Sokos Hotels offer a possibility to compensate for the carbon emissions of a hotel stay
With the help of Compensate, our guests at Sokos Hotels have the opportunity to compensate for the carbon footprint of their hotel stay and breakfast. Sokos Hotels is the first hotel chain in Finland that offers the possibility of compensation.
The price of compensation is only 0,47 € per night (Original Sokos Hotel Viru, Tallinn: 1,22 €). The price is based on average emissions per room. Jukka Kaartinen, Development Manager, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management, emphasizes that the calculation is based on actual guest amounts from 2019 and that the calculations have been verified by a third party.
- At Sokos Hotels, the cost of compensation for the climate emissions of a hotel visit remains low, as all our hotels exclusively use renewable electricity, and their energy efficiency has long been improved. In practice, therefore, only emissions from the property's heating and breakfasts remain to be compensated.
- Responsible business conduct has been a priority for a long time, which has led to Sokos Hotels being chosen the most responsible hotel chain in its industry for several years in a row. Providing the opportunity for compensation is a natural continuation of our work. Our customers had already wished for this opportunity, said Harri Ojanperä, Senior Vice President, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management before the Money Collection Act became into force in November 2021.
The funds raised through compensation are used to finance climate projects in which carbon already released into the atmosphere is sequestered, for example, in forests or soil. The effectiveness of sequestration has been scientifically verified and certified. To carry out the compensation, Sokos Hotels have partnered with the domestic foundation Compensate.
The compensation paid by guests does not impact the S Group's own climate work
- Compensation is an additional service offered to hotel guests that allows them to reduce their own daily carbon footprint. The S Group does not include the compensation paid by guests in its own climate targets, Kaartinen emphasizes.
The S Group's climate targets belong to the most ambitious in Finland. The group is not just aiming for carbon neutrality, but plans to be carbon-negative as early as 2025, when it is expected to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than what is being produced. During 2015–2020, the S Group already reduced its own carbon emissions by 70 percent.
In addition to its own climate measures, the S Group has challenged its suppliers to reduce their own carbon emissions by a total of one million tonnes. The programme called Big Deal has already been implemented by more than a hundred companies.
Additional information:
Jukka Kaartinen, Development Manager, SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management, +358 10 76 82764
More information is available on the Compensate website www.compensate.com/individuals
Follow the impact of compensation: Compensation Impact Report | Compensate »