Challenge
The tourism industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with emissions expected to grow 135 percent by 2035 under a business-as-usual scenario. The tourism industry can help reduce its impact on the environment by managing its use of natural resources and employing various sustainable operational practices.i
PortAventura World is a leading family-oriented theme park, water park, and destination resort in Southern Europe, near Barcelona, Spain.
Response
For a number of years, PortAventura World has been working on improving the efficiency of its large operations in order to reduce its consumption of water and electricity. The company aligns its actions with various environmental frameworks and, in 2015, committed to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The company has already made efforts to become a Smart Resort, based on the Smart City concept, by implementing various strategies and smart control systems to improve its water and energy efficiency as well as control costs. The company is managing resource usage at different business units and consumption points, such as the theme park, water rides, hotels, and convention center meeting rooms.
PortAventura World measured its 2015 carbon footprint across its operations. This analysis showed that 68 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions, measured in CO2 metric ton equivalents, were generated from the consumption of electricity. As part of its commitment to sustainability and the environment, the company implemented a green, or renewable, energy sourcing project to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The key actions from this project included:
- Partnering with an energy consultant to help evaluate and drive projects.
- Preparing a technical specifications document for an energy bid, which outlined key criteria, including certification of the green energy at its origin
- Analyzing and evaluating the bids received, and ultimately selecting an energy provider based on the price and compliance with the green energy
- Obtaining certification that electricity is coming from 100 percent renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and solar photovoltaic sources.
For a number of years, PortAventura World has been working on improving the efficiency of its large operations in order to reduce its consumption of water and electricity. The company aligns its actions with various environmental frameworks and, in 2015, committed to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The company has already made efforts to become a Smart Resort, based on the Smart City concept, by implementing various strategies and smart control systems to improve its water and energy efficiency as well as control costs. The company is managing resource usage at different business units and consumption points, such as the theme park, water rides, hotels, and convention center meeting rooms.
PortAventura World measured its 2015 carbon footprint across its operations. This analysis showed that 68 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions, measured in CO2 metric ton equivalents, were generated from the consumption of electricity. As part of its commitment to sustainability and the environment, the company implemented a green, or renewable, energy sourcing project to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The key actions from this project included:
- Partnering with an energy consultant to help evaluate and drive projects.
- Preparing a technical specifications document for an energy bid, which outlined key criteria, including certification of the green energy at its origin
- Analyzing and evaluating the bids received, and ultimately selecting an energy provider based on the price and compliance with the green energy
- Obtaining certification that electricity is coming from 100 percent renewable sources such as wind, hydro, and solar photovoltaic sources.
Resultsii
In 2016, PortAventura World had no greenhouse gas emissions from electricity consumption. As a result, the company’s overall equivalent tons of C02 generated decreased from approximately 16,350 in 2015 to approximately 5,565 in 2016.
2015 | 2016 | |
---|---|---|
Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions (equivalent metric tons of CO2) | 16,350 | 5,565iii |