sustainable RESPONSIBLITY

We are proud to operate in Quebec where 99% of our electricity comes from renewable hydropower – a naturally low-carbon energy source. While we benefit from this resource, we recognize the need to continue to act. By putting in place a multi-year capital expenditure plan to fund feasibility studies and initiate a number of energy efficiency initiatives, we are continuing to take proactive steps to lower our energy usage. Projects include LED transitioning, dimmers, Retrofits or heat recovery.

We are fortunate to be located Quebec is where 15% of the Canadian freshwater reserves are found and play a significant role in our everyday lives. The St. Lawrence River is the third-largest river in North America in terms of surface area, covering 1.6 million square kilometers. It drains more than 25% of the world’s freshwater reserves and constitutes a unique ecosystem of great biological richness. Our Fairmont Queen Elizabeth is a unique challenge to operate, but it holds several opportunities to reduce our water consumption. As we host external guests in our restaurants and meeting rooms every day in addition to our residents, guest-related operations and occupancy are complicated aspects that vary annually. Since 2016 we have implemented several practices to reduce our consumption and ensure accessibility to our guests: low-flow water fixtures around the hotel, water fountains on guests’ floors, Reusable glass bottles with filtered water in every room, linen less experience to reduce water and cleaning products usage, dishwasher replacement with water efficient alternatives.

Accor and Fairmont hotel have established a Circular Economy policy to develop a strategic approach in resource and material management, reducing waste at the source where possible, otherwise working to divert all possible waste. Our Circular Economy strategy relies on the well known concept of “refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle” – (re)designing hotels and rooms with the Design & Technical Services team, adapting operations, managing products’ end of life, and setting new standards. In 2024, we took a deeper dive in our waste management to improve our processes. We conducted an audit with a specialized third party and focused on data collection to measure our performance as no tracking was established prior to 2024. In 2025, we launched a series of trainings in which every employee was educated on the different recycling streams. We have purchased new equipment and changed our recycling hauler to adjust our operations.

In Canada, almost half of all food, 21 million metric tons, is wasted, with an estimated value of $58 billion. This is happening while more than 6 million Canadians experience food insecurity. At ACCOR and Fairmont Hotels, fighting food waste is a part of our sustainability strategy and we aim to reduce it by 60% by 2030. This includes our Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth and its large operations: 950 rooms and several food and beverage outlets serving more than 1500 covers per day. We have developed a Food Recovery Hierarchy to act on elements under our control. There are three action categories: Prevent, Redistribute and Divert from Landfill.

We firmly believe in giving back to the community that sustains us. Through collaborations with various non-profit organizations, we actively participate in initiatives that uplift and support our local community. By investing in the well-being of our community, we aim to foster a culture of compassion and support that extends far beyond the walls of our hotel. Each year we contribute to different causes with different donations including perishables, non-perishables, monetary contributions and gratuities. Our regular partners include The Salvation Army, La Tablée des Chefs, Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, Chez Doris, Make A Wish Canada and Welcome Collective.