Responsible Hospitality
Across Bellagroup, our daily operations focus on environmental and social responsibility when hosting moments that matter for our guests, clients, and employees. We call this "Responsible Hospitality."
THE PURPOSE OF OUR BUSINESS
In Bellagroup, we are ambitious – also when it comes to sustainability.
We believe that unique meetings and moment can and must go hand in hand with the ambition of being a force for good – for our planet and for the people who inhabit it. This is what we call "Responsible Hospitality".
Our approach to Responsible Hospitality is holistic. Our purpose is to create positive impacts; on our company, our guests, and the community around us. With a 2050 net zero target, our ambition is to be a pioneer of the hospitality industry, unlocking potential, exploring sustainable opportunities, reducing impact, and sharing solutions – and thereby shaping the sustainable hospitality platform of the future.
We do not have all the solutions to complete the journey that we are on, but through investigation, innovation, and collaboration, we are constantly finding new solutions to responsibly host hospitality moments that matter.
With Responsible Hospitality as an integral part of Bellagroup’s values and operation, we incorporate sustainability in every aspect of our organization – at the heart of everything we do.
REPORTS
Read all about our focus areas, sustainable approach, activities and initiatives.
RESPONSIBLE HOSPITALITY REPORT 2023
Responsible Hospitality Rapport 2022
Responsible Hospitality Report 2021
Responsible Hospitality Report 2020
Responsible Hospitality Report 2019
Responsible Hospitality Report 2018
CERTIFICATIONS & GOVERNANCE
Bellagroup operates in accordance with international and national legislation and guidelines, conventions, and standards for ESG and sustainability. Our governance framework comprises policies, systems, and certifications that ensure compliance, including:
- ISO 14001 and 20121 certifications for environmental management and sustainable events, hereby implementing standards and set goals into our internal ISO management system. ISO certifications for all units.
- Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 8, 12 and 13, ensuring a responsible operation with focus on social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and climate impact mitigation.
- Committed to setting Science Based Targets, managed by our business integrated scope 1, 2 and 3 climate accounting system.
- Several ESG policies, covering everything from sustainability over human rights to health and safety policies.
- Green Key certification - an eco-label available worldwide awarded to tourism businesses in more than 60 countries. Bella Sky Green Key, Crowne Plaza Green Key & Marriott Green Key.
- Reporting in compliance with the Corporate Social Reporting Directive (CSRD)’s ESRS standards for the reporting year starting January 1, 2025.
ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE
In Bellagroup, we work strategically to reduce climate impact in all aspects of our operation - and by 2050, we aim to have a net zero operation with an interim target of a 50% reduction by 2030.
To stress our ambitions, we have committed to setting science-based targets towards 2050 and have implemented a business-integrated climate accounting system across the group.
Specific efforts from across the group:
- Bella Center Copenhagen’s 16,000 m² solar panel park generates 30% of Bella Center’s annual power needs – totaling more than 10% of the entire group’s annual electricity consumption.
- Crowne Plaza Copenhagen boasts a first ever groundwater-based cooling and heating system in Denmark, as well as a 7,000-liter built-in food waste tank that ensures all our organic waste is converted into biogas, with the remaining waste used as agricultural fertilizer.
- For all large events held in one or more of Bella Center’s halls, we provide clients with a free climate impact report. The report includes transparent disclosure of both internal and client event scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, providing a detailed view of the environmental impact.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
In Bellagroup, we strive towards a zero-waste goal. For us this means sending less than 1% of our waste to the landfill and ensuring waste materials are reduced, reused, recycled, or repurposed.
By separating our waste into a double-digit number of different fractions, our waste reduction strategy seeks to decrease the overall amount of waste, while at the same time taking deliberate steps to divert remaining waste from landfill through upcycling, recycling, composting, energy-from-waste incineration, and donations.
We have set up internal processes for food waste reduction which means that we measure and register all buffet food to constantly reduce impact and identify future solutions. Furthermore, we offer treat boxes which gives our guests the opportunity to take home leftovers from our afternoon buffets.
An example of our efforts is the construction of the Atrium at Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers. Here, wood from old window frames and doors, floorboards, and scaffolding was used to create modern wall panels, while flooring was manufactured from upcycled concrete. Lobby furniture was also made from upcycled materials.
The same goes for the meeting room ‘The Brewery’ at AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen, as well as the many carpets and banners from Bella Center Copenhagen’s events, where the focus is on re-using existing materials in new ways. Therefore, otherwise discarded items can come to life as furniture, acoustic walls, floor patterns, etc.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Gastronomic experiences are a key priority in Bellagroup. Our mission is to source high-quality products without compromising on several key principles, when sourcing food and beverages:
- Locally sourced
- Seasonal
- Fairly traded
- Organic
- Animal welfare at heart
- Sustainably certified
- Low climate impact
We constantly work to reduce our food waste – from food production to serving and consumption – and seek meaningful partnerships to support our food and beverage strategy.
RESPONSIBLE SOURCING
Examples of our responsible sourcing include:
Orang Utan Coffee
High-quality coffee made from beans grown in a protected area in Sumatra, Indonesia, supporting the local coffee farmers, rainforest conservation, and efforts to protect the endangered orangutan. The result is not only delicious coffee but also benefits the environment and the local Sumatran economy.
Original Beans
Supports the conservation of rare varieties of cocoa, preservation of endangered species and improvement of farmers’ living conditions.
Kjær & Sommerfeldt
B-Corp certified wine supplier, committing to upholding high standards both socially, environmentally, and in terms of transparency.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Keeping diversity, inclusion, and our ambition to foster opportunities as guiding principles, we aim to act as a force for good—for our colleagues, our guests, the community around us, and the city we live in.
Promoting equal opportunities, we proudly boast more than 50 different nationalities across the group and recruit many colleagues through our municipal job center and vocational school partnerships. This provides skill development opportunities for local students, refugees, and vulnerable groups on the edge of the labor market, seeking work experience and practical insight into our industry.
Aiming to give back, we provide urban spaces at our premises, driving engagement with locals and our neighbors, just as we collaborate with local NGOs and likeminded partners to utilize the resources, we have available.
Besides creating opportunities in our local community and for our colleagues, we also aim to foster innovation and inspiration in our industry at large through knowledge sharing, networking, and data generation. We don’t gatekeep. We want to help drive the responsible hospitality platform of the future — and we can’t succeed on our own.
SOCIAL INITIATIVES
Across the group, we have specific initiatives to support our mission, including:
'Den Grønne Elevator'
The podcast ‘Den Grønne Elevator’ (The Green Elevator), recorded at AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen, where Danish business leaders are invited to share their fears and failures from working with the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) agenda. This project aims to drive responsible first steps towards a more honest and transparent way of discussing sustainability in our society.
Worry Free Housekeeping
The “Worry Free Housekeeping” concept employing refugees and others on the edge of the Danish labor market, providing them with career development, Danish lessons, a local network, rightful pay, and development opportunities.
An award-winning place to work
Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers proudly recognized with awards such as "The Social Responsibility and Environmental Awareness Award," "Diversity Prize," "Foreign Company of the Year," and "The ISS Diversity Prize" by prominent industry organizations.
'Det Runde Bord'
Bella Center Copenhagen’s long-lasting partnership with the ‘Det Runde Bord’ (The Round Table) - an organization comprising voluntary chefs and social workers who provide a healthy and nutritious diet to the homeless and socially disadvantaged by utilizing donated and surplus foods.
DI's Diversity Pledge
To emphasize and strengthen our focus on diversity and inclusion, we have been committed to DI’s Diversity Pledge since 2024.
