The Langham, Auckland has secured the prestigious EarthCheck Gold level of certification through the world’s leading certifier of travel and tourism organisations.
The leading five-star hotel is the first ‘Accommodation – Business Hotel’ in the Pacific Region, including Australia, to achieve Gold status.
The Langham has joined an elite group of industry leaders who, over a period of five years or more, have consistently demonstrated their commitment to their local communities with high standards of environmental management.
To gain EarthCheck Gold Certification, The Langham has also had to report their environmental footprint and adhere to an internationally recognized standard of Best Practice.
Each year, leading up to certification, The Langham submitted 12 months of operational data to EarthCheck, to be benchmarked against industry Best Practice. A number of key indicators were measured; including energy and water consumption, total waste production, and community commitment.
“Achieving EarthCheck Gold Certification is not an easy task,” said EarthCheck CEO Stewart Moore. “There are no short cuts, no ways to buy your way in; it’s a matter of being able to prove the integrity of an organisation’s operational practices year-in and year-out, and then be willing to have everything verified by an independent, third party auditor.
“By taking a scientific approach to measuring the effectiveness of their sustainability practices, The Langham was able to identify where they were out-performing others and where room for improvement remained.”
The Langham Auckland’s Managing Director Jeffrey van Vorsselen, said for travellers the world over, it’s good to know there’s a credible certification body keeping track of sustainability claims and that The Langham, Auckland is delighted to once again be an industry leader in Australasia.
“I would like to thank the efforts of our environmental champions at the hotel, Colin McCaughan and Adrian McInroy and our Green Team committee who have supported many of their endeavours,” he said.
“The Langham began its sustainability journey back in 2006 so it is exceptionally pleasing to see this recognition and this achievement is also a first for Langham Hotels internationally.”
The year 2011 was a fruitful one for The Langham, Auckland with several prestigious accolades awarded during the year including The Langham being named the top New Zealand hotel in the prestigious Condé Nast 2011 Readers’ Choice Award and its Chuan Spa being named the best day spa in Auckland.