Sustainability Management Plan Qbic hotel feels responsible for taking measures in order to minimize the pressure on our environment and society. We want to cooperate towards creating a better world. Being responsible means to us: Respect current laws and regulations and internal standards cultural, religious, philosophical and moral believes customers, suppliers, partners and our employees the environment, minimizing our impact free competition, rejecting any form of corruption the company by placing the hotel s interests above personal interests, working to preserve historical and Prevent architectural heritage, cultivating a sense of belonging accidents and ensure the safety and health of employees Communicate in a transparent and fair manner in the clauses of our contracts about the contents, price & quality of our services with our customers, partners, employees and shareholders in internal controls of accounts and financial reporting Participate towards satisfaction of our customers for development of employees in local economic and social development Improve our sustainable actions, continuously and systematically
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT We acknowledge our dependence on the environment and the responsibility of every world citizen and company to protect our environment. At Qbic Hotel, this is how we do this: Increase the awareness of our customers: We meet the green needs of our guests and inspire them to cooperate with us, to create a better world. Also guests can make a difference during their stay, by making specific choices. Electronic communication is given preference in all our external communication (e-brochures, e-flyers, e- newsletters, e-greeting cards, e-bills). To encourage people not to print these communications, a text is included in our electronic signature ("Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail"). We have a paperless check-in and check-out policy: the bill will be e-mailed to guests, unless requested otherwise Cleaning of linen is on demand, or every other four days Guests can indicate whether they like to re-use their towels Our cleaning products do not contain any toxic chemicals and are eco-certified We encourage our guests to make use of less/none polluting transportation such as public transport, bikes, etc. We serve fair-trade coffee On our breakfast buffet you will find several local, organic and fair-trade products. Moreover, we do not make use of single packaged items (except for butter) Increase the awareness of our employees: In order to increase our employees' sense of environmental responsibility, we have implemented educational tools that affirm our commitment and which will enable us to achieve the goals we have set. Education: every employee has been trained based on the scientific model of The Natural Step with four Sustainable Principles. Emphasis is on acting responsibly (for example how to use a product wisely in order to prevent any waste), and daily actions (such as sorting waste, printing double-sided, shutting down the heating/cooling before opening a window, etc.) Our internal communication is, whenever possible, electronic. We have a weekly digital memo In order to constantly improve our responsibility policy, our employees are encouraged to come up with ideas for improvement The use of public transport is encouraged
Increase the awareness of our suppliers: All our suppliers and subcontractors have adhered to our responsible purchasing charter. They are committed with us to a continuous improvement approach contributing to the respect and protection of the environment Their impact on the environment is a key criterion in our tenders: container materials, sources of raw materials, organic products, eco-certification and/or low energy consumption, recyclable packaging, etc. To encourage them to reduce their impact, we follow up the commitments of our suppliers and subcontractors (number of deliveries, weight reduction, recyclability of packaging, etc.) We aim to purchase sustainable products and services by means of an active cooperation with responsible suppliers. We encourage our suppliers to reduce their negative impact and we follow their contribution to this (frequency of deliveries, weight reduction, recyclability, etc.). Our suppliers contribute towards an ongoing improvement of respecting and protecting our environment. Reduce our impact on the environment: In order to monitor and control our emissions of greenhouse gases, we have introduced a carbon footprint assessment. This involves the collection of information, calculation of the total greenhouse gas emissions, the setting of reduction targets and creating an action plan. Through its action plan, each entity commits - and thereby commits its suppliers, partners and employees - to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases. We aim to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by taking several measures such as: Asking our suppliers to deliver as efficient as possible Local suppliers are given preference Less polluting forms of transport are encouraged: we are located next to the Amsterdam Zuid station and encourage guests to travel by train. Furthermore, WTC has electric charging points for cars; guests can make use of them We also participate in reducing the release of chemicals through the use of non-toxic and environmentally approved /eco-labelled cleaning products We are also committed to reduce the use of chemicals by using: Eco-certified paper and other environmental friendly products Biodegradable cleaning products with an eco-label Dilution control system for cleaning products Paints without harmful chemicals for people or the environment
Reduce our energy consumption: In order to improve control of our energy consumption, we monitor our consumption of gas and electricity on a monthly basis. Besides, we take the following measures: We make use of 100% green electricity The WTC building in which our hotel is located creates its own energy by making use of solar panels and wind mills on the roof. Besides, there is a cogeneration plant so the building is heated energy efficient We strive to adapt our equipment and technical installations (low energy consumption light bulbs, motion sensors) We carry out preventive maintenance, to ensure the correct functioning of electrical appliances We promote the improvement of technical facilities and equipment with "energy label A" devices Temperatures of cooling equipment is checked daily for a consistent temperature In guest rooms we have energy-savers: you can only turn on the electricity by using this card. This way there is no unnecessary use of energy Automatic and controlled temperature settings for various areas in the hotel Reduce our water consumption: In order to act responsible with our water consumption, we register this monthly. To minimize the use of water we take the following measures: We strive to adapt our equipment and technical facilities (flow reducers in guestrooms for showers, toilets and faucets) Cleaning of linen in the guestrooms is provided on request, or every four days Guests can choose to use their towels multiple days We have a system to track down and repair leaking toilets, faucets and showerheads in guestrooms By de-activating the energy-saver, the water tap is shut off. This way there can be no running faucets when the guests are not present Reduce our waste: We critically analyze the waste flows in our hotel by monitoring how much waste we produce on a monthly basis. To reduce our waste: We reduce packaging materials for our products by stimulating the use of re-usable packaging, or packaging that can be returned to the supplier We have optimized our stock control and use of resources We minimize the purchase of products that create a lot of waste, for example by minimizing single packaged items We separate the following waste streams: cardboard, paper, glass, batteries, ink cartridges, lamps, and bulky waste. A part of this is collected via our head office in Maastricht We have a paperless check-in and check-out procedure
SOCIAL COMMITMENT To our employees We highly value a good working environment for our employees. To create this, Qbic Hotel is dedicated to her employees in the following areas: Training and education: In order to stimulate personal growth, we offer our employees several training options We offer trainees an educational and inspiring environment. Usually we have one trainee every six months. This way we contribute to the development of knowledge and experience among young people Wellbeing & safety: Qbic hotel takes care of the safety of her employees and is dedicated to the ongoing improvement of working conditions and wellbeing on the job We aim for a motivating and inspiring working environment To our society We actively work together with our surroundings to stimulate local sustainable development. Among our guests, we promote to buy local products and services. Furthermore, we believe that our natural heritage is important and protecting our nature is part of our sustainability policy. Examples of our commitment for our society are: We inform our guests about local history, culture and nature We are member and sponsor of "Natuurmonumenten". By taking over natural areas, this society protects flora and fauna that originates from our country and enables people to enjoy nature by means of walking tracks, bicycle paths, observation points and excursions