Going Green, Get’s Centara the Gold

For the past five years, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi has been working with EarthCheck to improve their sustainability efforts.  After creating and implementing a large-scale environmental and social management system, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi has now achieved the status of "EarthCheck Gold", recognizing the Resort’s successful five-year-long commitment to sustainable tourism.  As the first property in Thailand to receive the Gold certification, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi is proud of their team that continues to uphold the Centara values for sustainability and innovation. 

Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi, in partnership with EarthCheck, created distinct policies and procedures such as risk assessments, waste management plans and internal audits in order to achieve greater sustainability and the tools by which to measure progress. In doing so, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi has improved its regulatory compliance in areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, fresh water conservation, energy efficiency, and waste management. 

"We are honoured and proud to have the first property in Thailand to achieve the Gold certification," shared Centara Hotels and Resorts CEO Khun Thirayuth Chirathivat.  "Centara strives for greater sustainability, especially as we continue to grow locally and internationally." 

The "EarthCheck Gold" designation is only conferred after five years of continual independent assessment and adherence to internationally-recognised, scientific standards. These efforts help inspire stakeholder confidence and drive further organisational improvement, competitive advantage, innovation and growth.

This achievement confirms Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi’s status as an industry leader in the region, as the first ever Thai resort to achieve this highly-regarded recognition. 

Given Centara Grand Krabi’s remote location, only accessibly by boat, in 2014, a RO (reverse osmosis) plant was installed allowing them to produce their own drinking water that is bottled in renewable pasteurized glass bottles, which has reduced their carbon footprint from transportation.  By recycling their waste water for the garden, they also reduced their water consumption by 81,111,291 litres, the equivalent to 32 Olympic size swimming pools during 2014.

Stewart Moore, CEO and founder of EarthCheck, said that Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi has a long standing commitment to sustainability, which is reflected in their continued dedication to the EarthCheck program. Moore continues, "The resort is a leading operator in Asia and a valued member of a global group of tourism operators who dare to make a difference."

Several other Centara properties are on track to receive Gold certification by the end of 2015, while other properties work towards obtaining their bronze and silver certifications.  Centara believes that it is their responsibility to protect and enhance the local communities.