We’re Reducing 1.2 MT Carbon With 2,000 LED Lamps: Sukhbir Singh, GM, Novotel Hyderabad Airport

Sustainability isn't just a corporate goal - it's a personal philosophy. Growing up near nature instilled a deep sense of responsibility to leave the world better than we found it, rather than exploiting the resources we have been blessed with, said Sukhbir Singh, General Manager of Novotel Hyderabad Airport. 

As urbanisation accelerates and populations grow, the pressure on natural resources has become more intense than ever. In an interview with ResponsibleUs, Singh explained that as the hospitality industry operates 24x7, multiple measures have been taken to maintain top-notch service while conserving natural resources.

Excerpts: 

What measures have you implemented to reduce water consumption and minimize groundwater use in your hotel? 
The hospitality industry operates 24x7 - lights, AC, and essential services run continuously. From the beginning, water conservation was a priority when the hotel was built. We have six rainwater harvesting tanks used to recharge groundwater, and in our airport ecosystem, we don't draw any groundwater. To reduce drinking water consumption, we partnered with Aria, a brand that extracts water from the atmosphere for bottling. All our premier rooms and bottled water in our outlets use Aria water. We also have an in-house bottling facility with 1,500-liter capacity, cutting down on single-use plastic. Plastic bottles are no longer being utilised in the hotel. For use in non-potable water, aerators - flow meters governing water flow - are installed in all the taps. They are being used in public areas and guestrooms, conserving some 7,000 to 8,000 liters of water daily. 

Our Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is another water management optimisation. Treated sewage is used for mass landscaping on our six-and-a-half-acre campus, and it saves us approximately 120 kiloliters of water per day. It is used in gardening, perimeter cleaning, herb garden, and horticulture. 

We also have an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) facility for our in-house laundry. We treat the water as per Pollution Control Board standards to ensure clean discharge. Upgrading to the latest ETP technology has been a key investment to improve our water management.

Beyond water conservation, what other sustainability practices are you implementing to reduce your hotel's environmental impact?
We have installed over 2,000 LED lamps across the property - in public areas, guest rooms, and everywhere else - primarily to cut down carbon emissions. This alone has reduced our carbon emissions by 1.2 metric tons. We are the first in South India to receive the Green Key certification for our commitment to sustainability.
We have also a solar balance that generates around 3,000 to 3,300 units of clean energy annually, offsetting about 12 lakh units that would have otherwise come from conventional sources.

To further reduce electricity consumption, we introduced an auto-scaling system for our chiller plants. These plants run continuously and tend to scale up over time, so we invested in a dosing mechanism that enables auto-scaling, saving close to 1,000 units of electricity.

Another initiative involved reusing steam water. Our large laundry needs steam, and the hot water used to create this steam is redirected back into the boiler. This saves about 1,500 kiloliters of water and approximately 1,850 liters of high-speed diesel (HSD) used for the boilers.

Are you exploring any new technologies or future initiatives to further reduce your carbon footprint?
From an environmental standpoint, CFC-free refrigerants have replaced air conditioning systems into which they were previously absorbed; ozone layer-wise, this would greatly reduce the impact. Sustainability-wise, we recently switched over from the then-minibars in several guest rooms to energy-efficient models.

They have all been replaced with thermoefficient minibars. These also use non-CFC refrigerants, reducing energy consumption by about 30%.

One key initiative is our shift away from single-use plastic, in line with our global policy. Wherever possible, we've eliminated single-use plastic in various operations.

Laundry is a major operation for a large hotel like ours. We introduced a system called the "Clax Advanced Washing System" from Diversey. This technology enhances linen life by 30% and reduces both diesel and water consumption by about 20%, making the process much more efficient.

How do you encourage guests to support sustainability during their stay?
Another initiative is aimed at encouraging guests to support sustainability. Many people are now more aware of ESG practices, and individuals are becoming sensitive to these efforts. In guest rooms, we have placed danglers in the bathrooms and next to the nightstands. Guests can place these on the table if they'd like their linens changed daily. Otherwise, linens are changed once every two days. We have found that a lot of guests opt for this, understanding that daily changes aren't necessary.

The same concept applies to towels. If a guest leaves towels on the floor, it signals to the housekeeping team that they'd like them replaced. However, if towels are hung up, it indicates they can be reused, and we replace them once every two days.

As much as possible, we use eco-friendly paper and chlorine- and bleach-free tissues throughout the hotel. 

Can you dive deeper into your collaboration with Buff India for cigarette waste management?
Another unique initiative we introduced last year is a partnership with Buff India, which manages cigarette waste. Across all our smoking zones, we've installed collection units where cigarette butts are disposed of. Buff India then collects and processes these, ensuring they are reused for various purposes. It's a subscription-based program that we pay for to ensure responsible disposal.

Could you share more about your in-house vegetable garden and how it contributes to your kitchen operations?
Our sustainability efforts are our in-house vegetable garden. Spread over about 2000 square meters, the garden produces around 8,000 kilograms of vegetables annually, depending on the season. We grow about 16 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, contributing fresh produce to our kitchens.

How are you addressing the food waste challenge?
Some amount of waste is inevitable when running a large establishment like this. But over time, with experienced chefs and diverse expertise, we've developed a clear understanding of how much preparation is needed for the kind of occupancy we have. It's an occupancy-based business. In our ecosystem, we have a large in-house capture - 35% of the people staying with us will eat with us, 50% will have lunch, and 90% will have breakfast. This gives us a very good understanding of consumption patterns and helps reduce food waste.

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