At Dusit, we take our role as an ethical business operator seriously. In 2022, we further emphasised sustainability and the importance of fully integrating sustainable practices into our business. With a holistic rethinking and due care to our stakeholders, we revamped our sustainability governance structure to focus on new areas of sustainability materiality.
As the Group CEO, I was appointed by the company’s Board of Directors as Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee. Our goal is to drive the creation of a business plan and process fully incorporated with the three dimensions of sustainability – Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) – and achieve a better balance of the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit.
To kickstart our sustainability initiatives, we identified three high-priority focus areas: responsible sourcing, climate actions, and grievance and human rights. In each of these areas, we established dedicated sub-committees to develop policies and procedures, drive implementation at the operational level, and foster synergies across the entire Dusit group.
One notable achievement from last year was becoming the first hotel chain in Thailand to source 100% organic jasmine rice at all our properties throughout the kingdom. By directly purchasing from small-scale farms in northeastern Thailand, we not only provide nutritional benefits to our guests, customers, and employees, but also generate sustainable income for the communities we support. Expanding on our responsible sourcing practices, we have also procured cage-free eggs for six of our hotels, with plans to implement similar projects in the future.
In line with our commitment to environmental conservation, our Group Sustainability Committee has taken decisive actions to protect marine ecosystems. We have expanded our list of banned marine species for use in our restaurants, adding Parrotfish and Napoleon Wrasses, bringing the total to eight prohibited species.
As responsible global citizens, we firmly believe that sustainability is not just an option but our duty. In addition to our responsible sourcing efforts, we are actively seeking ways to reduce our energy and water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and plastics usage. These initiatives will remain a top priority in 2023 and beyond as we introduce new policies and standard operating procedures throughout our organisation. By doing so, we aim to foster sustainable synergies across all our lines of business and meet the evolving expectations of our increasingly eco-conscious guests.
Sustainability is one of the four key pillars of Dusit Graciousness, and we strive to be a beacon of change within the hospitality industry. Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this transformative journey towards a more sustainable future.
Suphajee Suthumpun
Group Chief Executive Officer
