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RIU Hotels & Resorts has taken yet another important step forward in its Proudly Committed sustainability strategy with the approval of two key policies: the Sustainability Policy and the Procurement and Supplier Policy. These two documents will guide hotel operations and the supply chain towards a more responsible, ethical and sustainable model. RIU’s Sustainability Committee gave the policies the green light before submitting them to the chain’s Board of Directors, which approved the policies and their implementation at its last meeting.
The purpose of the new Sustainability Policy is to establish the general action principles and commitments in this area, as well as the foundations of RIU’s sustainability strategy. As part of this new policy, RIU voluntarily undertakes to fulfil certain ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments that go beyond legal obligations and will affect its hotel activity and operations.
This new policy covers and updates the approaches and commitments established in previous policies approved by the Board of Directors, including the Environmental Policy from November 2011, the Local Community Policy from April 2012, the Quality Policy from April 2014 and the Food Waste Reduction Policy from January 2024.
The new Procurement and Supplier Policy deals with the criteria governing the procurement policy and strategy, as well as the way the company works with suppliers throughout the entire purchasing process, from selecting and contracting suppliers through to the subsequent commercial relationship, all while maintaining RIU’s characteristic quality standards, depending on supply availability in each destination.
To make sure the company can achieve these goals, RIU has created a new Sustainable Purchasing Department, which will be responsible for coordinating, assessing and measuring product purchases from sustainable sources or controlled conditions, as well as monitoring suppliers in terms of ESG criteria, in addition to other tasks.
The hotel company believes that the supply chain plays a key role in achieving these goals and must share RIU’s commitment to sustainability and responsible management. RIU has already started working on this thanks to its agreement with Achilles, a world-renowned supply chain risk management expert specialised in ESG criteria.
Both policies—which were defined by the Corporate Social Responsibility department and the Purchasing department, respectively—have been approved by the body responsible for determining and approving the company’s general policies and strategies: RIU’s Board of Directors. Likewise, the content of the policies will be reviewed on an annual basis and adapted to any changes in the hotel chain’s business model or context.
A policy is a statement of commitments that must then be translated into work plans and implemented throughout the entire company. RIU operates in 21 countries, and the various legal frameworks and sensitivities of local communities in different destinations will affect the speed of deployment. Nonetheless, RIU has approved these policies as it believes they can be achieved, and the company is fully committed to working towards the established goals.
In keeping with its commitment to transparency, the hotel chain will report annually on the progress it has made towards the goals of both policies and, if necessary, identify any barriers hindering the process.
