One Aldwych Gains B Corp Certification

We are delighted to announce that we have become B Corp Certified™, the first and only five-star hotel in London to achieve this recognition and one of only 18 within the accommodation sector across the UK.

Since the hotel’s inception in 1998, caring for people and the planet has been at the heart of operations, with responsible and thoughtful decisions playing an integral role in every aspect of the business. With Managing Director Janine Marshall guiding the way, it has been instilled within every member of the team, both front and back of house, that sustainability is a byword rather thana buzzword. The hotel’s independent ownership has enabled space for thinking not just of guests, but also of the wider community, people and the environment, whilst continuously challenging what can be done better.

On receiving this recognition, Janine commented “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and has been for over 20 years. Responsibility has to be taken all the way down the ecosystem, from day-to-day operations to the materials and amenities provided. We speak to our guests, our designers and suppliers to assess what’s important for them - and to them. From locally sourced goods to low-impact lighting, water and electricity, to upcycling materials and composting waste, sustainability is our promise – it's in our DNA, everyone in the hotel is involved and committed.”

Being a B Corp business marks 26 years of our commitment to reducing our social and environmental impact one step at a time with B Corp recognising these important proof points in our journey so far:

Thinking local and long-term. Over the past year the hotel has overhauled its supply chain with a focus on long-term relationships with like-minded, and where possible, local suppliers and producers. It's at the heart of ensuring sustainability throughout the property. This approach spans everything from bathroom amenities with products from the fifth-generation floricultural estate in Kent, Mitchell and Peach, to hand woven blankets on the beds by Skye Weavers from the Hebridean Isle of Skye, and chocolate by Chocolarder, one of the most ethical and sustainable craft chocolate makers out there.

‍Bring the Energy. Each year One Aldwych aims to reduce its energy usage by 5% through more responsible use of gas, water and electricity – this ranges from LED lighting to meticulous tracking and timers –with carbon emissions currently measuring at 26kg per room per night, well below the UK average of 33-36kg. Each day the hotel uses 7 times less water thanks to a specialist vacuum drainage system. What’s more, in-house filtration and bottling eliminates single-use water bottles and reduces carbon emissions in the transport of bottled water. To streamline the Building Management System, the hotel has introduced Conserve – a carbon footprint monitoring system. All daily water metre readings, gas, electricity usage, room occupancy, food covers served, etc. are entered to give a monthly report of wastage. This allows the team to work out energy use per room in Kilowatts.

A People Place. A passion for preserving the environment and enabling guests to live better influences all operational decisions. The hotel’s commitment to charity is a quiet, yet active story, with donations and projects spread across a variety of sectors including supporting seriously ill children through Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity and London’s homeless through The Connection at St. Martin’s. Led by female Managing Director, Janine Marshall, the hotel operates as a listening organisation with the diverse team empowered to suggest new ideas and provide input into operational decisions.

Chris Turner, executive director of B Lab UK, says “Welcoming One Aldwych to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that success in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit”.

One Aldwych now joins a global community of pioneering businesses that are leading the way in their respective fields and is immensely proud to be a B Corp pioneer within the luxury hospitality sector, as guardians for future generations and as part of a global movement towards benefiting everyone. After all, there’s One Earth and One Aldwych.

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