THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT ROADMAP: TAKING THE NECESSARY STEPS
At ID Aparthotel, sustainability is highly valued. Our mission is to decrease our environmental impact as much as we can by implementing all kinds of sustainable practices and procedures within our operations. Our waste and energy generation and our water use is excessively managed and reduced in all possible ways. Next to this, we carefully select our suppliers and other cooperation of our hotel: only collaborating with sustainable partners. Policies on procurement are written, to keep collaborating with green partners.
Besides our impact on the planet, we value the people a lot as well. Our employees are the heart of our organization, supporting and empowering our employees is therefore very important for ID Aparthotel. Both personal as well as professional growth is enabled by our inspiring work environment.
In this Sustainability Management Plan the sustainability strategies of ID Aparthotel are outlined, both on environmental as social aspects. Preserving the planet, and empowering our employees are our main missions. The plan focuses on the following pillars:
- Future-Proof Building
- Green Operations
- Sustainable supply chain
- Employee Engagement
- Hotel for Trees
- How to make you energy footprint smaller?
1. FUTURE-PROOF BUILDING
You probably already heard about recycling and reusing plastic, but did you know buildings can be reused as well?
ID Aparthotel was established 10 years ago already. However, many years before the hotel was established, the building already existed.
The 8 floored building right next to station Sloterdijk, was a very big office at first. 12 Years ago, the office building was transformed into a way more future-proof building; an apartment hotel. The office spaces were removed and 127 full-service apartments took their place. We also have our amazing restaurant The 51 and our meeting & event spaces.
Not completely breaking down and building up a new hotel, with all environmental effects that entails, but reviving an old building to reuse the property and decrease the environmental effects, was the aim of ID Aparthotel.
2. GREEN OPERATIONS
The hospitality industry is often accused of affecting the environment in a very negative way. The water use, waste generation, energy generation and many other aspects of hotels all over the world have a big impact on our environment. However, at ID Aparthotel we are unlike others! With our alternative cleaning routine, our green partners and our strategies to reduce our water use, waste and energy generation we aim to make our operations as sustainable and environmentally responsible as possible.
2.1 RESPONSIBLE CLEANING
Hotel room cleanings have a significant environmental impact due to the high consumption of water and energy required for washing linens, towels, and cleaning surfaces. The use of chemical-based cleaning products can pollute water sources, while frequent laundering and disposable supplies contribute to waste and resource depletion. With the constant turnover of guests, these factors collectively create a substantial ecological footprint.
For these reasons, at ID Aparthotel we adjusted our cleaning system. Where many hotels provide daily cleanings for all occupied hotel rooms, we have a different cleaning system with a reduced impact on the environment. We distinguish smaller cleanings and bigger cleanings, so we don’t have to provide a big cleaning (with a high environmental impact) every day. Guests staying less than 5 nights are always welcome to request additional towels or linens as needed. In addition to this, we mostly use eco-certified cleaning products in all our cleanings.
To motivate our guests to skip even more cleanings, we mention at our check in that a guest can skip certain cleanings, to reduce their environmental impact and support Hotels for Trees at one time! The money saved by skipping a cleaning is donated to hotels for trees: who are planting one tree per skipped cleaning for us. (Read more about this collaboration in: 3. Green partners).
Besides the cleaning itself, linen production and washing uses many chemicals and water as well. Therefore we work together with Blycolin: our linen supplier that guarantees a low environmental impact. No harmful substances are used in the production of the linen, and the washing processes ensure low water consumption and less CO2 emissions. In addition to this, at ID Aparthotel we aim to only use eco-certified products for cleanings, to avoid using chemicals. In our sustainable purchase plan, all employees are asked to always prefer eco-certified products above normal cleaning products. In this way, all purchasers only buy non-chemical cleaning products. For more information on this purchase plan please also see chapter 3; Sustainable supply chain.
2.2 WASTE MANAGEMENT
At ID Aparthotel we are taking various initiatives to reduce our waste as much as possible.
To begin with, we are separating our waste over the whole hotel; not only in the F&B outlet, also in our garbage rooms meant for guests multiple garbage bins can be found.
In addition to waste separation, our F&B outlet has a zero-waste policy. Meaning we are cooking according to the zero-waste principle: this includes cooking with the same ingredients in different dishes to reduce waste as much as possible.
Glass | Paper/cardboard | Residual waste
Beelen (Bnext) is the company that processes our trash. We have three large containers. One is for glass, and two are high-pressure containers for paper/cardboard and residual waste. The pressure containers make sure the trash is compressed so that less often the containers need to be emptied.
Source: https://bnext.nl/onze-oplossingen/bedrijfsafval
Swill
For our food waste we have a swill tank. In here we throw all the food waste. From the food waste in the swill tank, mostly compost will be created and from the process of doing this, the bio gas that is emitted during this process Beelen repurposes as green energy.
Source: https://bnext.nl/swill
Plastic recycling
Plastic garbage is collected separately from the other rest-trash. Nowadays plastic trash is a large problem and topic in the world. By collecting and separating plastic we can help the world with this problem. Beelen picks up the plastic in big plastic bags and separates this from the rest of the garbage.
Possible improvement
Recycling in the room
While we separate trash ourselves, we would also like to provide an option for our guests to recycle in their rooms. We can make this possible if we provide recycling bins in the room so that we are left with less residual waste.
Recycling in the common areas
Currently guests have the possibility to separate their waste in three different streams. General waste, paper and returnable cans & bottles. Within 2025 AIA expects to add 2-3 more waste streams in order to recycle more.
Returnable (deposit cans & bottles)
Currently the cans & bottles with deposit from the apartments are taken by housekeeping so they are able to hand it in on their own. The returnables in the general areas are collected and handed in by Statiegeld Nederland (Hanos). The deposit will be donated to charity such as animal shelters.
The 51 implemented a significant concept change this year, focusing on sustainability and reducing food waste. The menu selection was streamlined to optimize ingredient usage across multiple dishes, leading to a smaller inventory and minimizing excess waste. Additionally, a key initiative to tackle food waste was introduced in staff meals—leftovers from breakfast service are now repurposed for staff lunches, ensuring that good food is utilized efficiently instead of being discarded. These changes not only improve operational efficiency but also reinforce The 51’s commitment to sustainable and responsible food management
Also our beds partner Hotel Bedding collects old beds and pillows and blankets to give non-rejected beds and linens a second life at emergency shelters.
2.3 WATER MANAGEMENT
While water might seem so normal in the Netherlands, water is a scarce resource that we need to conserve and handle responsibly.
Therefore, ID Aparthotel is putting much effort into saving water, and encouraging our guests to. Our showers and toilets have water-saving features integrated. In this way, they use less water than normal.
We inform guests about the “safe to drink” Dutch tap water to prevent the use of plastic bottles.
3. SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN:
While our own operations might be so sustainable, we can only reach a positive environmental and social impact together. That is why we aim to collaborate only with sustainable partners.
3.1 SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT POLICY
We encourage and select our suppliers on sustainable practices using a Sustainable procurement policy and declaration.
The policy on sustainable procurement includes multiple topics like social equity, fiscal benefits and environmental and health benefits. All to ensure sustainable procurement within The July. In addition to this, we ask our suppliers to sign our sustainable declaration form. This is aimed to only cooperate with suppliers who ensure to use sustainable practices.
3.2 GREEN PARTNERS
The Good roll | The good roll is 100% tree friendly and sustainable toilet paper. The good roll donates 50% of its profit to the building of toilets in developing countries. The toilet paper consists of 100% recycled paper, without chlorine, dyes or fragrances.
Dilmah | Our tea supplier Dilmah has a strong history of sustainability. Dilmah wants to ensure that tea can be enjoyed today and for generations to come. They want to create a truly sustainable tea industry that is good for people, communities and the planet. The vision is to offer the best tea to consumers while giving producers around the world a sustainable bargain through sustainable processes and a better quality of life by focusing on sustainability while Dilmah wants to be a fair and equal company. This vision and strategy applies to every brand in the MJF Group, all of which share the same passion for quality and integrity, as well as the ambition to serve customers in a sustainable manner.
Printing company de Bij | In 2016 and 2020, Drukkerij de Bij was named one of the greenest printing companies in the world by Kodak. Printing Company De Bij goes for minimal environmental impact in everything they do; in operations and in the printing process. In addition to recycling, the printing company consciously chooses to use renewable energy. The company runs almost entirely on its own solar energy and uses low-energy light sources. Because print shop de Bij uses energy and other resources sparingly, its internal productions are at least C02 neutral. This is possible because the printing company offsets CO2 emissions with Greensand, a natural product that helps to clean up CO2.
Hotels for trees | Hotels for Trees aims to make the hotel industry within Europe permanently more sustainable by converting savings from room cleaning into new trees to be planted.
More than 1% of all CO2 emissions on earth are caused by the hotel industry and the related travel movements, services and supplies (source). Specifically, for every Euro 100 spent by hotel guests, they indirectly produce between 30 - 50kg of CO2 (source).
Fortunately, more and more hotels are offering their guests the opportunity to offset (part of) this CO2 in an accessible and transparent way. This is a great development, because certainly in the world post-COVID-19, there is an increasing need for this.
Clini-clowns | We are a public collection point for printer cartridges. Both the cartridges we use as ID Aparthotel and The July and the cartridges used in the neighborhood we collect these and these are collected by Clini Clowns. The earnings from these cartridges are for Clini Clowns.
Brabiantia | Brabiantia website: “The StepUp Pedal Bins and the Sort & Go Waste Bins were Cradle to Cradle® certified at silver level in 2021. More than 1,000 of our other products already have the Cradle to Cradle® certificate at bronze level. Now, 74% of the products we produce ourselves (and 45% of our total range) are Cradle to Cradle® Certified at bronze or silver level. This, too, fits our goal of 100% circular design by 2035.”
Blycolin | Blycolin offers Innovative Solutions, Fair Linen Products and Friendly Processes. For more than 50 Years the Reliable Partner. Textiles with Attention to Man and Nature.
Senseo Coffee pads | All cups are fully recycled; aluminium is infinitely reusable, and coffee grounds are converted into biofuel and compost.
Superette | Superette is the only textile printing company in the Netherlands certified with a seal of approval for printing organic cotton, which means it remains certified after printing. We use this company for our staff clothing.
DripDrop | In the hotel we have DripDrop umbrella's, which we are excited to tell you more about: Every time you rent a Dripdrop umbrella, they plant a tree with the Eden Reforestation Projects. Their goal is to reach 1.000.000 planted trees and they are doing a great job! DripDrop uses recycled plastic to make the umbrellas, they always strive to increase the lifetime of their products.
Are you interested in learning more about their goals or do you want to see if they are reaching their goal?
Follow the link underneath:
https://www.dripdrop.io/sustainability
4. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Our employees are the heart of our organization. We aim to empower them and to enable both personal and professional growth by providing an inspiring work environment. We do this by implementing the following:
- Authenticity as a core value: we believe that optimizing our guest experience means authentic hospitality being extended wholeheartedly by people in a place that’s true to its roots. Authenticity, being yourself, leads to inclusivity and diversity.
- Creativity as a core value: We embrace original ideas and initiatives. That’s why we grant our professionals lots of freedom on how they do their jobs.
- To stimulate creativity we have introduced ‘Yellowpad’. This is a platform where all staff can send their ideas of improvements for both the hotel and the entire organization. This is next to a physical “Idea Box” which is present during team gatherings and in the back-office.
- This year we started with “Young ID”. This is a group of youngsters, non-management, selected from the entire organization, that work on ideas and also implement them. The aim is to create a desirable working place that fits the current generation’s needs.
- The new initiative “A day for yourself and a day for another” started in 2024. Meaning, all employees of The July can take a day off for themselves and one for helping another person. As part of creating a positive impact to the community, we want to encourage our employees to help someone out a day per year. We are contributing to voluntary events where employees can enroll themself for. In addition to this, there might also be a specific day in the year that is extra special for an employee. Maybe the employee's birthday, or a day that a special someone is lost. At The July, it is possible to take that day off, without taking it off holiday entitlement.
- We take care of the health and safety of our employees. Employees are trained in fire safety and giving first aid. Annual fire drills are organized, and employees can participate in training on how to deal with and prevent robbery- and aggression.
- For the physical wellbeing of our employees we have our gym available for individual work-out sessions and we organize group lessons on a weekly basis.
- Employees are trained in sustainability and can participate in the ‘Green Team’ within the organization.
- We have great examples of employees who received internal promotions over the last few years. Different tools and custom made training are provided enabling everyone to personally develop themselves within our company.
5. HOTELS FOR TREES
The Hotels for Trees Foundation contributes directly to a greener hotel world. A hotel world in which one new tree is planted each time a guest chooses to skip the daily room cleaning. The impact of this green choice can already be seen on the Hotels for Trees website the very next day and directly contributes to (re-)forestation projects of partner Trees for All across the globe.
How does it work?
Step 1 - Guests book a multiple night stay at a participating hotel.
Step 2 - During this stay guests hang the unique Hotels for Trees door hanger outside their room for one or multiple days.
Step 3 - On these days the hotel skips the room cleaning. The total number of rooms not cleaned is entered into an online portal that same evening.
Step 4 - As soon as these figures have been entered the total number of trees planted is shown on the website per hotel and per day.
Step 5 - Hotels for Trees invoices the hotels each month and ensures that the corresponding number of trees is planted.
6. HOW TO MAKE YOUR ENERGY FOOTPRINT SMALLER
Since 2023, our hotel is Green Globe certified and we are doing our absolute best to make your stay and our operations as sustainable as we can. Do you want to contribute to our green operations as well? We'll be you forever thankfull!
We are happy to provide you with some tips on how to decrease your footprint during your stay at our ID Aparthotel.
Taking shorter showers: Reduce the time spent in the shower to conserve water and energy. Did you know that the average shower time in the Netherlands is 7.4 minutes? Try to beat that if you can! ;-)
Separate waste: Participate in the hotel's waste separation program to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. On every floor we have a garbage room where you can separate garbage in glass, paper and rest.
Skip housekeeping and Plant a tree: Consider participating in the hotel's "Hotels For Trees" program to offset your carbon footprint and contribute to a greener environment: if you skip a cleaning, we will plant a tree for you! Just let our front desk know you want to participate in the program and skip a cleaning. Want to see how many trees we already donated?; https://hotelsfortrees.com/en/hotel/amsterdam-id-aparthotel/
Turn off lights and electronics: When leaving the room don’t forget to take your keycard out of the electricity! This turns off lights, TV, and other electronics when leaving the room to conserve energy. The dishwasher will remain working, so don’t worry about that.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator: Next to our elevators, we have a stairway available as well. To reduce energy use, take the stairs this time! With some extra positive effects for your health ;-)
Don't adjust the room temperature: We are equipped with a very energy efficient temperature management system, which will perfectly adjust the temperature in your room. If you leave the temperature settings like they are, it is the most energy efficient! Additionally, keeping the curtains closed will help to keep the temperature in your room at a comfortable level.
Choose one of our magical vegetarian dishes: In our restaurant 'The 51' we have many vegetarian dishes available for you. Did you know eating vegetarian is way better for the environment and significantly decreases your footprint?
Drink tapwater instead of buyed plastic bottles: In the Netherlands, our tap water is perfectly drinkable, and tastes exactly the same as the water you buy in the supermarket. By dinking tap water, we can decrease the plastic and waste generation!
Doing the dishes: Did you know our dishwasher has an eco setting on it? Use the eco buttom on the dishwasher to be the best energy-efficient hotel guests that you can be!
Go to the city: take the bike or public transport to get into the city center instead of a car or taxi! At our reception we have bikes available for you. Also, our hotel is conveniently located next to Sloterdijk station. With the train you can reach the city center in about 8 minutes.
By following these tips, you can make a positive impact on the environment and be an energy-efficient hotel guest. Do you have any feedback for us? We are always open for improvement. Please contact our team at info@amsterdamidaparthotel.com with your feedback or tips.