Hospitality Spaces and
Water Sustainability

Water and Sustainability

You’ll find that the world’s largest hotel and restaurant chains have a corporate responsibility slogan and a programme complete with sustainability targets – and use of water is a hot topic.

You’ve heard a lot about measuring carbon emissions, and many large businesses have goals to reduce them. In fact, according to the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, hotels in particular will need to “significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2050 in order to ensure industry growth doesn’t lead to a corresponding emissions uptick.” (Hospitality Design, October 2023). Plastic bottles have a huge impact on carbon footprint (more on that later). But, if you’re wondering what the ideal amount of water usage is, know that it’s harder to measure.

This is because the impact that water usage has on the environment is dependent on the area. If a hotel, arena or restaurant uses large water volumes in a water rich area, it will have less of an impact than an establishment that uses average volumes in a dry water area. (Financial Times, April 2021).

The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance calls for ‘increased water-use efficiency’ however does not include an exact numerical target because ‘water issues such as scarcity, pollution and community access to clean water are intrinsically linked to their local context.’ (Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, November 2023) The bulk of water consumption in these spaces comes from kitchens, which is why we employ measures to reduce our space’s environmental impact when it comes to water. (Smart Water, March 2022).
An element not to be underestimated is that of refills.

The Importance of Refills

There is an ongoing drive to reduce plastics within our everyday lives, especially with the introduction of charging for plastic bags in supermarkets. However, water remains a different story.

We’re happy to drink water from the tap at home (according to Tap Water, 66% of Brits drink directly from the tap, and an added 15% drink tap water with a filter of some kind) yet there are cabinets upon cabinets of bottled water sold in shops, restaurants and bars. (Tap Water, March 2018). Despite more awareness of the impact that bottled water has on the environment, the market continues to grow. Tap Water also reports that, globally, 600 million households consumed bottled water in 2022 – this equates to more than 446 billion litres of water per year or one million bottles per minute. (Tapp Water, May 2023).

The use of refillable water bottles could significantly reduce plastic footprint. One step that businesses can make is to offer filtered refill stations for free or for a small charge. There are several brands that excel at this including British coffee house Pret a Manger – the chain has installed free water fountains in over 250 branches for anyone to use (customer or not). This feels especially relevant, as iNews reports that one in five people feel uncomfortable asking a staff member to refill their water bottle, even when they have made a purchase. (iNews, October 2020).

Most train stations and airports also have areas where customers can fill water bottles for free. You might have noticed that high street brands including Morissons, Lush, Sweaty Betty and Neal’s Yard have introduced water stations, and the movement is trickling down to sports and entertainment venues – the Excel Centre, Royal Opera House, Alexander Stadium and Edgbaston Stadium, to name a few.

Yet, when we go to restaurants and order water, the server’s response remains the same – still or sparkling? There is something we can do to make a change.

Introduce Water Filter Systems in Hospitality areas

If the barrier to installing water filter systems is cost, we’ve done the math. A water filter system can be purchased outright and installed for £4,500, the maintenance going forward is then £500 per year. This means that over three years, the expense would be £6,000. That’s £39 per week, or £0.08 per bottle of filtered water if 500 are sold per week.

In this case, the cost of running is then offset or at least cost-neutral to running bottle fridges to keep water bottles cold. Add the fact that VAT is not chargeable on bottled water, and you’re saving. Therefore, if a bottle is sold for £1, then there is a £0.012 additional profit after paying the £0.08 for the drink served.

Consider Carbon Footprint

Plastic bottles of clear liquid have a major impact on carbon footprint. Even if the plastic is recycled, it will produce carbon dioxide. And, a kg of Co2 is the equivalent to 2.3 liters of burned petrol. The table below demonstrates the difference swapping to glass bottles of filtered water can make when it comes to contributing to less carbon dioxide.

Table based on three years of use at 500 glass bottles per week:

Takeaway

As time goes on, it is believed that more guidelines will be released on what sustainability looks like through a hospitality lens, though it is clear that we can all take further steps to improve water sustainability in spaces. (Hospitality Design, October 2023). We appreciate that it might be impractical for every venue and bar to serve filtered water, and we advise that this measure is considered for staff drinks areas at the minimum. Not only are customers willing to pay more for sustainable venues, but their businesses will pay less tax on filter systems. It’s a win win.