SUSTAINABLE SUPPLIES - ACTION FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Thinking about the condition of our planet today and the environmental needs of our time, would we be complacent with our inheritance to the next generation?

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, we believe that progress and prosperity lie in providing a more reliable future through Sustainable Development.

This is the time for a people-centered action to change.

This is the time that we all come together to build a world we would be proud to bequeath to future generations.

We promote a business spirit that contributes to society

Since our establishment in 1975, we have been standing together with society to co-create, use and enhance new values with our local communities and customers. Embracing a more sustainable future in the Hospitality Industry is our responsibility.

We commit to meeting the highest sustainability standards

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, sustainability has always been the horizontal constant penetrating our entire corporate governance.

Sustainable, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible policies and practices have been the core philosophy of our strategic management. Our strategy includes Food & Beverage, Supply Chain, Building & Reconstruction, and Chemical Substance Management. Our long-term sustainable development vision is embodied in all our hotel development stages, from planning and construction through operation.

We have come a long way to create a green, responsible business model

Metaxa Hospitality Group is a sustainability pioneer in Greece. We strive to create a solid, responsible business model in line with the ESG criteria and the UN’s 2030 17 SDGs. A case in point is that in 1999, we launched our first report regarding the environmental and social identity of our hotels.

We believe that the values of sustainable development outweigh the costs. Our goal is to convey this message to millennials, Gen-Zs, Gen-Xs, and new generations of executives, employees, and associates.

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, entrepreneurship and ethics go hand in hand, characterizing our presence in the market for more than four decades. They are a top factor for the competitiveness and development of our organization on stable and indestructible relationships of trust.

We earn the confidence of our neighbours by building on each other’s strengths

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, we believe that highlighting the best our regions have to offer will create authentic experiences for our guests. Our local communities are at the heart of this effort. Seeking to build a robust engagement, we collaborate with local suppliers and choose local products for our hotels.

In 2021, Metaxa Hospitality Group collaborated with 41 local food producers, supporting the economies of Crete and Santorini promoting Greek gastronomy. The following figures speak for themselves:

• 73% of the Group’s suppliers are strategically located in Crete and Greece.
• 20 major categories of products are sourced at a local and Greek level at an average of 93%.

We envision a brighter future for all

The European Union’s call for Climate neutralization requires changes in the corporate governance of the industries, including the hospitality industry. Sustainability is “the new normality” for the tourism sector, as stated by the Global Organization of Tourism.

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, we take our role in shaping a better world for people everywhere very seriously. We make sure that our business practices adhere to the following crucial components for the Green Transition of our hospitality services:

• In-depth Understanding of Our Supply Chain: We design, invoice, approve, and implement of the supply chain. It is one of the key orientations for the transition to regenerative hospitality services.
• Measuring Our Impact: We are ethically and responsibly redesigning luxury.
• Determining Our Social Footprint: We seek opportunities for improvement and measure. achievements which could benefit reporting and communication and the selection of suppliers.
• Inspiring Transformation Through Our Guest Experience: We encourage the transformation of our guests’ mindset through an evolving hotel identity.

At Metaxa Hospitality Group, now more than ever, we touch the global momentum and focus on how we should start thinking about regenerative hospitality services.

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: An Introduction

Action for a sustainable future.

Our long history in sustainability and environmentally friendly practices revolves around a simple question: What would be Nature’s next step of action?

The answer lies in the transition from the Local Product to the Sustainable Product. We took the initiative to create a group of sustainable suppliers and train them into a sustainable procurement team.

For us, 2021 marked a national breakthrough moment: Metaxa Hospitality Group was the first hotel chain in Greece to filter down a sustainable way of thinking to its suppliers.

For the needs of this project, we collaborated with Local Food Experts, a leading social cooperative company specializing in building sustainable supply chains.

The new initiative started in September 2021 and the training period will last for 15 months.

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: The Context

The initiative regards suppliers specialized in the Food & Beverage sector. Eleven suppliers have decided to participate in this project.

Participants will receive training in sustainable business practices pertaining to the environment, society, corporate governance and practices in managing their own supply chain. The Metaxa Hospitality Group provides participants with the KPIs per activity sector, based on global ESG standards.

All the information and training procedures are provided and financed by the Metaxa Hospitality Group, while guidance is provided by the Group’s trained officers under the supervision of the Group’s Sustainability Committee.

By the end of the programme, suppliers will have:

• Understood the principles of sustainable corporate governance.
• Gained substantial knowledge on sustainable practices in the food sector.
• Gained tools and novel, readily applicable sustainability practices.

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: Important Milestones

1. Selection of suppliers – Completed.
2. Suppliers self-assessment – Completed.
3. Analysis of results – Completed.
4. Suppliers’ education – Completed.
5. Suppliers’ reassessment after the education program — Not Started.
6. Certification of participation – Final Step.

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: Participants

The 11 participants in the Sustainable Supplies project:

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: Self-assessment

During the stage of self–assessment, every participant completed a questionnaire of 188 questions, assessing the status and progress of their business procedures and sustainable practices.

Τhe key performance indicators to achieve Green Transition were based on nine globally recognized modules:

1. Sustainable Governance
2. Water Management
3. Energy Management
4. Waste & By-Products Management
5. Infection Prevention
6. Ecosystem Management
7. Supplies & Markets
8. Human Resources
9. Neighbors & Community

The Sustainable Supplies Initiative: A Reflection

The Sustainable Supplies initiative is interwoven into our long-term Sustainable Development vision. We aim to make it a step closer to Green Hospitality, thus maximizing our contribution to society by creating ambassadors that will convey our sustainable way of thinking towards a more sustainable and fulfilling world.