In its 2015 financial year, the group cut its total greenhouse gas emissions by 3,445 tonnes to 29,599 tonnes of C02 equivalent from 33,044 tonnes in the 2014 financial year.
The reduction of 16,530 tonnes of C02 equivalent since 2010 is equal to the planting of several thousands of trees to offset this level of emissions.
Apart from its 52 hotels in South Africa, the group's two hotels in Nairobi, Kenya, and its hotel in Gaborone, Botswana, are included in the latest carbon footprint statistics listed in the group's 2015 Integrated Annual Report.
Again, the biggest contributor to the decline in the past financial year was the group's sharp drop in electricity consumption as a result of energy efficient LED lighting and heat pumps, operating policies and more sustainable behaviour by both staff and guests. Electricity consumption fell to just over 27 million kWh when compared to almost 29 million kWh in the previous year for the South African and Botswana hotels. It has fallen by a massive 37.9% over the past five years.
In addition to electricity, the group also measures water consumption, waste disposal and business travel in its overall carbon footprint and is taking increasingly strong steps to reduce and manage these areas of its operations.
Significantly, the group's water consumption fell by 40,951 kilolitres, or 6.1%, to 634,245 kilolitres, due to water-saving measures such as promoting the use of showers instead of baths, dual-flush toilets and encouraging the reuse of towels by guests during their hotel stays. The group is now also looking into possibilities of re-using grey water for certain functions.
In the area of waste management, the group's City Lodge Hotel brand - which last year received Green Leaf certification - reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill sites by 2,203 cubic metres, amounting to a reduction of 48%. This was achieved through sorting waste at hotels and recycling where possible.
In the year ahead, the group intends maintaining the reduction of energy and water used on a per-room-sold basis, as well as reducing the total waste going to landfill sites by 50%. There will also be investigation into the viability of renewable photovoltaic solutions for use in selected hotels.
The group also has its own "City Lodge Earth Day" initiative which focuses on every day being earth day and encouraging guests to use resources sparingly and responsibly.
"We have paid a lot of attention to reducing our carbon footprint over the past few years and our determined are definitely paying off, both for the environment and through cost savings for our hotels," said Clifford Ross, chief executive of the City Lodge Hotel Group.
"As a responsible and far-sighted group, we will continue to implement measures that reduce the impact of our operations and activities on our planet.
At the end of 2015, the group will be opening two new hotels - City Lodge Hotel Newtown and Road lodge Pietermaritzburg, both of which start life with state-of-the-art energy efficiency, water and waste management systems.
