Tourism is one of the most important economic activities in the world today, both due to its contribution to GDP, the magnitude of the investments destined to this sector, the jobs and foreign exchange it generates and the role it plays in development. regional.
In Mexico, the tourism industry participates with just over 8.7% of national GDP and with about 7% of paid jobs. Within this sector, the hotel industry stands out for its relevance, which in 2015 had just over 606 thousand rooms distributed in 13 thousand 141 establishments from one to five stars. In the same year, these accommodations served 106.1 million guests (80.4 % national and 19.6% foreign), highlighting beach centers for the high number of people served: 28.6 million, representing 30% of the total (SECTUR, 2015). The foregoing information highlights both the breadth of the existing hotel infrastructure in the country and the high number of guests who periodically serve the sector,which entails that the establishments systematically carry out a varied number of activities that are characterized by consuming in a relevant way resources such as water, electricity, paper, beverages, food, cleaning and personal use products, and emitting solid, liquid and gaseous which, if not properly managed to reduce their impact on the environment, can contribute to the generation or aggravation of problems of various kinds at the local level.they can contribute to the generation or aggravation of problems of various kinds at the local level.they can contribute to the generation or aggravation of problems of various kinds at the local level.
For example, to greater hydrological imbalances, degradation of the quality of the water reserves, the coasts, the landscape and the marine environment; soil erosion, destruction of natural habitats, impact on the health of tourists and the population of the place and ultimately affect the future sustainability of the industry.
Faced with this situation, various studies have found that hotel establishments respond to this problem in a different way, from those that largely evade environmental legislation to those that take ecologically responsible initiatives on a voluntary basis.
The main objective of this work is to present some of the predominant theoretical approaches with which it is intended to explain the reasons why hotel companies take proactive environmental strategies, the process of implementing initiatives in this area and a framework of actions for their developing.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC ACTIONS
Environmental management in the hotel industry can be defined as the set of initiatives developed by its establishments to reduce the impact caused by their operations on the environment. In the case of Mexico, the initiatives of a mandatory nature have, as a normative framework for their development, legislation such as the General Law of Ecological Balance and Protection of the Environment and its Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution, Water Law And its Regulations, General Law for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste and its Regulations and the Official Mexican Norms (NOM's).
The configuration and scope that these activities assume, their degree of integration with the objectives, processes, functional areas and the relationship of the company with its environment determines its environmental position and shapes what is usually called the organization's environmental strategy. Despite the fact that there are diverse taxonomic proposals for environmental strategies, however, the vast majority refer to a series of stages that are differentiated by the level of development achieved by companies in environmental management. As an example, in this article they have been divided into three categories: passive or indifferent environmental strategy, reactive environmental strategy and proactive strategy.
Passive or indifferent environmental strategy. It is characterized by a position of inactivity of the establishment before the impacts to the environment that it generates, of resistance to the adoption of the necessary measures except in the case of contingencies in the matter. Internally, this attitude is reflected in aspects such as not being environmental protection part of the business objectives, the null or minimum time and resources dedicated to it, even with the risk of being penalized for non-compliance with the corresponding regulations, and not have a person in charge who deals with such issues.
Reactive environmental strategy. Among its peculiarities, it stands out that it concerns hotels that are limited to complying with current environmental legislation and the progress made in it, dedicating the necessary time and financial resources to this end. Likewise, in that the measures adopted do not signify a significant change in the production of services, work methods and organizational structure, or in seeking to obtain some type of environmental certification.
Proactive strategy. It concerns accommodation that to a greater or lesser extent carry out environmental actions above what is stipulated in their legal framework as a fundamental part of their socially responsible practices. These actions are generally identified with the terms of proactive or voluntary initiatives.
The environmental objective is an important element of the company's plans and policies and its actions in this area have involved relevant changes in its management, in the service's production processes and in its working methods. Responsibilities for environmental matters are clearly assigned within the organizational structure to duly trained people and on certain occasions make use of the services of specialized external professionals. Part of the establishments are in the process of obtaining environmental certifications or recognitions or already have them.
FACTORS THAT AFFECT PROACTIVE ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORS
Theoretical approaches that attempt to delimit the determining factors of proactive or voluntary environmental behaviors include the perspective of resource productivity, the perspective of stakeholders and the cognitive perspective, as well as existing barriers to environmental management.
Resource productivity perspective
From this perspective, it is considered that the reduction of the environmental impact by the company can be profitable, either by allowing the reduction of operating costs, or by contributing to the increase in revenues. The latter due to the possibility of increasing its market share with clients who have a marked preference for those services that are more respectful of the environment.
Porter and Van der Linde (1999) extended the idea that companies can lower costs and simultaneously improve environmental performance and competitiveness through the implementation of environmental strategies that increase their operational efficiency, that is, the productivity of resources.
The objective of matching respect for the environment with economic profitability can be synthesized in the concept of eco-efficiency, specifically in relation to the ability of companies, in this case of hotel companies, to produce more with less, that is, to be economically more efficient, adding value and generating a decrease in environmental impacts. In the case of accommodation establishments, eco-efficient actions can be achieved through measures such as reducing energy consumption, water, waste, toxic materials, emissions and discharges; incorporation of alternative energies, environmental temperature control, waste recycling and permanent communication to stakeholders of progress and achievements (López de Carvajal, 2012).
Consequently, the benefits derived from the application of eco-efficiency are a stimulus that can favor the implementation of proactive, that is, voluntary, environmental actions.
Stakeholders perspective
Under this perspective, it is considered that voluntary environmental actions derive, fundamentally, from the environmental pressures that their interest groups or stakeholders exert on accommodation establishments. The stakeholder concept was defined by Freeman (1984) to refer to any individual or group that may affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization's objectives. Therefore, according to this point of view, it is required that the establishments contemplate in their corporate strategies the demands of the different interested groups regarding the minimization of the environmental impacts that their operations are generating;that broaden their traditional vision of essentially being oriented to creating value for the company and also consider the expectations and constraints of a much wider variety of stakeholders than that represented by the owners / shareholders. In the case of hotel companies, stakeholders can be grouped into three groups: institutional groups, organizational groups, and social groups.
Institutional groups
Institutional groups include public, private and non-governmental entities that among their priorities is getting companies to commit to participating with voluntary initiatives that contribute to the achievement of sustainable tourism. To this end, they promote and encourage the development of good environmental practices and comprehensive environmental management systems, fundamentally through the granting of recognitions of various kinds (eco-labels, badges, etc.).
In Mexico, an example of this are the voluntary processes of environmental self-regulation stipulated in the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection and promoted at the federal level by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and by the federal entities in which companies such as The hotel companies commit themselves and demonstrate through audits improvements in their environmental performance, respecting current legislation and regulations and exceeding it by achieving higher levels of environmental protection. In this case, the hotels can be awarded a Certificate of Environmental Quality, or the Recognition of Environmental Excellence and its corresponding seals (Federal Executive Power, 2010). Likewise,Bodies dedicated to promoting and carrying out ISO 14001 standard certification processes are part of these institutional interest groups, which is an internationally accepted voluntary standard that establishes the necessary specifications to implement an Environmental Management System, trying to maintain the balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact due to the development of the productive activities of organizations, including hotels.which is an internationally accepted voluntary standard that establishes the necessary specifications to implement an Environmental Management System trying to maintain the balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact due to the development of the productive activities of organizations, including hotel companies.which is an internationally accepted voluntary standard that establishes the necessary specifications to implement an Environmental Management System trying to maintain the balance between maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact due to the development of the productive activities of organizations, including hotel companies.
Likewise, there are a number of institutions in the country that among its tasks are promoting and granting the ESR (Socially Responsible Company) distinctive based on a self-diagnosis process to organizations that voluntarily and publicly commit to socially responsible management in various fields. of its internal and external performance, and in an increasingly outstanding way, in the care and preservation of the environment.
Organizational groups
Organizational groups include stakeholders who have a closer relationship and interaction with accommodation establishments: clients, tour operators and travel agencies, directors, associations or chains to which they belong, shareholders, employees and competitors.
In the case of clients, the increase in their sensitivity and concern for the environment has translated into an increasing demand for goods and services that respect it and in the emergence and development of a new type of consumer, the “green consumer” or “Responsible consumer” refers to people concerned with the conservation of the environment, who seek to satisfy their needs with products and services that have the least negative impact on it.
Undoubtedly, in the hotel industry, customers are increasingly occupying a more relevant position as a pressure group in terms of proactive environmental initiatives. But, the actions that establishments take on this matter may vary depending on the type of tourism they predominantly serve (for work or business, sun and sand, culture, ecotourism, etc.). Firstly, due to the kind of activities that guests carry out during their stay and depending on the level of contact and closeness to the natural environment. Secondly, due to the average length of stay, since the longer it is, it is easier to carry out different ecotourism activities. Finally, for the reasons why the client selects a particular accommodation.
Likewise, the country of origin of the hotel's clientele can influence a broader application of environmental actions, especially with tourists of nationalities with greater ecological awareness. For example, Germans, Austrians, Swedes, Finns, Norwegians and Swiss. Likewise, travel agencies and tour operators show interest in the environmental actions of the accommodations to be contracted based on the nationality of their clients.
Within the organizational groups, the hotel manager plays a prominent role in environmental decisions. Likewise, the belonging of an establishment to an association or chain is a factor that can favorably influence the implementation of environmental measures due to possible pressures to establish common strategies.
As regards shareholders, environmental issues are not considered to be very relevant in their priorities. One possible explanation for this attitude is that despite having some knowledge of this problem, their preferences are predominantly inclined towards the search for the maximization of economic benefits and the value of shares. However, it should be noted that contrary positions occur when shareholders are long-term investors (Diez et al., 2008).
Although employees generally do not show a special interest in adopting environmental actions, nevertheless, such measures are commonly welcomed, particularly when they lead to an improvement in hygiene and safety conditions at work (Armas, 2006).
Regarding competition, situations can arise in which a competitor develops more proactive environmental strategies than the rest of his rivals to obtain competitive advantages, creating pressures that may lead the latter to respond with similar actions to maintain their market.
Undoubtedly, the relevance that each interest group gives to environmental protection will influence the shaping of the actions that the hotel will carry out. But the achievement of responses to the requests of each interest group will largely depend on their power or ability to influence the company and on the legitimacy and urgency of their demands.
Social groups
Social groups are basically made up of two types of participants, both with a relevant presence in matters related to environmental protection: citizen groups and the media. Among the groups of citizens, local community associations stand out as most important, which are generally a pressure element for hotels to adopt advanced environmental actions to protect the environment and commitments to community social and economic development. Likewise, the NGO's of environmentalists that both in the phase of location and construction of new hotel accommodations and during its operation intervene and mobilize pressure groups when it comes to works or situations involving the destruction of natural resources,high pollution of the environment and the breakdown of the ecological balance. In extreme cases, they even take legal action to try to penalize the companies that cause such problems.
The mass media stand out for their enormous potential to publicize and spread proactive or little-responsible environmental behavior with the consequent favorable or unfavorable repercussions on a company's reputation.
Cognitive perspective
The cognitive perspective aims to provide additional elements of judgment to the previous approaches to understand why hotels with similar characteristics and operating in the same context assume different positions regarding the scope of proactive, or voluntary, environmental initiatives.
This vision emphasizes the fact that hotel managers have different perceptions regarding environmental problems, the responsibility of the company in this field and the opportunities and threats represented by taking behaviors aimed at reducing the negative environmental impacts that the company generates in its operation. We refer to the concept of perception as a cognitive process through which people capture information regarding the relationship between the hotel industry and the environment and the existence of voluntary environmental instruments available; their interpretation and the construction of their own mental representation of the problem;to the evaluation based on a scale of personal values which are interwoven with that of the business context to arrive at a judgment that may be favorable or unfavorable and, finally, to the decision to adopt or not to adopt a conduct or line of concrete action regarding the problem, in this case on the implementation of environmental actions.
Among the factors that influence the structuring of these judgments or interpretations of managers regarding environmental issues are their positive or negative emotional associations, individual awareness regarding their concern for the natural environment; profit and loss considerations, to view such issues as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage or to interpret the uncertainty associated with environmental investments as a threat (Murillo, 2007). Barriers to environmental management
In the development of the above perspectives, various factors that favor or exert pressure for the adoption of voluntary environmental actions have been mentioned, however, as a counterpart there are also a series of barriers to their development, such as those described below:
- The priority of other matters due to the current economic difficulties and the increase in competitive intensity, the high investment cost of relevant environmental initiatives and the fact that the impact on the company's results are generally not short-term. Lack of technical capacity and absence of personnel training plans to properly implement environmental management measures. Insufficiency of government instruments for environmental management (fiscal stimuli, non-refundable economic support, accelerated amortization systems, low-cost financing, etc. Lack of knowledge of business segments of the sector regarding the dimensions of environmental problems and existing good practices. Likewise,the limited efforts of the competent authorities to disseminate such matters more widely.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN
The set of environmental actions derived from current legislation and proactive positions, that is, voluntary, have from the perspective of administrative processes a guiding axis: the preparation of environmental management or improvement plans whose implementation includes aspects such as the following:
Step 1: Formalize the commitment of the business management. The initiative to assume the company an Environmental Management Plan must be promoted and guided by the Business Management and formally embodied.
Step 2: Form the working group. It implies constituting the team that will lead the implementation tasks of the Plan, which should be supported by the different members of the company, including the workers due to the great knowledge they have of the daily operation of the business.
Step 3: Identify relevant stakeholders. It includes determining which stakeholders will be considered relevant in terms of those that have the greatest impact in achieving the company's objectives and those that experience the most significant repercussions as a result of their operations.
Step 4: Perform an internal diagnosis. It includes carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the current situation of the company in terms of environmental practices that, in general, isolated or probably without being aware of it, have been carried out.
Step 5: Identify stakeholder expectations. With the completion of this phase, the aim is to identify the topics and actions that each relevant group considers to be important in environmental matters for the development of their relations with the company.
Step 6: Formulate a results report. It includes the preparation of a report in which the results obtained from the development and analysis of steps 4 and 5 are consolidated and the main strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in the matter are indicated.
Step 7. Define the general objectives and strategies. The configuration of objectives and strategies of the Plan is a way of making explicit the company's commitment in relation not only to compliance with regulations, but also to the adoption of superior environmental management standards, viable from a technical and economic point of view.
Step 8: Select the priority actions. Depending on the objectives and strategies of the Plan, the available resources, its cost of implementation, and the impact it may have on its performance, the actions that are considered most appropriate and feasible should be chosen.
Step 9: Prepare an Action Program. For the actions considered as priorities, those that will be implemented in the short term (in the course of a year) and those that will correspond to the medium term (over a year), the specific objectives to be pursued, the activities to be developed must be determined., its programming, those responsible for carrying them out and the required budgetary resources.
Step 10: Define monitoring and evaluation indicators. It includes preparing a set of environmental indicators to evaluate the results, monitoring the evolution of the measures adopted, identifying new areas for improvement and correcting deviations.
Step 11 Communicate the Action Program and train personnel: it includes internally disseminating the Action Program, highlighting its relevance, raising awareness among workers about the importance of their active participation in achieving the proposed purposes, and training personnel who will participate in the management of the different areas of environmental action.
Step 12: Execute the Action Program. The next step includes assigning and exercising the budgets and the implementation of the actions according to the established schedule. In addition, in this phase it is the responsibility of the team leading the Plan's implementation tasks to streamline the process and coordinate the development of all planned actions. Step 13: Follow and control the Action Program. After the period established for the execution of the programmed actions, the progress and degree of achievement of the proposed objectives must be periodically measured and evaluated. Also, analyze any problem or deviation that may arise to carry out the necessary corrections.
Step 14: Spread the achievements. Regular communication with the company's interest groups through different means (reports, reports, impact statements, publicity, etc.) to inform them of the actions implemented in the matter and the results obtained, is of paramount importance because of to be one of the main mechanisms for influencing these groups and promoting the generation of benefits derived from socially responsible practices assumed.
Action Programs
Below, and by way of example, a series of essentially voluntary environmental activities that can shape the Action Programs are described.
Energy management
- Use sensors and timers that automatically turn off unnecessary lights in areas of intermittent use. Reduce the number of points of light on and of elevators or escalators in operation at times of low use. Use at night and in seasons of low temperatures blankets Thermal devices in swimming pools to avoid heat losses. Decrease in gardens the number of lights switched on at predetermined times. Install individual temperature regulation and automatic detection devices in the air conditioning to turn them off when opening room windows. Place systems energy-efficient lighting fixtures.Make improvements to equipment with several years of use and inefficient to achieve energy savings, or replace them with more technologically advanced, high-efficiency units.Install systems based on renewable energy for electricity generation and water heating. Periodically check the equipment and perform the necessary maintenance to ensure that it operates optimally. Use whites whose maintenance requires less energy consumption such as colored sheets and towels or organic cotton products that can be washed at low temperatures. Control the temperature of the water in the rooms according to the season in question, as well as in the laundry.Use whites whose maintenance requires less energy consumption such as colored sheets and towels or organic cotton products that can be washed at low temperatures. Control the water temperature in the rooms according to the season in question, as well as in the laundry.Use whites whose maintenance requires less energy consumption such as colored sheets and towels or organic cotton products that can be washed at low temperatures. Control the water temperature in the rooms according to the season in question, as well as in the laundry.
Water management
- Incorporate scheduled irrigation systems that allow adjusting irrigation needs according to soil types and species of garden and lawn plants. Conduct systematic reviews of water supply facilities to detect leaks in a timely manner. Choose to condition green areas of native plants for requiring less water and less maintenance. Place signs in the rooms suggesting and thanking customers for the moderate use of water. Place in the rooms and in the services of common areas reducing water consumption in sinks and showers. Install low water consumption toilets that work with volumes of less than 6 liters, with devices or valves that regulate the water output or with discharge retention systems. Likewise,equip men's toilets with ecological or dry urinals that do not consume water or require a supply pipeline. Offer customers the option of deciding when to change towels. Such a measure will be reflected in both water savings, energy savings, and detergents.
Wastewater management
- Install a wastewater treatment plant for reuse in irrigation of green areas and other uses. Minimize the use of chlorine, bleach, detergents and other chemical substances, especially those classified as dangerous. Include natural methods and the use of fertilizers and organic pesticides in green areas to avoid contamination of soils and groundwater tables caused by chemicals.
Waste management
- Incorporate cardboard compactors to facilitate the storage and transport of cardboard for recycling. Separate organic waste in the kitchen and leaves and plant debris in green areas to convert them into compost. Use grease traps in kitchens to prevent them from entering the sewer system. different points of the establishment containers with the corresponding identification so that the guests deposit separately the organic, inorganic waste and the batteries. The latter are not mixed with the former because they are highly polluting for the natural environment because they contain heavy metals. Also, acquire special containers to concentrate organic and inorganic waste deposited in the containers mentioned above for subsequent shipment to external recycling plants.Install refrigeration systems in garbage rooms to reduce as much as possible the inconvenience derived from bad odors. Through good inventory management, reduce the storage time of materials of various kinds, beverages and food to avoid the generation of waste due to expiration and their obsolescence.
Provisioning management
- Try, as far as possible, to acquire the products that come in jars, jars or other similar presentations that are not glass for those that come in glass containers for being one of the most environmentally friendly materials and 100 % recyclable. Where feasible, buy products in bulk packaging in order to minimize packaging and packaging waste. For example, in the case of butter, sugar, honey, jam, etc., which are packaged in individual portions, replace them with bulk products. In this case, the handling of bulk products also leads to significant savings in the plastic bags necessary to concentrate the large number of empty containers that are generated and deposit them in the garbage. Use recycled or ecological paper,for example, in the forms that clients use to evaluate the quality of the service, in the envelopes of internal correspondence, letters, invoices, posters, paper napkins, coasters and tray covers. Likewise, toilet paper that, in addition to being recycled, is not treated with dyes.Acquire biodegradable detergents and cleaning products compatible with wastewater treatment technologies.
Noise management
- Soundproof or acoustically isolate those areas of the hotel where there is a high level of noise such as machine rooms or party rooms. Incorporate equipment that minimizes noise emission with high acoustic levels.
Environmental awareness
- Inform stakeholders (clients, travel agencies, workers, local community, shareholders, government agencies, etc.), broadly and through different means, about the commitments made by the hotel, the progress made and the Proposed goals in environmental management Promote environmental education activities among guests and avoid sports that have a great impact on nature Systematically train establishment personnel to sensitize them and properly prepare them for the management of good environmental practices. Likewise, invite him to participate in this effort with innovative initiatives to which the hotel management must respond with stimuli of various kinds.
Contribution to community development
- Support local and surrounding communities' efforts in nature conservation and environmental education. Promote the hiring of local personnel and the acquisition of local goods and services. Participate in the development of local personnel training programs for the industry. hospitality. Collaborate, together with local partners, in the development of works aimed at improving the well-being of the population.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We believe that to the extent that there is a broader and deeper understanding of the factors and motivations that significantly affect the levels of environmental action of the different hotel segments, the competent authorities will have at their disposal additional elements to formulate new instruments. of policy that encourage more vigorously the implementation of voluntary environmental initiatives and strengthen mandatory regulations. Likewise, a broad disclosure among these segments of the environmental problems generated by their operations and how to deal with them efficiently, relying on environmental management or improvement plans, may contribute to their solution.
REFERENCE SOURCES
- Armas, Y del M (2006). Impact of environmental improvements on the results of the hotel company, Doctoral Thesis, Universidad de la Laguna, Spain, National Tourism Confederation (2009). Press Release No. 23. In: www.confederación.org.mx (Consulted on 07/18/2010). Diez, F., Medrano, ML, Diez, EP (2008). "Interest groups and environmental pressure", Cuadernos de Gestión, Vol 8, No. 2, pp. 81-96 Freeman, RE (1984). Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, Pitman / Bellinger, Boston MA, López de Carvajal, R. (2012). Decalogue for an efficient and sustainable hotel. In: www.preferente.com/noticias-de-hoteles/decalogo-para-un-hotel-eficiente231994.html(Consulted 05/12/2017).Murillo, JL (2007). "Multi-theoretical analysis of the company's environmental strategy", Public and Private Management, No. 12, pp. 171-186. Federal Executive Power (2010). Regulation of the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection in Matters of Self-regulation and Environmental Audits, DOF of April 29, 2010, Porter, ME, Van der Linde, C. (1999). "Green and competitive" in Porter, ME, Be Competitive. New contributions and conclusions, Deusto, pp. 351-375.SECTUR (2015). Statistical Compendium of Tourism in Mexico 2015. At: www.datatur.sectur.gob.mx/SitePage/Compendioestadístico.aspx (Consulted 05/20/2017).
