Resource use
Across our operations, our employees and customers use water, paper and other resources. We monitor, and endeavour to reduce, our consumption of these precious resources. Water can be in particularly scarce supply in tourist destinations and is part of many holiday activities, so we have a duty and a business incentive to use water responsibly.
Data on this page
Water
The pool at one of the hotels featured in our brochures
We have a number of projects underway to reduce our consumption of water and discourage our customers from wasting water. In 2010, we signed up for Rippleffect, a programme from WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) designed to help companies understand how much water they use and how they can manage and reduce it. It comprises online training modules, delivered every three months, together with webcasts, telephone support and in-depth publications. We expect to see changes in our water management and consumption at UK offices, as a result of Rippleffect, in 2010/11.
Water consumption in office and retail premises
Million litres
| 2009 | 2010* | |
|---|---|---|
| Water consumption | 34.3 | 113.6 |
* The increase from 2009 to 2010 is due to wider reporting in 2010, when we introduced minimum reporting standards.
2009 data exclude Thomas Cook West & East Europe, UK, India and Egypt. 2010 data exclude Thomas Cook India, Belgium, Netherlands and France. Data in this table are rounded as they are estimated.
Water consumption in hotels
Million litres
Litres
Million litres
| 2009 | 2010* | |
|---|---|---|
| Water consumption | 294.9 | 947.2 |
Litres
| 2009 | 2010* | |
|---|---|---|
| Average water used per guest night | 232 | 303 |
* The reason for the increase from 2009 to 2010 is that 2009 data include Sunwing hotels only, only whereas 2010 data include Sunwing and Hi! Hotels. Data in this table are rounded as they are estimated.
Already many of our businesses have implemented water-saving measures. Our Northern European airline has adapted its aircraft-washing procedures to use less water. At our UK airline's hangar, sensors fitted to taps and urinals mean that the water supply is only drawn on when needed. 90% of taps and showers in guest rooms at Sunwing Resorts' hotels are fitted with devices to reduce water flow.
Our key area of water use is in hotels. Holidaymakers can use a lot of water and the impact this has on tourist destinations is the subject of a new study by the Travel Foundation. Thomas Cook Group is one of a number of tour operators funding the study, which will identify priority areas for tourist industry investment in water conservation going forward. We have also been invited to input into the development of ISO 14046, a new standard for measuring and reporting the environmental impacts of water consumption.
Paper and other resources
The brochures given out in our retail stores represent a major element of our paper consumption. We have been educating employees in our stores on how to avoid brochure waste. This has included improved training to ensure they order the exact number of brochures required, rather than in multiples of 10. We have also made our online brochure ordering system easier to understand, thus reducing waste through ordering errors. And we prevent stores from ordering a brochure when a new edition is due out in the following two to three weeks. This eliminates bulk waste when the new brochure replaces the old. In Germany, a business decision to switch to a smaller format for our Thomas Cook and Neckermann brochures has also resulted in paper savings.
Across our European operations, we select the paper used for our brochures with the environment in mind. All brochure paper in the UK comes from mills with the EU Eco-label, indicating a lower environmental impact over the paper's life cycle. Our supplier of paper for all other European brochures is accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council.
At Thomas Cook Northern Europe, reservations are also made on a completely paperless system. And in our North American business, to mark Earth Day in April 2010, employees were sent a series of tips on how they could use less paper. Our UK airline reviewed the way in which it briefs crew members, in order to reduce the paper used. By introducing a new system and auditing what information was needed by crew members, they cut consumption by an impressive 750 reams or 0.3 tonnes per year.
Paper consumption
Tonnes
| 2009 total | 2009 per £m turnover | 2010 total* | 2010 per £m turnover* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper purchased | 3,139 | 0.33 | 21,181 | 2.31 |
* The increase from 2009 to 2010 is due to more business segments reporting in 2010, when we introduced minimum reporting standards. For both years, we used total turnover, not just turnover for those parts of the business that provided paper data, hence the increase in tonnes per £ million turnover.
2009 data excludes Thomas Cook West & East Europe (except Belgium), UK, India and Egypt. 2010 data exclude Thomas Cook India, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Poland and SAG.
Purpose of paper purchased in 2010
| Tonnes | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Brochures | 20,520 | 96.9% |
| Office use | 661 | 3.1% |
Data exclude Thomas Cook India, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Poland and SAG.
In our self-catering accommodation, plastic bags have been an area of focus. Style Villas leaves a 'bag for life' in each of its properties, so that customers can use it when they go shopping. This not only reduces consumption of plastic, but also cuts down on waste at our villas and customers can take the bags home with them to continue saving resources there.
Did you know?
Our UK airline has reduced the paper used to brief crew members by 750 reams per year.
Reducing plastic in Cyprus
Working with the Travel Foundation, we have developed a campaign in Cyprus to minimise the use of plastic items in hotels and self-catering apartments. The production and disposal of plastics is harmful to the environment, so alternatives made from different materials or for long-term use can reduce the environmental impact. Carrier bags and other plastic items can also be found littering the island. In the Paphos area, we gave 'bags for life' to guests in seven hotels and apartment complexes, which they could reuse each time they went shopping, rather than using disposable carrier bags. Each customer was given a card that they would get stamped whenever they used the bag, enabling us to track the scheme's success. Over 40,000 plastic bags were saved by local supermarkets. In hotels, we tasked local management with reducing their plastics. Actions taken included eliminating plastic glasses and bottles, cutting bin bag use and introducing waste reduction activities at our kids' clubs. One hotel managed to reduce their waste by 32% as a result, with significant financial savings too.