito in our very own food truck from spare ingredients that would otherwise be wasted.

Bedroom initiatives

Our bedrooms and toilets all use the brand ‘BeeKind’ hand wash. This product reduces impact to the environment by not featuring a use of parabens, phthalates or artificial ingredients within its formula.

At Scarman and Radcliffe, we have also introduced a ‘Skip a room clean for a free drink’ customer scheme. This involves guests placing a door hanger on their door informing the housekeeping team that they wish to skip a room clean, in exchange for the benefit of a free drink at the bar.

This reduces resource, energy and the use of chemicals in terms of what is involved with the process of cleaning a bedroom. This scheme is soon to be introduced into all of our residential venues.

The future

As CSR continues to be a significant watchword in the industry, it is something we as a business recognise as incredibly important. We pride ourselves on our continual development of key sustainability initiatives that are not only beneficial to us as a business and our customers, but to the wider society.

As a forward-thinking organisation we will continue to incorporate innovative sustainability measures that break new ground.