Meat drives CO2 emissions from five-star hotels
Published: Friday, Jan 12th 2024, 11:10
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Swiss luxury hotels are increasingly feeling the pressure to become more sustainable. Their carbon footprint is particularly affected by their guests' favorite food: meat.
Meat consumption is a major contributor to the greenhouse gas footprint of luxury hotels. At the Cervo Mountain Resort in Zermatt, for example, beef alone accounts for 42 percent of greenhouse gases in the food sector. Cheese follows as the second largest category with 13 percent.
In order to improve the balance sheet, the resort is therefore offering more meat-free alternatives. One of the resort's three restaurants is largely plant-based. "You can see that this is being accepted more and more," Sustainability Manager Andreas Heinrich told AWP. However, he admits: "In the luxury segment, there are still few establishments that voluntarily do without products."
This can also be explained by the target group: As Marcel Gerber, head chef at the Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne, which was founded in 1845, explains, "Our guests have high expectations. In order to meet them, you sometimes come into a bit of a conflict." For example, certain five-star hotel guests want to be able to order fresh berries and exotic dishes such as lobster at any time, even in December.
Nevertheless, his team has now become more courageous, especially when it comes to avoiding food waste: "After every guest has been to the buffet once, at some point something is simply no longer available."
Vegetarian seminar packages
Other luxury establishments are also focusing in part on new food models: the Dolder Hotel in Zurich, for example, has introduced vegetarian seminar packages. Meat or fish costs extra. There is also a "Vegan Wednesday" in the staff canteen.
Overall, however, the sustainability managers report: "It's more the meat eaters who come to us."
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