PHOTO: Sustainable Wellness

ESG and CSR (corporate social responsibility) are increasingly essential and it’s a significant advantage for all businesses to implement strategies promptly, as a team effort throughout the entire organisation.

Sustainability should be viewed as a multifaceted endeavour requiring identification, monitoring, measurement, improvement and reporting. As consumers prioritise their environmental and social impact, spa businesses aligning with ESG principles can bolster their reputation, attract diverse clientele and also mitigate operational risks related to sustainability.

The level of ESG adoption in spa businesses varies. While our membership grew by 73 per cent in 2023, only 19 per cent show a commitment to structured sustainability measurement and education. Suppliers are notably more diligent, displaying enthusiasm rather than apprehension. Of our new members, 65 per cent are in the supply chain, 21 per cent are operators and 14 per cent are consultants, industry associations or academics.

Standalone, small to medium-sized hospitality chains and suppliers have been quicker and more successful in implementing ESG initiatives. Their key drivers are to meet market demand, improve team education and attract talent. International wellness and hospitality giants often focus on in-house reporting without third-party verification, lag in adopting social ESG practices and are driven by impending regulatory pressures. Nonetheless, the trend towards responsible business practices is growing industry-wide.

By its very nature, ESG creates diversity and inclusion across a business. All team members can contribute to a sustainable future, enhance brand image and advocate its values to attract environmentally and socially conscious customers. This, in turn, ensures long-term economic success in a changing business landscape.

• Implement energy-efficient practices

• Reduce water consumption and waste

• Promote circular economy values

• Pay attention to responsible procurement

• Promote diversity and inclusion

• Provide sustainability and wellness training

• Support local communities

• Establish transparent corporate governance

• Ensure ethical business conduct

• Align team compensation with departmental or company-wide ESG goals

• Collaborate with organisations offering ESG guidance

• Assess your current ESG performance

• Consider annual ESG reporting

• Set clear, measurable, time-bound ESG goals

• Engage stakeholders for insights and support

• Educate and train your staff

• Continuously improve your local and global environmental and social ESG initiatives

Credit: Six Senses

We can’t be well while living in an unwell world, so any business not taking ESG into consideration is at risk of falling behind. Across Six Senses we operate with sustainable operations guidelines which minimise any potential negative impacts on the environment and community with audits to manage compliance with those policies.

We track all energy, water and waste on a monthly basis and set targets to reduce them. Plus we have moved towards carbon reduction as per agreements with the Science Based Targets initiative and our parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group.

Good ESG strategy begins with what’s core to your brand and your operation. Start by managing what’s within your control. Measuring energy, water and waste will inform your targets and allow you to measure success. The G for governance is extremely important to avoid greenwashing and driving high performance.

Credit: Elemis

It’s our industry’s responsibility to have a more positive impact on people and planet. As part of Group L’Occitane, Elemis has signed up to many mandatory and voluntary ESG ratings and audits, including RE100, CDP climate, EcoVadis, B Corp and RSPO sustainable palm oil derivates. As a UK-registered business, we must also report on key sustainability metrics, such as our carbon emissions and our packaging impact.

In 2020, Elemis set up a sustainability roadmap to 2050. We started by measuring our existing position against markers such as carbon footprint, diversity, equity & inclusion (DE&I), traceability of ingredients and recyclability of packaging. We also reached out to stakeholders to understand what was important to them. Internally, we asked employees which of the UN’s Sustainability Goals they felt we should focus on and which charities they’d like to support.

It can be daunting but just take it step by step. First, use government websites to find out if your business has any legal ESG reporting requirements in your country. Legalities aside, use a recognised framework, such as the B Impact Assessment tool, to assess your current position.

Once you’ve identified what’s most significant to your business and stakeholders, and understood your gaps, set up a short, medium and long-term sustainability plan. While some elements, such as carbon, waste and DE&I, are more measurable, there are other less measurable areas which are still worthwhile.

Remember to take your whole business on the journey. It’s important everyone knows and gets involved with your ambitions. And it’s also super important to collaborate and ask questions to other companies within and outside your industry who are on the same journey. B Corp businesses are perfect for this! We can achieve so much more working together.

Credit: Aromathearpy Associates

We’ve been continuously improving our ESG approach for the last decade, however, when we achieved our B Corp certification in 2020 it was elevated to a priority.

When implementing a strategy, constantly ask yourselves how you can improve, as consistent small steps will take you a long way. Be conscious of the partners you work with, choosing those which focus on the environment and local communities. Be conscious of the products you produce and what impact the materials have on the environment.

At Aromatherapy Associates, we work with environmentally and socially ethical suppliers and manufacturers; for example, one of our essential oil suppliers puts money straight back into the indigenous community in Australia. We’re currently working to reduce all plastic within our packaging, although we’ve already come a long way we’re still looking for further reductions and utilising recycled plastic at increased levels.

Our distribution partners work with biodegradable or recyclable materials and our logistics partner in Europe has an ethical status on the environment, using renewable energy and electric vehicles and also works to financially support disadvantaged communities across the world.

Credit: Comfort Zone

We’ve been a B Corp company since 2016, but we’ve always had a deep commitment to the wellbeing of our people and the planet. Our purpose is to do our best for the world, creating a good life for all, through beauty, ethics and sustainability. We recognise our resources and planet are finite and feel every company has a responsibility to shift toward a sustainable and regenerative economy.

Three pillars guide our sustainability strategy: decarbonisation, circularity and biodiversity. In 2022, we signed a commitment with the Science Based Targets initiative to achieve net zero emissions no later than 2050, and this year we’ve incorporated water conservation into our efforts.

We prioritise eco-design principles in our packaging, allowing for reduced plastic usage and lighter materials. Thanks to our collaboration with Plastic Bank, we remove an equivalent amount of plastic from the environment for every plastic-packaged product we introduce to the market. If every company were to make such a choice, we would no longer have plastic pollution in the environment, or at the very least, the problem would be drastically reduced.

Also in 2021, we co-founded the European Regenerative Organic Center, one of the first establishments dedicated to training and research in regenerative organic agriculture. These actions are accompanied by a steadfast commitment to our local community, positively contributing to its development, as well as a strong focus on the wellbeing of our people – our most valuable asset.

A transition towards a new regenerative economic model, one that moves beyond the extractive take-make-dispose approach, is more necessary than ever. However, lasting and sustainable positive change can only occur when an ever-increasing number of public and private entities, as well as individual citizens, collaborate towards a common goal.