Retrospective 2024: Sustainability in Focus
In 2024, the Arpoador Group, through the Arpoador and Ipanema Inn hotels, as well as their respective restaurants, arp bar and Quitéria, maintained its firm commitment to sustainability. We reinforced the initiatives of the Sustainable City&Sea project, constantly seeking to minimize our environmental impact and inspire positive changes in the hotel industry and the community.
In this blog post, we’ve selected some of the most significant events that made 2024 such a special year for us. Take a look!
Highlights of the Year 2024
Waste Management
We consolidated our waste management policy, which earned us the Zero Waste Certificate for the second year running and the title of Zero Waste Hotel 2024 by the Zero Waste Institute.
We have correctly disposed of more than 200 kg of electronic equipment since September 2021, transformed more than 6000 cigarette butts into recycled paper since April 2024 and saved more than 1950 liters of water from contamination by cigarette butt waste.
In addition, we used refillable amenities, which prevented the disposal of more than 380 kg of items per year. We recycled more than 20.000 toothpaste tubes to produce 20 selective waste collectors, which are now used in our work units.
Conscious Consumption
Measures have also been implemented to reduce water and energy consumption, encouraging guests and employees to adopt more sustainable practices.
By using, for example, our digital key system in the rooms. This guarantees considerable energy savings and discourages the replacement of towels and bed linen. The result has been a saving of more than R$400.000 since August 2022. In addition, 100% of our energy will be renewable and certified with I-RECs by 2024.
Sustainable sourcing
Speaking especially of our restaurants, we prioritize local suppliers with ecologically responsible practices, supporting the regional economy and reducing the carbon footprint of our products and services.
Whether at arp, with dishes that offer the freshness of coastal cuisine and a privileged location, or at Quitéria, with all its charm, coziness and Brazilianness, the focus is the same – to guarantee a delicious and sustainable dining experience.
City&Sea Shop
The same guiding practices that underpin our sustainable shopping are also pillars in our sustainable curation of the hotels’ boutique and the cityandsea.shop website. Local artisans and producers, as well as socio-environmental projects and Brazilian brands that convey the Carioca vibe are our main choices. We look for products that tell stories, that represent Rio’s cultural richness and that are produced ethically and consciously.
This way, you take a piece of Rio with you and contribute to the preservation of the environment and the development of the local community.
Combating food waste
A special mention goes to the Food Save project implemented at Quitéria, which, with its various fronts, won us 1st place in the Green Seal category of Top Hotel RJ 2024. There was greater control over the amount of food discarded before and after it was served to the customer, with changes to the portioning and presentation of the dishes. For example, shrimp shells, which were previously wasted, are now dehydrated and used in broths or even in dishes with the crustacean. All this resulted in 31% less waste per customer.
Awareness-raising efforts were also carried out with some suppliers, with the aim of exchanging disposable packaging for reusable packaging, as well as encouraging the production of items such as butter, yogurt and granola in Quitéria’s own kitchen.
As a positive impact, the average customer rating for the size of the dishes increased by 11 points, and there was a 30% reduction in recyclable waste. In addition, in just four months, the project has seen a reduction of more than 40% in food waste per customer, especially at breakfast.
Team engagement
We also promote training and activities to raise awareness and engage our employees in sustainable practices, creating a culture of environmental responsibility throughout the group. We also support and participate in events that share the same objectives, such as the beach clean-up and the day of good deeds.
We dedicate more than 10 hours of training per employee per year to topics such as waste management, biodiversity and sustainability. In addition, we use more than 400 kg of fertilizer from composting our organic waste in the hotel’s plant beds and have been donating the surplus to employees since September 2021.
Well, it’s true that those who love, take care. That’s why the teams at City&Sea hotels and restaurants think about every detail to ensure a memorable experience, providing the best of the Wonderful City – whether it’s the ambience of each hotel, the services offered or the authentic Carioca experiences.
All of this, of course, guaranteeing the care and preservation necessary to make sure Rio de Janeiro ”is still beautiful and still being”.
