Debarring with AI and climate-positive business operations: Yves Fonck on sustainable Accor

Yves Fonck is Vice President Operations Accor Benelux and Managing Director Accor Belgium and in those positions he is largely concerned with making the hotel group more sustainable within its region. Accor has always been highly concerned with ESG topics (Environmental, Social & Governance) and this is more important than ever in 2024. We spoke to Yves about current and future initiatives and why he uses AI to debarrass the signs.

It was 2011 when Accor, known for brands such as Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, Sofitel, Mercure Hotels, Novotel Hotels and ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget, rolled out the Planet 21 sustainability program. As one of the first global hotel groups, the company requires all hotels to take action. Even then, they asked their guests to use towels multiple times. Accor donated 50 percent of the energy savings to Plant-for-the-Planet, a tree planting initiative. Planet 21 has now been replaced by the ambition to have all hotels eco-certified and actions have been taken in more than five thousand hotels to achieve this. We ask Yves about Accor's sustainable path.

What are the current sustainable focus points within the Benelux and Belgium in particular?

'Sustainability is central to everything we do. With Accor we not only want to compensate, but ultimately also want to be climate positive and make a contribution. To both the planet and the people who live on it. We do this, for example, by purchasing locally, but also recruiting locally. We were the first with a zero single-use plastic policy, a goal that we achieved at the beginning of this year. We banished 57 types of plastic; from garbage bags to tea bags and butter tubs. Even our linen is no longer individually wrapped in cellophane, but covered per container with a large tarpaulin. We are also fully committed to green energy, installing solar panels, everything to reduce our CO2 emissions. A very interesting initiative is the use of AI to combat food waste. We do this in collaboration with companies such as Winnow and Orbisk | Zero Food Waste. Several hotels worldwide now work with smart cameras that record exactly what and how much is thrown away during debarring. As Accor, we support the hotels that need to invest in this. Both financially and with our knowledge and training options. Because in addition to AI, staff also plays an important role in reducing food waste. As well as our guests, whom we encourage through open communication to think about the impact of food waste during their stay'

What sets Accor apart from other hotel groups?

'Accor has been a pioneer for more than thirty years and plays a major role in international coalitions by sharing knowledge and experience in the field of sustainability. By starting Planet 21 in 2011, we are well ahead of the rest and we have already implemented a lot to obtain eco certificates. We are where we want to be, mainly by acting early and quickly.'

What impact does this have on the workplace?

'It is important that staff are included in sustainability efforts because they play a major role in this. We therefore often collaborate with expertise centers to help us move forward. Accor's internal training School for Change was set up in this way and had to be completed by everyone. I found it very motivating. But we also have external parties audit us to know exactly where we stand. Accor now has a large team in-house that is primarily concerned with sustainability within the company, including the new CSO Brune Poirson , who was hired in 2020. That team consists of various task forces that tackle different processes, such as banning single-use plastic, and work intensively with other departments within Accor so that we remain consistent throughout the company.'

What are you facing?

'We look at all the buildings where our hotels are located to see how we can make them more sustainable and that is sometimes quite a challenge. For example, some buildings are very high and narrow, so solar panels are not of much use. Then we have to look at other options to become energy neutral. Or hotels that are located in monumental buildings. There are many restrictions there, although the rules are relaxing. Local governments are increasingly realizing that sustainability is no longer an option, but a must. In Belgium this is literally the case, so rules must be adjusted to achieve this, even in historic buildings. The hotel industry is a difficult industry, because you can make it more sustainable yourself, but many guests end up arriving by plane. We try to manage this by motivating them to come by train. Our mission is to ensure that the entire journey of our guests is CO2 neutral.'

Accor is a valued customer of Typhoon Hospitality. The hotel group wants to emit 25 percent less CO2 by 2025 and between 30 and 40 percent by 2030. Ultimately, the goal is to become a climate-positive company. Read all about Accor's sustainable goals.