OUR SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
This document establishes the fundamental framework of a Sustainability Management System (SMS) that can be adapted and improved to encompass all management processes of our hotel and sets forth its policies. This document is prepared for the management and staff of the hotel. Our system has been developed to be appropriate for the size and scope of our hotel.
The foundation of our management system is based on risk analysis. Risk analysis is conducted in the areas of environment, natural disasters, society, culture, economy, quality, human rights, health, and safety. Additional topics may be added as necessary.
Following the analysis of risks, we have a crisis management policy and system in place that identifies actions to be taken in the event of risks materializing. Guidelines for conducting risk analysis and crisis management are provided as an attachment to this document.
Risk analysis is conducted using the method specified in F.09.
The SMS involves the implementation of specific policies, setting objectives, monitoring the achievement of objectives, and continually improving business management processes in the areas of quality, economy, management, environment, culture, human rights, health, and safety by all employees.
New objectives are set upon achieving established goals. If objectives are not met, our goals, policies, and practices are reviewed to strive for continual improvement.
Performance indicators tracking adherence to the objectives of our hotel’s management system are provided as attachments to the documents.
The objectives and performance indicators of our hotel are detailed in F.07.
Our hotel commits to fulfilling the first stage obligations of the Turkey Sustainable Tourism Program concerning sustainability and pledges to continually improve the sustainability management system to enhance sustainability performance.
The status of the sector, environmental, social, technological, economic, and cultural risks, changes and updates due to legislation, necessitate continuous review of our management system, and updates to systems and policies if necessary.
The steps outlined above can be summarized as the Plan-Implement-Monitor-Act (PIMA) approach (Figure 1).
Figure 1. PDCA Cycle
Plan: Our hotel places importance on environmental, social, cultural, national economy, and management system issues and sets objectives. It plans the roadmap and actions to achieve the identified goals.
Implement: Our hotel determines its fundamental policies and practices regarding environmental, cultural, social, human rights, health, and safety. It monitors, measures, and records these at intervals defined by relevant staff.
Monitor: Feedback from both staff and customers is monitored and recorded in our hotel. Corrective actions are taken if necessary.
Act: This step involves our hotel taking action to correct the issues identified in the monitoring step. Corrective measures and actions are documented and archived.
Our hotel commits to complying with current laws, regulations, and international agreements, maintains an up-to-date list of these, and regularly informs its staff about them while providing necessary training.
The fundamental regulations to be complied with are outlined in LS.01.
Upon request or requirement, our hotel presents all necessary permits, certificates, and documents to the relevant individuals and institutions.
These documents include the Business Opening and Operation Permit, the latest personnel insurance declaration, the tax certificate, the emergency action plan, personnel training records and certificates, documents indicating pest control measures, and other necessary documents.
Our hotel provides accurate information to all sectors in its promotions. Authentic visual materials are always used in promotions. In our hotel’s website, social media accounts, other printed and written promotional channels, and marketing communications, our hotel maintains a transparent and realistic structure regarding its products and services.
Moreover, our hotel transparently shares its policies, actions, and procedures related to policy and sustainability with its employees and customers. To achieve this, our hotel’s website is utilized. Periodic reports on sustainability performance are published on our website. These reports are prepared at appropriate intervals.
Performance reporting is detailed in F.01.
Our hotel has a system aimed at receiving feedback from our customers, public institutions, municipalities, employees, local communities, and other relevant individuals and institutions regarding our sustainability performance, policies, and practices. Through this system, we gather feedback from both our staff and customers.
Our system is designed to enable and encourage quick, simple, and effective feedback from both our customers and staff. This system includes guest surveys, regular monitoring of social media accounts, email, messaging services, and other communication channels for employees, and email communication for all other stakeholders, along with regular monitoring.
Customer Experience: Customer satisfaction is valued at our hotel. Customer satisfaction includes feedback received from the system described above regarding sustainability. The results are analyzed, negative feedback and responses are recorded, and necessary measures are taken.
Employee Engagement: Our employees are the most important element of our management system.
Our employees are aware of what is expected of them in our management system and in our policies and practices related to sustainability. Their duties are defined in writing, communicated to them, and necessary training and guidance are provided regularly. Training on these matters is documented.
Our employees actively participate in the improvement and continual improvement of our management system and sustainability performance. We review and improve our system based on feedback from our employees.
In line with our sustainability policies and management system, orientation training including sustainability-related and periodic training programs related to their work areas, on-the-job training, legally required training, and guidance supports are provided to employees. We implement annual training plans on Occupational Health and Safety training, hygiene training for kitchen/service/massage personnel, water and energy conservation, chemical usage rules, fire protection, first aid, etc.
Our employees have free and open access to all training materials.
Our hotel commits to complying with the relevant provisions of Labor Law No. 4857 and pays its employees at least the minimum wage. Additionally, our hotel pledges to comply with Social Security and General Health Insurance Law No. 5510 and Occupational Health and Safety Law No. 6331.
Our hotel has formed a “Sustainability Team” to manage sustainability activities.
Our hotel pledges to provide accessible tourism services for everyone within its means and informs its customers and stakeholders through its website about the level of accessibility in a clear and accurate manner.
Furthermore, our hotel commits to full compliance with legal regulations regarding accessibility and strives for continuous improvement in this regard.
We endeavor not only to accommodate individuals with physical disabilities but also to make continuous improvements for guests who cannot participate in tourism activities due to visual or hearing impairments.
Our hotel regularly conducts maintenance and repairs of accessibility regulations and infrastructure and implements improvements as necessary. Additionally, we provide regular updates and training to our staff regarding accessibility.
Our procurement policy encompasses local, environmentally friendly, fair trade-based, and efficient procurement practices.
The resources of goods and services in our hotel are monitored. We conduct regular meetings with our suppliers. We verify their sustainability-related certifications, information, and documents.
Local Procurement: Our hotel prioritizes local suppliers as long as they offer quality and reasonably priced goods and services. Therefore, we regularly inspect our suppliers, update the supplier list, and inform our suppliers. The proportion of goods and services obtained from the local community is measured.
In purchasing goods and services, our hotel also gives preference to fair trade suppliers for imported products, provided they meet quality and affordability criteria.
Environmentally Friendly Procurement: Our hotel follows an environmentally conscious policy in procurement, emphasizing efficient purchasing to reduce food and solid waste, and prioritizing energy and water conservation.
Our hotel prioritizes environmentally friendly products (environmentally labeled products) in purchases. If environmentally labeled products are not available in the product group to be purchased, our hotel selects the relevant products from suppliers and producers who do not harm the environment in their production and other processes.
In this context, our hotel prioritizes the selection of suppliers with sustainability certifications when making purchases. Example certifications that suppliers may have include ISO14001, ISO50001, ISO14064, ISO20400, and others.
Environmentally certified, locally produced, and fair trade products are preferred for wood, fish, paper, and other foods.
Endangered species and species prohibited for sale (fish, trees, plants, game animals, etc.) are not purchased or used in our hotel.
The proportion of purchases from environmentally certified, local producers and suppliers, and fair trade suppliers is measured against total purchases.
Our hotel has goals related to environmentally certified, local, and fair trade procurement. In this framework, we aim to increase the proportion and number of local and fair trade suppliers in our purchases and pay attention to this.
Supplier evaluation form LS.02 is included.
Approved supplier list LS.03 is included.
Efficient Procurement: Our procurement policy prefers reusable, returnable, and recycled goods.
Furthermore, our hotel prioritizes bulk purchases and bulk product procurement. This reduces the number of transports to our hotel and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions.
It is our primary priority and preference that the products arriving at our hotel do not have unnecessary or excessive plastic, nylon, paper, glass, or wooden packaging.
Disposable items and unnecessary packaging (especially plastic) are avoided in the procurement of consumables and booklet products. The procurement and use of consumables and disposable items are monitored and managed.
Presentation of Cultural Heritage: Our hotel respects the intellectual property rights of the local community.
We incorporate the authentic elements of both traditional and contemporary local culture into our cuisine, design, and decoration.
Artifacts: Our hotel does not buy or sell historical and archaeological artifacts, does not engage in their trade, and does not exhibit them.
Energy Conservation: Our hotel has an energy conservation policy. The policy involves regular measurement, monitoring, reduction of energy consumption, and the use of renewable energy.
Our hotel prioritizes the use of renewable energy whenever possible.
Energy consumption in our hotel is categorized by energy type, and the energy consumption of different units is monitored.
Total energy usage in our hotel is measured based on energy type. The attached table is used for measurement.
The energy obtained from renewable sources by our hotel is monitored.
F.11 is used for tracking electricity consumption.
F.12 is used for tracking total energy usage.
Our hotel identifies activities with high energy consumption, plans and implements corrective measures to reduce energy consumption in these areas and activities (such as insulation systems, preference for devices with energy consumption class, use of LED bulbs instead of high-energy-consuming lighting like incandescent bulbs). Additionally, our hotel utilizes energy-efficient equipment.
Our hotel informs and educates its employees and stakeholders about energy conservation.
Our hotel has a water conservation policy. Our policy includes regular measurement, monitoring, and reduction of water consumption.
The water risk situation in the area where our hotel is located has been determined. For this purpose, the Water Risk Atlas prepared by the World Resources Institute is used. The link to the relevant website is provided here.
Water risk has been evaluated in the risk analysis, and a water management plan has been developed. This plan includes measurement and monitoring of water usage and goals and reporting for reducing water consumption.
Due to our hotel’s water usage activities, aquatic organisms such as those living in the sea or lakes are not harmed. However, the possibility of harm to these organisms has been assessed in the risk analysis, and necessary measures have been taken.
Our hotel complies with all legal requirements and regulations regarding water usage.
Water comes from a legal and sustainable source. Our water comes from municipal water or licensed well water.
We measure our water consumption. The total water used per guest or per overnight stay is calculated and reported.
F.13 is used to measure water consumption.
We have goals to reduce water consumption. Accordingly, our hotel plans and implements corrective measures. Water-saving equipment is used in our hotel. Good practices such as changing sheets and towels in guest rooms based on guest requests are implemented.
Our hotel informs and guides its employees and stakeholders about water conservation. Our hotel mobilizes all resources to ensure that wastewater does not harm the environment.
Wastewater disposal complies with the regulations determined by the local authorities. Legal requirements regarding wastewater disposal are followed.
Our hotel has a Solid Waste Management Plan. The plan includes regular measurement, monitoring, reduction, reuse, recycling, and disposal of waste.
F.14 is used for waste tracking.
Solid waste is segregated according to types such as food, recyclable, hazardous/toxic, and organic, with a focus on recycling and reuse during segregation.
Our hotel regularly informs and guides its employees and stakeholders about waste management through various visual and communication materials.
Solid wastes segregated by type are collected by authorized and licensed companies.
Solid wastes, including food waste, are measured according to their types. The amount of solid waste per guest or per overnight stay is calculated and reported in our hotel.
Additionally, our hotel has identified activities and areas with high solid waste generation and risks. It plans and implements corrective measures to reduce food waste and wastage.
The aim is for solid waste disposal to have no adverse effects on the local population or the environment. Our hotel complies with the “Zero Waste Regulation” regarding solid waste management.
As the Grafen Hotel, we would like to state that we do not specifically engage in activities for people with disabilities. However, our facility is designed in accordance with accessibility standards, and we are open to making necessary arrangements to enhance the accommodation experience for individuals with disabilities. The comfort and safety of our guests are our priority.