República Hostels

Republica hostels got a more granular understanding of their carbon footprint and set up a Carbon Neutral Strategy

Scope: Carbon footprint calculation, compensation strategy, corporate forest.

Start: January 2022

Since November 2016, República hostels has been one of the fastest growing Colombia hostel chain, that started in Bogota and then expanded its operations to Cartagena, Santa Marta and San Andres giving its gets a one in a life time experience at each destination.

Living its motto ´Be Republica , Be Local´ is very important for the Republica management team in the same way that performing its business in harmony with the environment and the communities. In 2022 Republica Hostels started a very ambitions sustainable tourism program that entails embedding at its operations social responsibility and business sustainability practices that includes, energy efficiency measures, circular economy practices, renewable energy use and reduction of the green house gases resulting from its operations.

This initiative started with starting to track the carbon foot print, monitoring its energy use, and implementing operational actions to optimize water and energy use. But now they want to take the next step, undertaking a more granular understanding of their emissions and setting up an ambitious carbon strategy to become the most sustainable hostel chain by 2025, with aggressive reduction targets as well.

Solution

A complete investigation into Republica Hostels corporate carbon footprint

Using Republica hostels data and following the GHG protocol methodology,  C-neutral calculated Republica hostels entire corporate carbon footprint. These numbers were used in the creation of the Republica Hostels decarbonization strategy.

Once Republica Hostels had measured their emissions, C-neutral worked jointly with them to set the reduction targets and define the pathways to achieve them.

The first approach was to calculate a pathway to achieve a significant reduction of absolute emissions by 2030. The second approach included a review of Republica proposed carbon offsetting strategy that includes the development of activities that will gradually reduce their carbon footprint. 

Throughout this process, C-neutral has provided ongoing consultancy and engagement services, preparing materials for Republica Hostels management team and board of directors.

Results

Republica Hostels has already shown substantial progress in being a sustainability leader in the Hostels industry in Colombia, having achieved a 10% reduction in material emissions in 2022. With C-neutral help Republica hostels started its corporate forest with 50 trees planted in the Sisga natural reservation.

Now, Republica Hostels is ready to take the next step; working with C-Neutral over the next three years. C-neutral is working on fully automating Republica´s data input, emissions calculations, and external reporting on the Biita enterprise platform, allowing for flexible emissions calculations, follow up of emission reduction initiatives and compensation.

Additionally the hostel chain with this tools will engage their customers into compensating their individual carbon footprint and joining the bosque republica initiative as a compensation alternative.