PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide continued to demonstrate its leadership in sustainability best practices in 2013, reducing its operationally controlled asset water usage globally by 16 percent per square foot and its carbon emissions by 13 percent per square foot from the 2010 baseline.
In the company’s fourth year of formal sustainability reporting, its 2013 Sustainability Responsibility Report details its strong commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.
“Our progress has earned us industry distinctions that recognize the value we aim to create for our shareholders, our partners, and the environment,” said Stephen P. Holmes, chairman and chief executive officer, Wyndham Worldwide. “Recognizing the emerging global challenges, our sustainability focus remains on reducing our carbon footprint and water usage as well as supporting innovation and collaboration among our associates and stakeholders to drive change in the communities where we operate, and throughout the travel and tourism industry.”
In addition to reducing its carbon footprint and water usage, and as part of its strategic initiatives, Wyndham Worldwide partners with the Arbor Day Foundation. Wyndham Vacation Ownership participates with the Foundation as part of the Rain Forest Rescue Project, which supports shade-grown coffee served in Wyndham Vacation Ownership resort units and at the company’s corporate offices. The project preserves 26 million square feet of rainforest each year and helps to provide coffee growers with access to fair wages, health care, and better housing and schooling for their children. In 2013, approximately 287,000 pounds of Arbor Day Coffee was purchased, saving more than 700 acres of the Amazon Rainforest.
Additionally, Wyndham Vacation Ownership has launched the Wyndham Million Trees Project, an initiative to raise $1 million to help plant one million trees in U.S. national forests. As of today, more than 450,000 trees have been planted in forest lands lost to fires, rehabilitating ecosystems rich with wildlife.
The report, which provides an overview of the company’s sustainability initiatives as well as its corporate social responsibility programs, aligns with the Global Reporting Initiative, a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world. Additionally, the report’s Statement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions has been reviewed by Deloitte & Touche LLP.
“Our 2013 report demonstrates our passion to perform with purpose,” said Faith Taylor, senior vice president, sustainability and innovation, Wyndham Worldwide. “We are extremely proud to showcase our accomplishments and collaborative efforts that have enabled us to adapt to the changing demands across the world.”
