Brøchner Hotels - first CO2-neutral hotel chain

Press Information
April 2008

Brøchner Hotels in Denmark is now taking a lead in the global climate initiative by becoming the world's first CO2-neutral hotel chain. The hotel chain, which includes Hotel Kong Arthur, Hotel Fox, Ibsens Hotel and Hotel Danmark - all situated in Copenhagen - will be CO2-neutral as early as this year. Brøchner Hotels has at the same time taken the initiative to create a world-wide network of hotels that pledged to be CO2-neutral.

Brøchner Hotels is today the world's first CO2-neutral hotel chain. On the basis of their heat- and electricity consumption for 2007, the Danish hotel chain has calculated its collective CO2 emissions and subsequently purchased carbon credits corresponding to this consumption level. Brøchner Hotels will commit to buying carbon credits equivalent to their collective emissions every year from this point forward.

"For years the hotel industry has targeted lowering the energy consumption. But with this initiative Brøchner has demonstrated themselves as a pioneer amongst hotel chains. The hotel chain has even imposed an extra incentive for reducing their carbon emissions even further, as the energy consumption on their hotels inflict extraordinary expenses buying CO2 quotas", says Jens Zimmer Christensen Regional Chairman of the Danish Restaurant & Hotel Association HORESTA.

As another innovation, Brøchner Hotels will also be offering their guests special "CO2 accommodations," whereby the room's traditional bottle of champagne is exchanged with a carbon credit of one tonne of CO2, which is subsequently delisted. This way, guests enjoy not only the accommodations themselves, but also the knowledge that, because of their choice, the industry will be making a mandatory future reduction of one tonne of CO2.

"Brøchner Hotels is happy to take on its share of environmental responsibility. We don't wish to content ourselves merely with a few simple initiatives to reduce our energy consumption. Brøchner Hotels wants to be the world's first CO2-neutral hotel chain. Purchasing carbon credits constitutes an extra expense that we are taking on in order to balance out our climate account. This serves not only to better our conscience, but also deepens our drive to do something about our energy consumption. You could actually say that we have devised our own mini-Kyoto protocol", says Kirsten Brøchner, CEO Brøchner Hotels A/S.

This is based on the fact that a significant part of the energy sector and energy-intensive industry fell under the EU Emission Trading Scheme as of January 2005. Every time a carbon credit is purchased and delisted, the price of remaining credits increases. As the price of carbon credits increases, it becomes increasingly attractive for power companies to invest in green energy.

The ambitious statement from Brøchner Hotels comes at the same time that the hotel chain has taken the initiative to create a website offering other hotels the opportunity to support the concept of being CO2-neutral and, thus, to share in the responsibility for the climate. This rating system will include hotels that can document their CO2 neutrality either by installing wind turbines on their lots, mounting solar cells on their roofs, or purchasing and delisting carbon credits or credits corresponding to their collective energy- and heat consumption. Information on the initiative can be found on the website www.CO2neutral-hotels.com

As part of their drive to take a leading position in the environmental campaign, Brøchner Hotels has also placed extra focus on reducing their energy consumption, and has established a series of environmental requirements for the hotel's suppliers. Brøchner Hotels has also elected to purchase all of their electricity from the new power company Modstroem, Denmark's first independent- and environmentally friendly power company. The hotel chain has also joined with the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy's one-tonne-less campaign. Brøchner Hotel's climate initiatives are part of a five-point plan, which is also described on their website.

For further information please contact:
Kirsten Brøchner-Mortensen, CEO Brøchner Hotels
T: +45 3395 7700 - E: kb@brochner-hotels.dk