Airports Going Green Conference: HMSHost Boosts Sustainability Programs Company-Wide
Bethesda, Md.—Speaking at the Airports Going Green Conference held in Chicago, Oct. 31 through Nov. 2,HMSHost’s Linda Dunn, Vice President Supply Chain & Analysis, unveiled a list of new sustainable practicesunderway throughout the company. HMSHost is a world leader in creating restaurants and retail storesfor travel venues.
Dunn added, “Every effort to be more sustainable in our business builds a better future.” Initiativesunder the first area of focus—Reduce Environmental Impact—include diversion of waste from landfills,conservation of electricity and water, and use of “better for the environment” materials.
• HMSHost’s team at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport diverts waste by recycling plasticmilk containers—thus keeping them out of nearby landfills. Nine Starbucks Coffee stores in the Atlantaairport use approximately 2600 gallons of milk weekly. Twice each day, the gallon containers arecollected and processed in a trash compactor specially sourced by HMSHost. From there, thecompacted bales go to a recycling plant near the airport and are used to make bottles for non-fooditems, plastic lumber, floor tiles, and recycling bins.
• In Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport, HMSHost fills more than 15 organic bins withcoffee grounds and other food scraps per day—approximately 43 metric tons per month. The bincontents are composted and turned into fertilizer or mulch. Recycling such as this diverts wasteand also provides a useful purpose for the waste with the added benefit of future healthy plants andflowers.
• HMSHost installed more than 550 high efficiency Xlerator hand dryers in the restrooms of its travelplazas. Electric hand dryers reduce waste going into landfills. Specifically, they eliminate theenvironmental impact of production and delivery of paper towels to the travel plazas. Paper usage isprojected to be reduced by more than one million pounds annually in motorway operations through theuse of these high efficiency dryers.
• The company’s Delaware Welcome Center in Delaware and ONroute Centres in Ontario, Canada arebuilt to LEED specifications and HMSHost is seeking LEED Certification in both locations.Using a thoughtful, year-long review ofoperations, Dunn described howHMSHost manages and tracks itssustainability efforts in three channelsunder the startsomewhere® platform.The practices are measured annually atthe end of each year.“Startsomewhere® means we will workwith our airport and motorway partners,our employees and our customers to beconscious of the difference we can makein these practices,” said Dunn.Page 2
• Sourcing recycled or renewable materials in store construction, using less caustic materials (including lowVOC paint and low phosphorous dish detergent), collecting and recycling books in the company’s retailbookstores are some of the other ways HMSHost is reducing its environmental impact.
• Additional goals under this channel include increasing levels of recycling of cardboard, cooking oil, printercartridges, bottles and cans.Under the second area of focus—Provide Food & Beverage Options that Address NutritionalWellness— airport and highway travelers across the U.S. are finding healthier selections on HMSHostmenus that are lower in fat or sodium. Many of HMSHost’s menus include the customer option ofsubstituting steamed vegetables and/or grapes in place of French fries.
• CIAO Gourmet Market was developed with HMSHost’s parent company, Autogrill, with the goal toprovide fresh gourmet food that is easily portable. From a Fruit & Nut Breakfast Wrap, to natural andorganic snacks including chips and Naked® Juice, CIAO Gourmet Market is the ‘grab-n-go’ stop fortravelers on the move through a busy airport. In addition, most of the produce used in CIAO’s selectionsis locally sourced when available in season.• Overseas, HMSHost Europe opened FairTaste Café at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in April, whereguests enjoy Max Havelaar Fairtrade coffee, as well as delicious sandwiches made with organic andethically-produced ingredients.
• Additional goals under Nutritional Wellness include expansion of vegetarian menu offerings, a roll-out ofsauces and dressings that are lower in sodium, and further development of menus that address specificdietary and allergy concerns.The third area of focus—Partner With the Communities We Serve to Build a Better Future—has alwaysbeen part of HMSHost’s vision. Every year, from the corporate office to field operations, HMSHost contributesto more than 225 organizations including local food banks, children’s hospitals and the USO. Indirect, directand in-kind donations totaled more than $1.6M last year and reached more than 100 communitiesneighboring the company’s operations.
• HMSHost operates a number of locations—including Tampa International and Charlotte-DouglasInternational airports— that donate excess product to local food banks. The company is working toincrease this effort through internal communications and training to the general managers of its 75 airportand more than 80 motorway travel plazas in the U.S. This type of partnership not only helps nearbycommunities, it diverts food waste from landfills—an important secondary benefit.
• For the past three years, HMSHost’s corporate office has mobilized a team to support the annual springcleanup of Cabin John Creek near the company’s headquarters in Montgomery County Maryland. In2011, more than 30 HMSHost associates and their families took part in the annual early spring event.
• Additional community-partnering goals include creating a greater amount of community volunteerism andsetting a benchmark challenge for employees to increase volunteer hours annually.“We operate in high consumer traffic venues so it is important to look at smarter uses of our resourcesand how we can contribute as a neighbor with a vested interest in the communities we serve,” saidDunn.For a complete list of HMSHost’s sustainability and corporate citizenship efforts, visit the company’s new website. This sustainability section of the web site will be updated on a regular basis as the program grows.
