My Green Butler’s Paper(less) Boy: Hidden usage, tax deduction, and the business case for sustainability
Bringing the behind the scenes, to the front of the stage
Buildings don’t use energy or water – people do.
When we think about resource usage in hospitality, it’s hard to remember that it is us who use turn the lights, heating, and taps on and off. The world is just beginning to realise that guests play a large part in reducing the resource usage at accommodation businesses, up 50% in hotels and as high as 95% in some self-contained buildings.
What has not yet caught on is the high usage from the invaluable teams keeping the businesses running – the wait-staff, receptionists, maintenance, and housekeeping. Whilst being an integral part of the business, My Green Butler research has identified that housekeeping teams can use up to 80L of water per clean, at an average of 73.4L/h (that’s 7 times more than most guests do on average per hour at the same sites!) and 1660Wh/hr of electricity, more than double the average guest’s hourly usage!
This in due to some high-usage practices, like running hot water taps for long periods of time to fog up a bathroom (a method to make it feel easy to clean) or leaving heating on. In one case, a room was left at 28C for 3 days before the next guest was due for arrival – that’s a lot of money down the sink and carbon up in the air!
To help you educate and organise your team to perform best practice (and with sustainability at heart), My Green Butler provides sustainability training and a streamlined task service to help them perform at their best. Reach out to Christopher or Maxwell to learn more about how My Green Butler can guide you and your teams to make immediate decisions and achieve immediate sustainability progress.
Australian Tax Deduction for Sustainable Assets
From now until 30 June 2023, eligible Australian businesses can benefit from several incentives, including asset write-off. By claiming an immediate deduction for the cost of an asset in the year it is first used or installed, businesses can recoup costs in the same financial year. This is a great opportunity for hoteliers to upgrade and install sustainable assets. The instant asset write-off has also been extended, allowing businesses to immediately deduct the full cost of qualifying assets costing less than $20,000.
After 30 June, the newly introduced small business energy incentive will support small and medium businesses to save on energy bills by incentivizing the electrification of assets and improvements to energy efficiency. Hoteliers are advised to consult with their accountant or financial advisor before applying incentives as they may not be suitable for all businesses.
The business case for sustainability – A glimpse into How to Create Sustainable Hospitality.
Let’s face it – there is a lot going on in the world right now. Prior to COVID19, the world was taking many great steps in the right direction to mitigating and adapting to climate change (and is now getting back on track!). But whilst many know that climate action is something needing to be addressed, how do you convince your manager, colleague, team or board that sustainability is something needing to be faced front on now? Glad you asked – here is a few things you could look into compiling into a business case, to help you convince the decision makers to take action.
Staff morals – showing that the business aligns with the average housekeeper, receptionist, or financial controller’s values is vital. Deloitte reports that 30% of workers would consider switching jobs to a more environmentally aware and active company; and 64% would prefer to work at a business which creates value for communities and society. Without making efforts to improve sustainability, businesses will face a more staffing challenges.
Guest expectations – 80% of guests want to stay in sustainable accommodation – if the business isn’t, then they may likely look elsewhere next time they travel.
Corporate requirements – As more businesses begin to showcase their sustainability commitments or be held accountable by their administrators, they are requiring their traveling teams to stay at sustainably minded and acting accommodation. Ignoring environmental and social responsibility now means potentially losing existing and new corporate customers.
To learn more about how to make the business case for sustainability at accommodation, purchase your copy of the book here: https://mygreenbutler.com/sustainable-hospitality-book/
