MCLEAN, Va. – For the second consecutive year, Hilton (NYSE: HLT) has been named a global industry leader in sustainability by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI), the most prestigious ranking of corporate responsibility and sustainability performance. The hotel, resort and cruise line industry leader received the highest possible scores in three key areas of the evaluation, including governance and economic, environmental and social performance. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Hilton has been recognized for its sustainability leadership by being included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North American Indexes.
“During a year in which the hospitality industry was severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, we stayed true to our founder's noble vision that travel can make the world a better place,” said Kate Michaelsell, vice president, global corporate responsibility, Hilton. “We believe the need for corporate responsibility leadership has never been more important, and we are proud to be recognized by the DJSI for our efforts to redefine sustainable travel and tourism.”
Hilton reaffirmed its commitment to its bold Travel with Purpose 2030 goals to halve its environmental footprint and double its social impact as a key component of the global recovery. These goals, set in 2018, are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and will drive positive impact throughout Hilton's operations, supply chain and communities. Hilton is committed to fighting climate change and is proud to be the first major hotel brand to set science-based carbon reduction targets aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
This year, Hilton has been focused on helping communities recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company's efforts have included partnering with American Express to donate up to one million hotel room nights to frontline healthcare workers, partnering with food donations to open hotel kitchens to serve meals to those in need, and creating new virtual volunteer opportunities for team members. Hilton has responded quickly to the global pandemic, and the Hilton Effect Foundation recently announced 2020 grants to support organizations around the world helping vulnerable communities recover from COVID-19. Through these grants and other donations, the Foundation has invested more than $1 million in pandemic response efforts.
This year's DJSI assessment recognized Hilton for its corporate responsibility achievements in 2019, including the launch of the Hilton Effect Foundation, the expansion of its food donation program to all company-managed hotels in North America and more than 500,000 volunteer hours served in local communities by its team members.
Hilton has also achieved significant reductions in carbon emissions, water and waste and expanded its industry-leading soap recycling program to more than 5,300 hotels. To date, Hilton has donated more than 13 million new bars of soap and distributed them to people in need in 127 countries around the world. Hilton uses LightStay, the company's proprietary corporate responsibility management system, to manage the environmental and social impact of its 6,300 hotels. In 2019, Hilton achieved World Sustainable Tourism Council Certified status for LightStay, the first major hotel company to achieve this certification.
To learn more about Hilton's corporate responsibility program, Travel with Purpose, and its 2030 goals, visit cr.hilton.com.
About purposeful travel
Travel with Purpose is Hilton's corporate responsibility strategy to redefine and drive sustainable travel globally. By 2030, we plan to double our social impact investments and halve our environmental footprint. Through LightStay, our award-winning performance management system, we track, analyze and report on the environmental and social impact of each of Hilton's more than 6,300 hotels. Travel with Purpose leverages Hilton's global scale to drive local economic growth, respect human rights, invest in people and communities and protect the planet by reducing our impact on natural resources. Our strategy is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit cr.hilton.com.
About the Hilton Effect Foundation
The Hilton Effect Foundation is Hilton's flagship international philanthropic arm. The Foundation is a nonprofit incorporated in the United States and a registered 501(c)3 charity. The Foundation awards grants that positively impact destinations around the world, aligned with Hilton's Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals. Foundation grants are awarded throughout the year, subject to tax and legal requirements. For more information, visit HiltonEffect.org.
