Environment

The hotel and restaurant industry with

• 794 accommodation establishments with 152,926 beds
• more than 19,402 gastronomic businesses (restaurants, caterers and other catering services)
• 13.9 million guests
• < 80,000 employees who are subject to social insurance contributions
• nearly 4,000 apprentices
• 235,000 people impacted by employment (including household members who are not employed but who have to be provided for ) by the contribution of tourism income

still represents one of the most important economic sectors in Berlin (figures from 2/2020).

Source: State Office of Statistics Berlin-Brandenburg; DEHOGA Federal Agency and Statista

Individual commercial enterprises contribute to greater environmental pollution than private households.

The demand-related behaviour of our guests is increasingly shaped by environmental consciousness.

This makes it all the more necessary for businesses in the hospitality industry to address the topic of the “ENVIRONMENT”.

The Federal Environment Agency also provides information on this subject. 

The advantages of environmentally-oriented operations are obvious at a glance:

• Environmental protection
• The livelihood of the tourism industry
• Potential savings in consumption and procurement
• Image profiling of the company and the industry (environmental protection as a marketing tool)

Energy costs in hotels and restaurants now account for up to 10% of their annual turnover and the trend is increasing. Against this backdrop, the DEHOGA Federal Association, the DEHOGA Regional Associations and German’s Hotel Association (IHA) launched the Energy Campaign for the Hotel and Restaurant Industry together with the Federal Ministry of the Environment in March of 2006. The campaign aims to help hoteliers and restaurateurs to reduce their energy consumption sustainably and effectively. Over 5,000 businesses are already taking advantage of DEHOGA’s free offer. Thus, the hotel and restaurant industry is also the first service sector in Germany to make an active contribution to climate protection.

Every restaurateur who offers organic or ecological food in Germany today must take part in the inspection procedures according to the EC Organic Regulation if they label it on their menus or in their advertising.

Guests and customers should be able to rely on the fact that food advertised with the words “organic” or “ecological” is actually produced organically or ecologically.

Packaging (incl. cardboard boxes) and leftovers are the most significant waste in terms of quantity in the gastronomy industry, with a 58 percent share by volume.

Water is an existential resource that is scare in many parts of the world. Bodies of water are habitats for people, animals and plants. Using the natural resource water can lead to conflicts and environmental problems, especially in regions where water is scarce.