Club Med, the pioneer of premium all-inclusive holidays, has always sought to be responsible and sustainable in building and operating its resorts.
Throughout our history, we have forged a strong belief: the moments of happiness we offer to our guests are to be shared; they cannot be experienced at the expense of others or nature. Our ambition is to continue to pave the way towards a more sustainable tourism, with our development and our everyday practices to blend in harmoniously with our exceptional sites. For the first time ever, Club Med organized a dedicated Green Week from 4 to 9 July 2021, to raise awareness on sustainability actions and highlight the impact we have on mother nature. Over 3,000 guests and 1,000 employees across 9 Asia Pacific Club Med resorts participated in this massive movement. Over 140 activities were conducted over the week to shine a light on pressing environmental topics. Guests were treated to nature focused activities such nature exploration and eco walks, sustainability focused activities such as upcyling art&craft and beach clean-up, local discoveries such as local cooking classes and visits to the local market and even a quiz to learn more about plastics and its impact worldwide.
“It is our passion to create awareness of issues such as beach pollution, excessive consumption, protection of the biodiversity especially in the areas where our Club Med resorts are located. This brand movement supports our commitment to our environment and a platform for change to inspire our guests and employees to be aware of their actions and the impact it has on the world we live in. We want to encourage conversation and have a positive influence in their lives.” shares Jean-Charles Fortoul, CEO of Club Med Asia Pacific Resorts.
We are dedicated to looking for ways to bring our involvement of environmental awareness to the next level. This year, for the first time ever, Club Med organized a massive green movement across our Asia Pacific Club Med Resorts – dedicating one entire week to raise awareness on sustainability and green topics. Over the course of the week, both our guests and employees were immersed in sustainability focused activities, experiences and brought home a greater love for mother nature.
On the first day, we put plastic pollution under the spotlight. A clean-up activity was organized around the resort. Using the materials gathered, Arts & Craft workshops were conducted with the little ones to highlight the value of sustainability.
On the second day, we highlighted everyone’s responsibility to consumption. In the resorts, we conducted a cooking class using local products, allowing guests to discover about the unique culture of the country. Club Med has been supporting local farmers such as Agrisud, as part of our dedicated to care for the community we are based in. In addition, we also support local entrepreneurs by featuring their products and works in our Boutiques for guests to bring home.
On the third day, we focused on highlighting nature. Guests were treated to nature walks around the resort, and reconnecting with nature through hands-on activities and yoga sessions with a scenic view. Leaf hunt, discovery of local flora and fauna were all part of the enaging activities conducted.
Did you know – about 30% of food is wasted annually around the world? We can all play a part to reduce this wastage. To highlight Zero Food Waste, on the fourth day, we conducted a cooking challenge with our guests to use every piece of food item provided to them and to make the most out of every ingredient. We took the most of this day to showcase Club Med best practices in limiting food waste. Among others, we partner in Bali and Phuket with Scholars of Sustenance, an NGO distributing food to people in need in various South East Asian countries to redistribute leftovers. A special support has been provided during this COVID season, including monetary donations and meals cooked by our Club Med chefs.
On the fifth day, we brought our guests on a journey to discover the species that can be found locally. Coral planting, discovery of the animals in nature and through our upcycling activity, guests got a chance to create take home art & craft pieces featuring local animals using recycled materials. Biodiversity is precious, and it is our job to protect it.
Lastly, we got our guests to pledge on the wishing tree. What kind of planet do we want to live in, for ourselves and loved ones? Each of us needs to play our part, together we can bring change. We encouraged our guests to start, with themselves, and be the change they want to see in the world.
To find out more about out Green Week activities please visit: https://www.clubmed.co.th/l/sustainability#greenweek
Other sustainable efforts
Green Globe Certification: Club Med all-inclusive resorts all across Asia Pacific are Green Globe certified. The Green Globe Certification is a hallmark certification of sustainable development within the tourism industry. The organisation assesses and awards recognition to companies for their green efforts around the world. The Green Globe certification process is also used as a tool to manage Club Med’s sustainability strategy on-site. In addition to that, all resorts are also required to ensure the highest levels of sustainability across different tiers such as training and recruiting staff, food and energy wastage and biodiversity preservation.
Bye-bye Plastic: As part of its efforts to reduce carbon footprint and keeping the ocean clean, Club Med is progressively eradicating single-use plastic items from all resorts worldwide. Plastic items at the bars and restaurants have been removed from all Asia resorts, such as straws, cups, containers, plates, cutleries. However guests can still request for straws as part of the “Straw on Request” policy where they will be provided with paper straws as an alternative. Additionally, in order to reduce the waste at it source, we have also changed our standards to provide amenities upon request only.
Eco-Construction: Club Med also ensures that biodiversity during the construction of every resort is preserved by having surrounding flora and fauna conserved to protect any endangered species. Examples of these conservation efforts include over 60ha of primary tropical forests near Club Med Cherating Beach being actively preserved and marine life at Club Med Kani remaining unspoiled. Our upcoming Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu, opening in 2024 will be built on 41 acres of land flanked by tropical rainforests, fronted by kilometres of pristine beach with picture-perfect white sand, and located next to a mangrove reserve. This resort will be the brand’s first large-scale sustainably-built beach resort in Asia Pacific certified by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). The focus on eco-sustainability looks to ensure that the location’s natural beauty is preserved while increasing their positive impact to the community.
Innovative solutions: Several initiatives have also been implemented and managed by Club Med, such as the effective management of waste. With an aim to limit the amount of food wastage and improve waste management, Club Med has collaborated with Winnow Solutions, a digital tool that monitors, analyses and helps chefs to reduce food waste in the kitchens in Club Med Phuket, Bali, Bintan, Kani, Cherating, Sanya and Guilin.
For more information on the Club Med’s sustainability efforts, visit
https://www.clubmed.co.th/l/sustainability.
