A verified net zero hotel generally refers to a hotel where greenhouse gas emissions are measured and significantly reduced across relevant Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 sources, with residual emissions addressed through an independently assessed net zero approach.[1]
Reaching net zero goes far beyond energy use. For hotels, emissions can also come from food, procurement, laundry, transport, guest amenities, waste and the wider supply chain.[1]
The World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s Net Zero Methodology for Hotels provides the industry with a practical framework for establishing emissions baselines, defining boundaries and developing a long-term pathway towards net zero.[1]
Waste is one part of that wider picture. By helping hotels collect, process and measure discarded bathroom amenities, Clean the World can support greater visibility of this operational material stream and the impact associated with it.
What Is a Verified Net-Zero Hotel?
There is no single universal hotel certification called “Verified Net Zero” that applies across the global hospitality industry.
Instead, credible net zero approaches generally involve three core principles:
- Measure: Understand where greenhouse gas emissions originate across operations and the wider value chain.
- Reduce: Prioritise meaningful emissions reductions wherever possible.
- Address residual emissions: Address remaining emissions using credible approaches consistent with the methodology being followed.
The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels provides a recommended industry approach that hotel companies can adapt according to their individual circumstances.[1]
Inside the UK’s First Verified Net Zero Hotel: How Radisson & Clean the World Are Leading Climate Action
Why Verified Net Zero Hotels Matter
Hotels are complex operating environments.
Their greenhouse gas footprint can extend across:
- heating and cooling
- electricity
- food and beverage
- laundry
- procurement
- transport
- guest amenities
- waste
- suppliers and outsourced services
A credible net zero strategy therefore cannot rely on one intervention.
Hotels need to understand where emissions occur, where they have direct control and where progress depends on suppliers and other partners.
The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels supports this process by helping organisations establish emissions baselines, define reporting boundaries and plan long-term pathways.[1]
What Is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards, helping organisations measure, manage and report emissions across their operations and value chains.[2]
It categorises emissions into Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3, providing a consistent framework for understanding where emissions occur and how they can be measured.
Its use is widespread. In 2023, 97% of disclosing S&P 500 companies reported to CDP using the GHG Protocol.[2]
For hotels, this provides a consistent way to look beyond emissions generated directly at a property and consider the wider impact of purchased energy, suppliers, goods, services, transport and waste.
Why Do Hotels Need to Recycle? And Why Clean the World is the Perfect Recycling Partner!
Where Hotel Waste Fits Within Scope 3
Waste generated in hotel operations can form part of Scope 3 greenhouse gas accounting.
Under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 3 Category 5: Waste Generated in Operations covers emissions associated with the third-party treatment and disposal of waste generated by an organisation’s operations.[2]
This can include treatment routes such as:
- landfill
- recycling
- incineration
- composting
- waste-to-energy
- wastewater treatment
For hotels, understanding defined waste streams can therefore provide useful activity data for wider Scope 3 analysis.
However, the weight of waste collected or diverted is not itself a complete Scope 3 greenhouse gas calculation.
A full calculation may also require information such as material type, treatment method and relevant emissions factors.[2]
Clean the World’s Role in Supporting Net Zero Hospitality
Clean the World supports hotels by helping make one recurring operational material stream more visible: discarded bathroom amenities.
Through the Global Hospitality Recycling Program, participating hotels can collect eligible discarded soap and plastic bathroom amenities through defined collection and downstream processing routes.
This can provide greater visibility over:
- eligible material collected
- waste diversion
- property participation
- programme performance
- measurable impact data
For sustainability teams, this information can contribute useful activity data to broader waste and Scope 3 analysis.
Amenity recycling should not be presented as a complete Scope 3 solution or as the reason a hotel achieves net zero.
Its value is more specific: helping hotels make one operational material stream more measurable, transparent and manageable.
Case Study: Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre
Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre provides a practical example of how different operational actions can come together within a verified net zero approach.
The 252-room property became the UK’s first Verified Net Zero hotel under Radisson Hotel Group’s programme in May 2025.[3][6]
Its approach includes energy transformation, lower-carbon food, waste management, supply-chain action and independent verification.
Approximately 60% Carbon Footprint Reduction
Radisson reports that the hotel has reduced its total carbon footprint by approximately 60%, with remaining emissions addressed through carbon removal credits.[4]
100% Renewable Electricity
The hotel purchases 100% renewable electricity.[3]
Heat pumps are used for hot water and the kitchen has been electrified using induction cooking, eliminating on-site gas use.[3]
Scope 3 and Operational Changes
The hotel also addresses Scope 3 emissions through areas including food, waste, laundry, amenities and other supply-chain activities.[3]
Measures include:
- lower-carbon menus developed with Klimato
- food-waste monitoring technology
- Too Good To Go
- recycling infrastructure
- reduced paper use
- bulk bathroom amenities, with the packaging diverted from landfill through Clean the World.[3]
Independent Verification
Radisson’s Verified Net Zero programme is based on the Net Zero Methodology for Hotels, with participating properties independently verified by TÜV Rheinland.[3][5]
The case study demonstrates an important point: net zero hospitality is not one initiative.
It requires coordinated action across energy, food, procurement, waste, amenities, operations and supply chains.
Can Credible Net Zero Action Influence Guest Choice?
There may also be a commercial dimension.
In March 2026, Radisson reported results from its operational Verified Net Zero hotels in Manchester and Oslo.[5]
At each hotel, awareness of the Verified Net Zero concept was above 70%, while around 20% of guests indicated that they booked because of the hotel’s Net Zero status.[5]
These figures should not be treated as universal hospitality benchmarks.
However, they provide a useful example of measurable environmental performance becoming visible to guests and influencing some booking decisions.
For hotels competing for leisure travellers, corporate clients, meetings and events, credible sustainability performance can increasingly form part of the wider value proposition.
What Can Hotel Operators Do?
A net zero pathway will look different for every property, but several principles apply broadly.
Measure
Establish a greenhouse gas baseline and understand relevant Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.
Prioritise Reduction
Focus first on reducing emissions wherever possible through areas such as:
- energy efficiency
- electrification
- renewable electricity
- lower-carbon procurement
- food-waste reduction
- improved material management
Understand Individual Waste Streams
Move beyond total waste figures where possible.
Understanding specific streams such as bathroom amenities, food, packaging and textiles can provide more useful operational insight.
Work With Specialist Partners
Hotels rarely decarbonise alone.
Energy providers, food specialists, technology partners, suppliers, waste providers and organisations such as Clean the World can each support specific parts of a broader strategy.
Measure and Report Progress
Credible environmental communication should be supported by measurable evidence.
Clear data can support internal decision-making, ESG reporting, portfolio management and external communication.
Conclusion
A verified net zero approach gives hotels a structured way to move from environmental ambition towards measurable action.
The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels provides an industry framework for establishing emissions baselines, defining boundaries and developing long-term pathways.[1]
Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre demonstrates how this can translate into practice, bringing together electrification, renewable energy, lower-carbon food, waste management and supply-chain action within an independently verified programme.[3]
Clean the World supports one part of this wider journey by helping participating hotels make discarded bathroom amenities a more visible and measurable operational material stream.
Credible progress is built on measurable reductions, transparent reporting, reliable data and clear evidence that demonstrates meaningful impact.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a verified net zero hotel?
A verified net zero hotel is a property where greenhouse gas emissions are measured and significantly reduced, residual emissions are addressed through credible carbon removals, and the approach is independently assessed against a defined methodology.
The Net Zero Methodology for Hotels provides a recommended industry approach that hotel companies can adapt according to their circumstances.[1]
What is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol?
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a widely used framework for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.
It categorises emissions into Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3, helping organisations understand emissions generated directly by their operations, from purchased energy and throughout their wider value chains.[2]
What is the UK’s first Verified Net Zero hotel?
Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre is the UK’s first Verified Net Zero hotel.[3][6]
The 252-room property completed its transition to Radisson’s Verified Net Zero programme in May 2025.[3][6]
How much has Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre reduced its carbon footprint?
Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre has reduced its total carbon footprint by approximately 60%.[4][6]
Remaining emissions are addressed through carbon removal credits.[3][4]
Does net zero mean a hotel produces no greenhouse gas emissions?
No.
Net zero does not necessarily mean that absolutely no greenhouse gas emissions remain.
The priority is to reduce emissions as far as possible and then address residual emissions in line with the net zero methodology or standard being followed.
What are Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions for hotels?
Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the hotel.
Scope 2 covers indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling.
Scope 3 includes other indirect emissions throughout the value chain, which can include food, laundry, purchased goods, amenities, transport and waste generated in operations.
How does hotel waste relate to Scope 3 emissions?
Under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Scope 3 Category 5 includes emissions from the third-party disposal and treatment of waste generated by an organisation’s operations.[2]
Waste activity data can therefore contribute to a wider Scope 3 assessment, although waste weight or diversion data alone does not constitute a complete greenhouse gas calculation.
How does Clean the World support hotels?
Clean the World helps participating hotels collect eligible discarded soap and plastic bathroom amenities through defined downstream routes and provides measurable reporting relating to these operational material streams.
At Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre, Clean the World supports the management of plastic bathroom amenity packaging as one element of the hotel’s wider Verified Net Zero strategy.[3][6]
Sources
[1] World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Net Zero Methodology for Hotels.https://sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/resource/net-zero-methodology-for-hotels/
[2] Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
https://ghgprotocol.org/https://ghgprotocol.org/standards-guidance
Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
Technical Guidance for Calculating Scope 3 Emissions: Category 5, Waste Generated in Operations.https://ghgprotocol.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/Ch5_GHGP_Tech.pdf
[3] Radisson Hotel Group.
Radisson Hotel Group launches first two Verified Net Zero hotels.
19 May 2025.https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/corporate/media/press-releases/Radisson-Hotel-Group-launches-first-two-Verified-Net-Zero-hotels
[4] Radisson Hotel Manchester City Centre.
Net Zero.https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-manchester-city-centre-net-zero/net-zero
[5] Radisson Hotel Group.
Verified Net Zero Hotels scale from pilot to program as Radisson Hotel Group targets 100 by 2030.
23 March 2026.https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/corporate/media/press-releases/Verified-Net-Zero-Hotels-scale-from-pilot-to-program-as-Radisson-Hotel-Group-targets-100-by-2030
[6] Clean the World.
Inside the UK’s First Verified Net Zero Hotel: How Radisson & Clean the World Are Leading Climate Action.
18 July 2025.https://cleantheworld.org/blog/radisson-to-support-the-uks-first-verified-net-zero-hotel/
