Top Sustainability Updates in Corporate Housing
Temporary accommodations and corporate housing providers have been called upon to manage multiple challenges this year. The need for housing rebounded at a pace that was 100% greater than in 2021, while the industry was still rebuilding its supply chain and service infrastructure.
Clients and guests had expanded needs for space and amenities, often with limited notice, while asking more often than ever before for sustainable and eco-friendly accommodations.
Recognizing that guests and corporate clients alike had heightened expectations for sustainably friendly housing options, Dwellworks Living enthusiastically engaged with CHPA (the Corporate Housing Providers Association) to co-chair the industry’s Sustainability Workgroup.
The hundreds of members of CHPA globally, as well as other suppliers of corporate housing services worldwide, are seeking practical guidance on client requirements, while also looking to adopt best practices for their own efficient operations and to reduce their carbon footprint.
According to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, hotel lodgings globally (for business and leisure travel) are responsible for about 1% of global carbon emissions, and corporate housing is a subset of that number. It may sound like a small fraction, but 1% of 36.6 billion metric tons is still a high impact on the environment.
What steps are corporate housing providers taking toward sustainability?
The providers who are members of CHPA have benefited from and contributed to education and best practices sharing throughout 2022. Debbie Woodley, CCHP, Vice President, Global Supply Chain at Dwellworks Living co-presented at a kickoff session on sustainability at the association’s annual conference in January, along with Jo Layton, CAP Worldwide.
70 enthusiastic participants signed off on a pledge to learn more and do more about sustainability in 2022. Actions picked up from there including the formation of the above-mentioned Sustainably Workgroup, co-chaired by Debbie, Jo, and Heather James, Nomad Temporary Housing.
Dwellworks Living and other committed leaders in the industry worked with CHPA leadership to create three critical education and awareness webinars:
- Why is Sustainability So Important: the people, planet, and prosperity framework.
- Industry Importance and Impact: how relocation management companies and housing suppliers are putting together their sustainability strategies and action plans.
- Green is the New Gold …to Procurement: what questions are being asked in RFPs and how do suppliers demonstrate measurable, progressive action in sustainability.
What do clients expect and how are corporate housing providers responding?
Increasingly, the expectation is for suppliers to participate in and contribute to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint of their clients, especially for global, publicly-held companies who are subject to regulatory scrutiny, their commitment to frameworks such as the UN Global Compact, and the need to comply with ESG (environmental, social and governance) reporting requirements.
In line with these marketplace expectations and to benchmark awareness and action at the supplier level, Dwellworks Living sent a survey to active global suppliers in the first quarter of 2022.
Nearly 70% of respondents indicated they were taking steps towards sustainability including:
- more efficient lighting systems
- fewer (or no) plastic water bottles
- reduced food waste
- reduce, recycle and re-use programs
- partnering with eco-friendly partners for furnishings and bathroom/kitchen supplies
- use of eco-friendly cleaning products
- use of alternative energy vehicles for local transportation
- guest education and awareness
Respondents to CHPA’s own survey, in tandem with the education series noted above, were equally engaged, and encouraging.
What’s next for sustainability in corporate housing?
The professional associations affiliated with global mobility (Worldwide ERC, CERC, CHPA, EuRA, FIDI, and FAIM) are working together in a coalition to provide guidelines for corporate clients, relocation management companies, and global suppliers of transportation, housing, and destination services around timelines for industry awareness and education on sustainability, as well as proposing immediate, mid-and long-term expectations.
The corporate housing industry, and other industry affiliates, include a range of companies, from small, family-owned businesses to large multinational operations. All are committed to sustainability and each has value in the solutions they provide but at varying levels of resourcing capabilities.
A framework and timeline for the adoption of sustainability practices, measurement, and reporting will enable an objective ability to assess each provider’s performance and manage both carbon costs and operating costs through more efficient rules of engagement.
Dwellworks Living is honored to be associated with these efforts and is fully committed to both education for its suppliers and transparency to clients and guests as we all move forward in the sustainability journey. We recommend to all our supplier partners that they take immediate action (as most already are) and record their outcomes.
All actions taken in sustainability, whether it is paper use reduction, more efficient energy use, lowered water consumption, or other activity, can be captured and converted into greenhouse gas emissions and savings.
There are also multiple credible agencies that can assist suppliers in identifying their current carbon footprint and a phased plan for incremental and high-impact change over time.
As the ability to capture data becomes more widespread and more partners become not only sustainably committed but sustainably certified, we look forward to presenting clients and guests with options that meet all specifications, including being eco-friendly.
For more information on our ESG and Sustainability initiatives, contact us at [email protected]
Dwellworks Living: Global Solutions for Corporate Accommodations
Dwellworks Living is committed to providing our clients and their employees with the best possible corporate housing and serviced accommodations experience. With a global network of property partners, a tri-regional team of customer experience and supply chain professionals, and a wide range of services for global mobility and travel customers, Dwellworks Living can provide the perfect corporate housing solution for any need or budget.
Dwellworks Living is the global corporate housing solution of Dwellworks, an award-winning, business-to-business provider of global mobility and business travel services. As a global leader in corporate housing and serviced accommodations solutions, Dwellworks Living is uniquely positioned to meet the temporary living needs of businesses and their employees who are relocating or traveling on short-, medium- or extended-stays. With 60,000 high-quality professionally managed properties in over 125 countries worldwide, Dwellworks Living is the preferred housing solutions partner of many Fortune 1000 and leading relocation management companies.
Dwellworks Living's corporate housing and serviced accommodations solutions are designed to help businesses attract and retain top talent, support employee productivity, and ensure a smooth and successful relocation or business travel experience. In addition to our core global accommodations management services, Dwellworks Living, through our worldwide network of local experts, is uniquely capable of offering our clients expanded and related services, such as area orientations, group move assistance, destination services and intercultural training.
Whether you have corporate housing needs for an individual employee or a large team, Dwellworks Living can provide the serviced accommodations solutions you need anywhere in the world to ensure a safe and successful stay. Please contact us to learn more or visit our Properties page to begin your search for global corporate housing accommodations.