Sarah Salord, Company Director at GEC PR

Sustainability was firmly placed in the spotlight last year thanks to high-profile events such as COP26 and the G20 Summit, and as a result we are all becoming more aware of the impact our actions have on the environment and natural resources.

Consumers are becoming increasingly discerning about the products they’re purchasing and the word ‘sustainable’ is now much more than a slogan or catchphrase – it’s a key influence in the consumer purchasing process.

With shoppers now looking more closely at the businesses they buy from, we’ve turned the spotlight on some of our travel and lifestyle clients to showcase how they are incorporating and supporting sustainable practices this year.

Carbon-balanced Airport Parking – Airport Parking & Hotels (APH.com)
Many UK travellers may not know that dropping off and collecting travellers from the airport (also known as ‘Kiss and Fly) has more of a negative environmental impact when compared with pre-booking airport parking. Resulting in twice as many car journeys and more vehicle congestion around the airport, there are also other ‘hidden costs’ with Kiss and Fly including the time and money spent by family members or friends. Pre-booking airport parking through companies such as APH can be one of the most environmental-friendly and affordable methods of travelling to the airport ensuring a minimum number of journeys and less time spent on the road. APH has also worked closely with conservation charity the World Land Trust (WLT) for many years to off-set its carbon emissions and actively reduce its carbon footprint and will continue its support for 2022 through a range of projects including rainforest conservation around the world.

Sustainably-Focused Resorts – Aitken Spence Hotels
Located in some of the most popular tourist locations around the world such as the Maldives and Sri Lanka, Aitken Spence Hotels offers a range of sustainably focused resorts including the eco-friendly Heritance Kandalama and Heritance Tea Factory. Through its Sustainability Program, the Aitken Spence Hotels group has worked to reduce the environmental impact it’s hotels and resorts have on the planet and places a strong focus on making a difference in the communities where guests, associates and stakeholders live and work. In February last year, Aitken Spence became the first Sri Lankan company to invest in a waste to energy programme and continues its strong commitment to social, environment and economic sustainability for the year ahead with a focus on protecting and enriching the environments in which the Hotel Group operates.

Protecting Natural Habitats – SWAROVSKI OPTIK
Leaders in long-range optics, SWAROVSKI OPTIK has maintained a long-standing responsibility to protect the natural world. SWAROVSKI OPTIK’s demand for high-quality and durable products has run throughout the company’s history, and every year it invests considerable resources in reducing its environmental impact or avoiding it completely. Production is handled in an environmentally friendly way and all buildings and processes are enhanced to save resources such as energy, water and gas. SWAROVSKI OPTIK also places a huge emphasis on protecting wildlife, including the preservation of important natural habitats for protected species such as the Dalmatian Pelican in Bulgaria, Snow leopards in India and rhinos in South Africa.

Sustainable and Ethical Clothing – Coco & Kiki
Coco & Kiki is a producer of ethical and sustainable children’s clothes, with the aim to make giving back easier. Created by friends Corrine and Kishana during lockdown, ethical and sustainability is at the heart of what they do. The fox-branded dungarees are handmade by a women-run boutique studio based in India and profits are invested in projects around the world, including the Philippines and India, ensuring the money generated through sales provides fair payment for all involved in their production. The dungarees are made from soft, high-quality corduroy and lined with 100% cotton and adjustable coconut buttons, with easily adaptable roll up and roll down trouser legs to ensure children don’t grow out of them too quickly!