BeCause Enables Easy Carbon and Water Footprint Calculations for Hotels Around the World

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As sustainability becomes a growing priority for the hospitality industry, accurate measurement of environmental impact is essential. BeCause has digitalized two key tools—HCMI (Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative) and HWMI (Hotel Water Measurement Initiative) — to help hotels easily calculate their carbon footprint and water usage. These tools are crucial not only for hotels to track their own sustainability progress but also to meet the increasing demand for footprint data across the hospitality value chain. These tools offer reliable, industry-credible calculations that simplify sustainability reporting and provide actionable insights for reducing carbon emissions and water consumption. By using these tools, hotels can confidently adopt sustainable hotel practices, collaborate across the value chain, and enhance their environmental credentials.

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What are HCMI and HWMI?

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The Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative (HWMI) are two critical frameworks developed by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. These initiatives are designed to help hotels accurately measure and manage their carbon emissions and water consumption, making it easier for them to implement effective carbon footprint reduction and water conservation strategies.

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HCMI provides a standardized methodology for measuring a hotel’s carbon footprint. This tool accounts for various factors such as energy use, laundry, transportation, and more, enabling hotels to assess their total greenhouse gas emissions and identify areas for improvement.

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It allows hotels to calculate:

• Total carbon footprint
• Total guestrooms carbon footprint
• Carbon footprint per occupied room on a daily basis
• Total meetings carbon footprint
• Carbon footprint per area of meeting space on an hourly basis
• Renewable energy and electricity as a percentage of the total consumption

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HCMI is free for all hotels and helps them to:

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• Understand their carbon footprint
• Benchmark performance
• Set measurable targets
• Complete corporate reports
• Report to corporate clients (RFPs)
• Assist customers in booking decisions
• Report as part of commitments to the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism

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How were HCMI and HWMI developed?

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HCMI and HWMI were launched in June 2012 by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (formerly ITP) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), together with 23 major hospitality companies. HCMI is based on elements of the GHG Protocol Standards, it provides a standardized way to measure hotel carbon emissions.

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The methodologies were tested across diverse hotel types and locations, refined through stakeholder input—including hotel associations—and reviewed by the World Resources Institute. Updates followed in 2016 and 2022, incorporating user feedback, research from Cornell University, and support from Greenview.

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HWMI

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HWMI similarly offers a structured approach to measuring water usage in hotels. This initiative provides insights into their water consumption, helping hotels identify opportunities for water conservation and implement eco-friendly hotel initiatives.

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It enables hotels to calculate the following intensity metrics:

• Total water use per occupied room (per night)
• Total water use per guest (night)
• Total water use per floor area of meeting space (hourly)

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HWMI is free for all hotels and helps them to:

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• Understand water consumption
• Benchmark performance
• Set measurable targets
• Complete corporate reports
• Report to corporate clients (RFPs)
• Assist customers in booking decisions

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Both HCMI and HWMI work by collecting and analyzing data from various operational aspects of a hotel, such as energy consumption, and guest services.

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Here’s how they function:

1. Data collection: Hotels collect relevant data such as energy usage, water consumption and other consumption metrics. This data is typically recorded over a set period, such as monthly or annually.
2. Standardized calculation: Once the data is collected, the tools apply industry-standard calculation methods to convert it into measurable metrics of carbon emissions and water usage. These methods ensure that results are accurate, consistent, and comparable across the global hospitality industry.
3. Reporting and insights: The tools then generate detailed reports, offering hotels a clear view of their environmental impact and hence apply the best fitting water conservation and carbon footprint reduction strategies.

5 benefits for hotels to use HCMI and HWMI

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Using HCMI and HWMI provides significant advantages for hotels, ranging from operational efficiency to improved guest satisfaction. Here are some of the key benefits:

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1. Cost savings: By accurately measuring their carbon footprint and water usage, hotels can identify inefficiencies and implement cost-effective solutions to reduce energy and water consumption. For instance, switching to energy-efficient lighting or installing low-flow faucets can help cut costs while reducing environmental impact.
2. Sustainability reporting: With increasing demand for sustainability reporting from stakeholders, having standardized and accurate data on hotel carbon emissions and water usage makes it easier for hotels to meet reporting requirements. This transparency also helps build trust with environmentally conscious customers and investors.
3. Enhancing guest experience: Eco-conscious travelers are actively seeking eco-friendly hotels that prioritize sustainability. By adopting green hotel initiatives and publicly committing to reducing their environmental impact, hotels can attract a growing demographic of environmentally responsible guests.
4. Compliance and certification: Many regions have sustainability regulations in place, and using HCMI and HWMI helps hotels comply with these legal requirements. Furthermore, it positions hotels to earn certifications and awards that recognize their sustainability efforts.
5. Better decision-making: The insights provided by these tools allow hotel managers to make informed decisions about their operations and select the best fitting sustainable hotel practices. Whether it’s optimizing energy use, upgrading systems, or adopting water-saving technologies, HCMI and HWMI offer actionable data that drives impactful changes.

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How does BeCause facilitate HCMI and HWMI?

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At BeCause, we’ve taken the critical step of digitizing the HCMI and HWMI tools, making them easily accessible and user-friendly for hotels worldwide. By integrating these initiatives into our platform, we provide an efficient and scalable software for tracking hotel carbon and water usage, helping hotels measure, track, and reduce their carbon footprint and water consumption with ease.

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Here’s how BeCause enhances the use of HCMI and HWMI:

• Seamless data integration: Hotels can easily input their operational data into the BeCause platform and streamline it into the relevant calculator. The system then automatically converts raw data into real-time calculations, making the process of carbon measurement for hotels and water measurement for hotels quick and accurate.
• Data tracking: Our platform allows hotels to track their sustainability performance, ensuring that they are on target to meet their sustainability goals and making it easy to adjust strategies if needed.
• Comprehensive sustainability reporting: BeCause generates easy-to-understand reports on hotel carbon emissions and water usage based on the HCMI and HWMI methodologies, which can be shared with stakeholders, helping hotels comply with sustainability reporting requirements and earn recognition for their efforts.
• Benchmarking [Coming soon!]: Hotels can benchmark their performance against industry averages as well as their own portfolio results, providing a clear understanding of how they compare to other properties and where improvements can be made. This comparison helps hotels set realistic sustainability goals and identify areas for further improvement.
• Cost-effective solutions: BeCause makes it easy for hotels to manage their environmental impact without investing in expensive third-party services. Our platform offers a free carbon and water measurement solution as well as easy to understand data analytics for tracking hotel carbon and water usage, empowering hotels to make data-driven decisions that reduce costs and improve sustainability.

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In today’s competitive hotel industry, sustainability is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. HCMI and HWMI are invaluable tools that enable hotels to accurately measure and reduce their carbon footprint and water usage, helping them become more environmentally responsible while enhancing operational efficiency.

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By integrating these tools into BeCause’s platform, we offer hotels an easy, cost-effective way to implement sustainable hotel practices and make meaningful progress toward their sustainability goals. Whether you’re looking to reduce water consumption, minimize your carbon emissions, or improve sustainability reporting for hotels, BeCause is here to help you achieve a greener, more sustainable future.  

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Ultimately, you cannot act on what you cannot measure. At BeCause, we provide the ecosystem that ensures access to verified, trustworthy data, enabling hotels to make informed decisions based on accurate, industry-standard calculations.

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