Environmental
The best version of ourselves
The world is calling for proactive actions and better solutions when we as a responsible hotel chain want to make a positive impact on climate change, environmental pollution and disappearing biodiversity. And in a world that is constantly changing and demanding more and more sustainability, we, as one of the leading actors in the Danish hotel industry, have an obligation to not only keep up, but also a desire to help set the direction for a better future.
It's a journey without a final destination. Partly because external requirements and standards are constantly made stricter and more demanding, and partly because we ourselves are becoming more skilled and developed which allows us to do things better, smarter and more efficiently.
Comwell has committed to SBTi
SBTi is one of the highest standards for companies that want to set ambitious and binding goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are the first hotel chain in Denmark to join SBTi, as Comwell Hotels is working in an integrated way with sustainability and taking purposeful steps in the journey towards carbon neutrality. We are working ambitiously to achieve a number of defined goals, and with this endorsement we have committed to a number of specific objectives that will lead us to carbon neutrality in our own operations by 2030 and in the entire value chain by 2040.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and is founded by the UN Global Compact (UNGC), CDP, World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It is a non-profit initiative that focuses on close collaboration between companies and climate experts to ensure that each company's climate goals are aligned with climate science.
The SBTi-affiliated companies, including Comwell Hotels, have committed to reduce 167 million tons of CO2 by 2030. This is equivalent to four times the annual emissions of Denmark. Overall, Denmark ranks second highest in the number of companies that have joined SBTi - only surpassed by Switzerland. This emphasizes Danish companies' focus on sustainability and specifically their contribution to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Energy
We constantly focus on the fine balance between optimizing and reducing our consumption while ensuring that our guests do not experience a compromise in the service they purchase. For many years, we have been focusing on investing in energy-saving solutions out of a desire to take responsibility for our resource consumption.
Along with other things, we do this in the following ways:
Our monthly records of electricity, water and heating consumption are shared internally among the managers of hotel property, so we keep a constant focus on the consumption of energy. Therefore, we have invested in a new system that collects all data, making it easier to keep an close eye on the consumption.
As in previous years, in 2025 we have again invested in renewable energy by purchasing certified green electricity from wind turbines and solar panels, equivalent to 100% of our consumption.
By 2025, we will have replaced the aerators in the taps and shower heads at several of our hotels in order to reduce water consumption whilst ensuring a high-quality and consistent experience for our guests.
Waste
At Comwell Hotels, we sort and recycle waste wherever possible.
To improve our waste sorting and recycling practices even further, we have set up recycling points in communal areas and meeting rooms.
In guest rooms, there are also waste bins with sorting options and icons, so guests can easily identify the different types of waste. Here, waste is sorted into organic, paper and mixed waste. In the bathrooms, guests will also find small waste bins for toiletries.
In 2025, we achieved a recycling rate of 44%. Our target for 2030 is a recycling rate of 80%.
Food waste is not included in the recycling rate, as this is measured separately.
In addition to sorting our waste, we do our best to recycle as much as possible. In 2022, we started recycling milk cartons at nine of our hotels, where they were sorted as cardboard and sent for recycling instead of ending up in residual waste. We have now completed the implementation of the process in all hotels, and we have also started sorting out all broken porcelain. This can now be reused in building materials, among other things.
Our waste is collected by external partners who help us gain insight into our recycling rate through monthly reporting. With this data, we learn more about our hotel operations so that we can take the right steps towards our goals in the most enlightened way possible.
At Comwell, we are continuously working to optimize the processes at our hotels so they all reflect our focus on sustainability and greener hotel operations.
The butter pieces in our buffet have been phased out and canned chickpeas have been replaced with vacuum-packed bags. These are just some of the smaller phase-outs that make a big difference in terms of weight savings in production and post-production processing.
Minimizing waste sorting and recycling is also a priority at Comwell, which is partly achieved by reusing butcher boxes, while styrofoam and foam boxes are replaced with reusable cardboard and boxes in recycled plastic.
Achieved 2024
Goal 2025
Goal 2030
Stop food waste
In collaboration with our suppliers, we have set up a measurement system that provides a detailed overview of the food that is thrown away. This data is subsequently used in production planning. In 2025, we have devoted considerable resources to rolling out our new food waste system, where we weigh and record our food waste, and we are constantly striving to improve.
By 2030, our target is to ensure that waste does not exceed 15%.
In addition to the waste generated by our restaurants, we are also focusing on minimising waste in the production process itself and investigating whether the raw ingredients that are discarded could have been used for something else.
This is also reflected in the way we work:
In collaboration with our suppliers, we have set up a measurement design that enables a detailed overview of which food is thrown away. This data is then used to plan production, so we can get ahead of our surplus food. Since we started measuring in 2018, we have reduced our food waste by 25% and we are constantly striving to do better. By 2030, our goal is to have no more than 15% waste.
The implementations that are visible to the customer are for an instance evident in our buffets at the hotels. Among other things, we work with portioning, which, in addition to creating a better experience, also benefits our reduction of surplus food. Specifically, this means that we use smaller plates and dishes, which instead are filled more often by the staff. In addition, our skilled chefs turn food into new dishes - a freshly baked rye bread can easily be transformed into delicious muesli or "øllebrød".
In collaboration with external partners, Comwell continuously trains employees in food waste and raw material utilization. It is important that our kitchen staff are equipped with the right skills in the form of training, inspiration and knowledge sharing, as they are the ones who are actively driving our work on food waste.
That's why we aim for the majority of our kitchen staff to complete our Green Chef education, which focus on food waste, plant-rich diets, CO2 emissions and raw material utilization. The course is now in its third year, and we have so far had more than 100 chefs and trainee chefs complete the programme.
Read more about our Green Chef education: Green Chef-uddannelsen
“Something really beautiful happens in the kitchen in the meeting between chefs, wholesalers and small producers who have a passion. Everyone is motivated and inspired to take responsibility for the 'green movement' when you stand there on the training floor and are at eye level”
Marlene Lindegaard, Concept Manager at Dagrofa Foodservice
Strategic partnerships make us stronger, also when it comes to reducing food waste. In this context, Comwell Hotels has entered into a strategic partnership with, among others, Denmark's largest social food waste organization, Stop Spild Lokalt, and therefore also engages in the great social work that the food waste organization ensures and stands for.
Biodiversity and increased awareness of our nature and the raw materials that grow and live there are top priorities at Comwell. Also in relation to reusing raw materials and surplus food.
Every quarter, we work with statistics on how much organic waste is sent to be recycled - all to keep track of the development and ensure that we constantly keep the environmental impact as low as possible.
Ethics, health and taste go hand in hand, and working with biodiversity, better conditions for animals and naturally grown vegetables are also important focus points for us. That's why we are proud to have a bronze label in connection with the Organic Food Label. This means that 30-60% of our food and beverages at the hotels are organic.