Worldwide Hospitality Award 2019Best Initiative in Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility

#WeWalkOurTalk

Name of the programme: #WeWalkOurTalk

Objectives: Launch of our Environmental & Social Charter and celebration of the Earthcheck Silver Certification

Period: Launch in July 2019

Dimension : National and International

Quick facts:

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels: Pioneer hotelier in Mauritius since 1952

Hotels in OperationIn Mauritius

Environmental & Social Commitments

Employees(our Artisans)

In the Top 10 company at the

Stock Exchange of Mauritius

Rooms in Operation

Silver EarthCheck Certification for all our hotels and head office

8

52

5,564 + 2,140

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels carries

on a tradition of excellence and warm

hospitality that spans more than

six decades.

Beachcomber was created in 1952 and

is the pioneer and market leader of the

hotel industry in Mauritius.

From Park Hotel, our first property

through the opening of flagship resorts

such as Royal Palm in 1985 and beyond,

we have become the leading hotel brand

for discerning vacationers in Mauritius.

As anchored in our Mission and Brand Promise:

“to cultivate the Art of Beauty in all its dimensions’’The Management of Beachcomber Resorts and Hotels, through its Environmental and Social Policy

Statement, is committed to achieving best sustainability practices and behave responsibly.

As a Mauritian company, and pioneer of the hospitality industry in Mauritius, we are aware of the gift nature has given us: to live in one of the most beautiful island of the Indian Ocean.

Our responsibility is to pass it on to future generations, whilst taking care of each member of our teams.

As an EarthCheck Silver certified collection of resorts, we are able to better measure, manage and reduce our environmental impact and monitor our social projects, and “Walk our Talk”.

Through our 52 commitments we showcase our endeavor to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute towards a cleaner, safer and more sustainable planet, with greater support to community partners,

through the engagement of our Artisans and stakeholders as we encourage our Guests to participate in our sustainability projects.

https://earthcheck.org/

Our Sustainable and Social Engagements stand as follow:

Use Water Efficiently Aware of the need for water conservation,

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels was the first

hotel company in Mauritius to invest in waste water, treatment and desalination plants.

100% of irrigations in our hotels is achieved via

recycled waste water.

Furthermore, all the hotels of the group have

flow restrictors and aerators fitted to all their

faucets and showers. These fittings induce a

50% reduction in the water consumption without

affecting guests’ comfort.

Choose Less & Greener Energy In-room air-conditioning is one of the most energy-consuming

process and accounts for at least 45% of the total electrical load

of a hotel.

To save energy and better manage costs associated with the air-

conditioning of rooms, variable speed drives have been installed

on the chilled water pumps that feed the air-conditioning systems

in all our hotels. These devices have allowed us to save up to 40%

on the energy usage of the aforesaid equipment.

Room energy management systems are gradually being deployed

in our hotel rooms, saving 11% of our overall energy bill wherever

they have been deployed.

Beachcomber has also invested heavily in solar thermal systems

with the objective of replacing traditional fossil fuel hot water

boilers by solar power.

Manage Waste Responsibly 36% of all the waste generated by our properties

is recycled. We have a collaboration in place with a

waste management company called “Don’t Waste”.

They handle the relationship with all the waste

recyclers and handlers while keeping precise records

of what is done and where it is done.

Embellishing Environment/Biodiversity

We are engaged to protect biodiversity by planting endemic plants and production of natural honey

with onsite beehives.

Fostering Community Development

Beachcomber created, in 1999, Fondation

Espoir et Développement (FED) to empower

vulnerable groups in line with its role as a

socially conscious corporation.

FED plays a significant role in the

implementation of the sustainability policy of Beachcomber by contributing

to the recruitment of local youths (Projet

Employabilité Jeunes), by providing

locally produced goods from recycled materials for sale (Beautiful Local Hands)

and connecting with communities through

FED regional committees.

Responsible Sourcing All our suppliers have been informed about our policy and today we select our suppliers based on their responsible commitment.

We favour eco-friendly products: cleaning products / bathroom amenities / FSC certified paper.

We contribute to Reef Conservation through the sale

of specifically designed bathing suits.

Engagement of Our Artisans At Beachcomber we have incorporated sustainable practices within our Brand Standards and as part of

our Onboarding pack to new comers. All our Artisans

have received an EarthCheck Awareness training

course.

Contribution of our Guests We encourage our youngest guests to participate in our

Be Eco-Friendly signature activity as part of our

weekly Kids Club program.

We also have the Beautiful Neighbours Ritual on a

monthly basis where children who live in the locality are

invited to the hotel to enjoy the day with our guests’ kids.

Our guests are invited to contribute to our projects

through a donation to our Top FED Programme.

The Chairman Hector Espitalier Noel, Minister of Environment & Sustainable Development Hon. Etienne Sinatambou,The Minister of Tourism Hon. Anil Gayan and the CEO Gilbert Espitalier Noel

On 5 July 2019, to launch its Environmental and Social Charter, Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels held the #WeWalkOurTalk event, so putting words into action and strengthening the Group’s commitment in its endeavour to reconcile development while respecting nature and communities.

The guests of honour of the celebration were the Minister of Environment & Sustainable Development, the Honorable Etienne Sinatambou, the Minister of Tourism, the Honorable Anil Gayan, as well as the Group’s Chairman, Hector Espitalier-Noël, in the presence of the management team, the Green Team members of each hotel and participants of the relay, members of the local press and representatives of local NGOs.

The event had two main highlights namely the arrival of the 350 km fund raiser relay and the celebration the EarthCheck Silver Certification Award for our 8 Resorts and Head-Office.

The launch of our charter

The goal of the relay was to bring together participants from each hotel and head office, our artisans and our guests, who all converged in relays, by foot, bike, skate or other non-motorized means, to the headquarters of Beachcomber for the official celebration.

In total, the teams travelled 350 kms. For every kilometre travelled, Beachcomber sold room nights at a very promotional price solely to its partners, in order to raise funds that were donated to 3 NGOs* working towards the protection of the environment. We raised more than 40,000 Euros during this operation.

*References• We- Recycle : We-Recycle, a non-profit registered NGO since 2016, has an overall objective to collect recyclable waste throughout Mauritius to help clean the environment and to advocate

and engage with Government, Local Authorities, business, schools and NGOs/Forces Vives to help shape recycling activities, policy and legislation in Mauritius. https://www.facebook.com/WeRecycleMU/

• Mission Verte : is an active Mauritian association for the protection of the environment through awareness and positive actions. Created in early 2007 their goal is to raise awareness of the need to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost waste. http://missionverte.org/

• Island Bio : is a social and non-for-profit organisation that works to brings social, health and environmental justice to deprived communities in Mauritius. https://www.facebook.com/islandbiomauritius/

The Processes behind #WeWalkOurTalkBeachcomber Resorts & Hotels is committed towards the environment since 1985 though operational processes and community engagements.

Since 2015, through the EarthCheck certification, the Group is able to better measure, manage and reduce its environmental impact and monitor its social projects. #WeWalkOurTalk is a programme based on concrete actions relating to issues such as the preservation of water resources, energy consumption management, food and other solid waste management, plastic pollution and engagement with local communities, amongst others.

The Ownership of the ImplementationAt Beachcomber, sustainable development and inclusive growth is a serious thing! We have put in place a Corporate Green Team Committee and hotels’ Green Team Committees. Artisans are deeply involved in the implementation of best practices and help in the monitoring of our 52 Environmental and Social commitments.

Partnerships with Outside CompaniesWe collaborate with many NGOs for their proximity to communities and specific expertise such as FoodWise (reduction of food wastage), Don’t Waste (solid waste management).

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels Corporate Sustainability Committee structure

Chief Executive Officer

Green Team committee of each hotel and all artisans

Chief Officer Operational Exellence

Chief Operations Officer

Group Engineer Chief Communication & CSR Officer

Gilbert Espitalier-Noel

Géraldine Koenig

Royal Palm Garden Manager

Diane Koenig

Dinarobin Maintenance Manager

Alain Antoine

Mauricia Maintenance Manager

Paul Lee

Shandrani Quality Assurance Manager

Gawin Curpen

Trou Aux Biches Maintenance Manager

Nicolas Dupouy

Paradis Executive Assistant

ManagerDaniel Azzopardi

VictoriaQuality Assurance

ManagerStéphanie Brebner

Canonnier Sales & Promotion

ManagerRoshan Rutnah

Head Office Sustainability & Energy

OfficerNishtha Luchoo

Jean-Louis Pismont Karine Perrier CuréMathieu Rivet

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL CHARTER

• Internal communiqué was addressed to all artisans

to explain the #WeWalkOurTalk initiative.

• A video for our 52 commitments were broadcast

on all our Beachcomber Screens located in all

Beachcomber’s Staff Canteens.

• Artisans are reminded of our commitments and any

concerned daily event in morning meetings by the

HOD in all Resorts & Hotels

• We publish quarterly newsletters to communicate

about our actions

• Posters on the communication boards in our hotels,

in targeted areas frequently used by Artisans.

The communication around this initiative - Internal

We wanted to spread the news at a national

level. Therefore, local press including radios,

national TV and online press were invited to

the event. A press kit enclosing a communiqué,

photos were given to all of them. The event

was massively covered by the local medias.

Pictures were published simultaneously with

the tenue of the event on social medias

platforms and on Beachcomber Screens to

reinforce awareness.

Le Defi Quotidien Article L’Hebdo Article

Travel Iles Online : #WeWalkOurTalk

The communication around this initiative – External & International

2,880 People Reached

180 Reactions, comments & shares

149 Like

87 On post

62 On shares

1,700 People Reached

174 Reactions, comments & shares

154 Like

114 On post

40 Shares

A description of #WeWalkOurTalk event & images were made available on Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels LindkedIn Page.

The Environnemental and Social Charter is posted on the Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels corporate website as well as the video: https://www.beachcomber-hotels.com/en/corporate-environmental-responsibility

More than 2000 views More than 100 likes

The communication around this initiative – External

We secured a media partnership with Radio One, the first private radio, for the coverage the event. The relay was broadcasted on air all day long by Radio One. Also interviews of our COO, Jean Louis Pismont and of five Green Team Members were newscasted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEXx8qtiXhQ&feature=youtu.be

A coverage was done by the national TV (MBC Corporation) on the event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsuIaUWxiJI&feature=youtu.be

MBC – #WeWalkOurTalk

Press communiqué were sent to our Tour Operators worldwide and international media.

International press coverage/ articles were published on Earthcheck website, Tour mag, Pacific Asia Travel Association and Travel Inside Suisse publications.

Earthcheck website news page: https://earthcheck.org/news/2019/july/beachcomber-walks-the-talk-for-social-and-sustainable-development/

TOUR MAG - FRANCE

PACIFIC ASIA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION

TRAVEL INSIDE - SUISSE

The communication around this initiative – External

The resources set up to ensure management and monitoring

The Corporate Green Team committee meets monthly at the Head Office to discuss program status, standards, new environmental initiatives and ongoing improvements. Follow ups are done in hotels, by respective Green Team committees.

Through the EarthCheck management benchmarking tool, we are able to manage and monitor our energy, carbon, water and waste footprints.

How are employees, customers, partners involved in the implementation?

Towards the group’s staff Towards the group’s guests Towards the group’s partners

Our Artisans are trained on our Sustainability and Social operational standards, by the Beachcomber Training Academy, to be fully aware of the importance of preserving nature with best practices to be implemented and to be able to explain our commitments to our guests and suppliers.

All the departments are invited to participate in Environment Days and Cleanup initiatives.

We have encouraged our Artisans to share our commitments through responsible actions in terms of energy, water, waste generation and carbon offsetting.

Our welcoming letters and guest room directories make reference to our commitments. Our Guests have the opportunity to participate in our sustainable activities and are invited to donate on a voluntary basis to our Foundation.

They also can voice out and provide recommendations for improvement, if any, through our guests surveys.

To achieve our commitments, our partners as part of our risk assessment are involved in the implementation of our environmental and social policy.

We constantly encourage our partners to comply and operate in a sustainable and responsible manner.

Our performance evaluation toolThrough the Earthcheck platform, we input our monthly

benchmarking data to calculate our Performance.

On a yearly basis, Beachcomber undergoes an

environmental & social audit by an EarthCheck auditor.

To what extent is this action/programme part of your communication strategy? One of our communication pillars is based on our

sustainable and inclusive growth programs. This is not a

communication tactic but a real commitment.

Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels is responsible for

communicating properly the hotel’s environmental and

social commitment to its stakeholders.

Through our #WeWalkOurTalk event, we wanted to

celebrate all the team members (5000) who work hard in

achieving the EarthCheck certification.

Our pride and commitment towards our environment were

officially celebrated.

The KPIs measured are Energy consumption, Water Consumption, Waste generation and Carbon Emissions. For examples in 2017/18, we saved:

5,839,778 17,493,869 1,402,584KWH of energy Litres of water CO2 (m3)

Our sustainable objectives are being achieved as we strive to continuously improve our sustainable development.

And there are more to come:

Beehive project in all our Hotels

Sourcing maximum local products

Green corner to encourage staff to plant