Sustainable Tourism
Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel supports sustainability initiatives through daily operations and ongoing community partnerships. We are proud to support and participate in Fairmont’s environmental and social sustainability program. In 2024, Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel received the esteemed Green Key certification, making it the only hotel in South Africa to currently hold this significant accolade for sustainability.
SINGLE-USE PLASTIC COMMITMENT
We are committed to removing all single-use plastic items from the guest experience. This is a major step towards reducing environmental impacts and strengthening efforts to combat plastic pollution. As of 2022, Cape Grace continues to strive to remove all single-use plastics from the guest journey, offering reusable water bottles in guest rooms instead of single-use bottles and, swapping out our gifting products with responsible packaging. Furthermore, we have replaced plastic miniature bathroom amenities with full size refillable Le Labo bathroom amenities, such as shampoos and conditioners. Our guestroom key cards have also transitioned from plastic to custom- made bamboo cards, adding another effort in further reducing the amount of plastic used throughout the hotel.
SUSTAINABLE FOOD & BEVERAGE
In our restaurants, we are committed to offering healthy, balanced, and high-quality food. Our chefs work with sustainable suppliers for fresh, locally sourced and seasonal produce and do not buy overfished species. Our kitchens utilize the Winnow Standard AI system to reduce food waste, leveraging the advancement of technology in the hospitality.
WATER, ENERGY & WASTE MANAGEMENT
To reduce our water usage guests can engage with our linen and towels reuse programme. The hotel uses energy-efficient light bulbs. In addition, energy, and water consumption are measured and analysed regularly to avoid discrepancies. Cape Grace recycles all glass, cardboard, paper, tin, plastic, metal, electronics, shipping pallets, tires, propane cylinders, mattresses, cooking oil and Nespresso pods.
COMMITMENT TO OUR PEOPLE & COMMUNITIES
At Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are an inclusive company, and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent. We are firm believers in diversity, and welcome people from all walks of life. More than 56% of our leadership team including c-suite, are women.
We provide ongoing, regularly updated training to our colleagues on wellness, recognising bullying and harassment, cultural awareness and more. Fairmont is committed to helping end the exploitation of children around the world, because we believe that every child deserves to feel safe, no matter where they are. Through our WATCH program, our staff are trained to recognize and respond to indications of abuse involving children. We also ask that our guests report any instances in which they suspect a minor might be in distress.
At Cape Grace, our concierge team encourages guests to take part in sustainable tourism activities and educate guests on taking care of the local landscapes while doing so.
CERTIFICATION
SafeHotels certified – Executive level
Green Key Certified 2024 – 2025
Green Key is a voluntary eco-certification programme for hotels, hostels, campsites, holiday parks, small accommodations as well as conference centres, attractions and restaurants. The Green Key certification is based on compliance with strict internationally recognised criteria in the areas of environmental management (water, energy, waste, cleaning, etc.) and sustainability education (staff, guests, suppliers, etc.). Compliance with the criteria is confirmed through a rigorous application process and third-party verified after regular on-site audits. The certification is valid for one year at a time. Currently (May 2023), there are more than 4,000 establishments in 60 countries certified with the Green Key. Green Key is endorsed by various institutional partners, international hotel chain and tour operator partners and cooperating with a range of web partners. Accredited by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE): Green Key – through the National Office in South Africa: The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA).
For more information, please have a look at the Green Key website (www.greenkey.global) or contact via e-mail (info@fee.global).
