OUR PLANET FOCUS AREAS

Designing for Sustainability

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In the development and operation of Four Seasons properties, we aim to minimize the environmental footprint of initial construction, integrate well-being and maximize the efficiency of our operations over time. All Four Seasons design and construction projects are required to have sustainability consultants on staff, focused on integrating sustainability into our facilities, building systems and landscape designs.

In January 2024, our Design Services Sustainability Standards came into force. These design requirements apply to all hotel, resort and residential new build projects and major renovations.

They require all new construction and major renovations to achieve LEED Gold, BREEAM Excellent, or higher certification (or an approved regional equivalent). They are also required to follow select Fitwel standards that support the health and well-being of our guests, residents and team members and strive for net zero in waste, water or carbon emissions as summarized below:

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Reducing our Footprint

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We have adopted diverse strategies to reduce our environmental impact over time – and we’re always looking for new ways to enhance our systems and practices to reduce waste and improve our efficiency.

Our Environmental Policy guides our approach, and we are committed to using our purchasing power to reduce waste, support responsible businesses and social enterprises, and promote sustainable food harvesting and production.

All individual properties, as well as our portfolio as a whole, work toward annual targets for the reduction of energy, carbon emissions and water usage. 

Energy and carbon

We use many approaches to boost the energy efficiency of our operations and reduce carbon emissions. These include behavioural changes, which we facilitate through team member training and guest education, and facility adaptations such as technological upgrades and equipment maintenance.

We have developed an enterprise-wide strategic roadmap for reducing emissions across our portfolio, including financial and feasibility analyses, which will help inform future action across our global operations.

Waste management

Four Seasons works to cut waste across our operations – from avoiding single-use plastics to adopting innovative ways to reduce food waste. We use an array of approaches to achieve our goals, such as working with waste-conscious suppliers and engaging team members in the quest for ongoing improvement.

Recycling and composting

We have been rolling out recycling and organic waste diversion programs in properties around the world for years. Although this work proceeds at different rates because local infrastructure and services vary, the majority of our properties worldwide divert waste from landfill as standard practice. Among other efforts, we’re striving to make recycling available in all guest rooms where local systems permit.

Our global efforts to reduce single-use plastics include initiatives related to the guest experience, with nearly all properties now in compliance with this requirement. It also includes our Heart of House and broader operational practices, with Four Seasons properties continuing to partner with their suppliers to reduce unnecessary packaging from deliveries, and replacing single-use packaging with reusable materials where feasible.

In addition to reducing plastic waste in general, we aim to prevent harm to ecosystems, especially the extraordinary marine ecosystems that surround many of our hotels, resorts and residences.

To ensure that guests always have convenient access to water, we’re expanding the presence of water filtration plants on our properties and adding discreet and elegant filtered water dispensers in public areas.

Food waste

We’re working to cut food waste in half by 2030, relative to a 2019 baseline.

All Four Seasons food and beverage team members are expected to complete our food waste training program and all staff are being engaged in our food waste reduction efforts, including through awareness-raising activities and events in team member dining areas.

All of our properties are required to implement artificial intelligence–powered tools to help us measure food waste precisely. The tools typically use a built-in camera and connected scale to recognize food items being thrown away, helping leaders identify, quantify and accurately estimate the nature and cost of the waste.

Our teams continue to manage food-related waste streams, including by recycling cooking oil and donating excess edible food to those in need.

Water conservation 

We are committed to carefully managing and reducing our water usage, and all Four Seasons properties have annual targets for reducing water consumption. These efforts are part of our global commitment to conserving this precious resource, especially in water-stressed regions.

Responsible sourcing

Four Seasons is working to make our supply chain a force for good. We strive to connect our guests with extraordinary and responsible products that come from communities where we operate and from outstanding makers around the world.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct details our expectations for suppliers, including criteria on environmental protection, human rights, animal welfare and other factors.

CONNECTING TO THE ENVIRONMENT LOCALLY

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In every place where we operate, we seek opportunities to protect the surrounding environment. From tree planting to coral reef protection projects to ecological tours, we seek to activate conservation projects that deepen the relationships between beautiful local ecosystems and our guests, residents and team members.

Four Seasons seeks to promote biodiversity in three important ways: 

Collaborating across our portfolio

We promote the protection of biodiversity both through our operational practices and through the guidance we provide to properties, including:

• Purchasing and prioritizing sustainable food and other products whenever feasible.
• Avoiding selling and using products with potentially harmful ingredients, such as certain chemical sunscreens; and
• Promoting biodiversity-friendly behaviour across every property.

Engaging our guests

We are committed to creating opportunities for guests and residents to participate in our Four Seasons for Good efforts. Our activity clubs for children, Kids for All Seasons, often include sustainability or social impact programming to engage our youngest guests around these efforts.

Partnering with specialists

We encourage properties to support and partner with local biodiversity conservation organizations. From pollinator protection initiatives to biodynamic farming projects to charities that focus on the preservation of specific landscapes and ecosystems, many Four Seasons properties around the world support people and organizations taking local action for a healthier planet.