Proud to be one of the UK’s most sustainable hotels
Sustainability is at the heart of what we do and the exceptional service our guests experience during their stay with us. Not only does our sustainable ethos have a positive impact on the planet, our hotel guests benefit too.
We are proud to be an award-winning eco-friendly hotel working to minimise our impact on the natural environment around us and offer sustainable luxury to our guests.
Our dedication to serving local and seasonal produce from our self-sustaining garden supports local suppliers and allows us to craft delicious dishes from the freshest ingredients for our guests to enjoy.
We work with the local community who supply us with hand-made soaps and shampoos to help us replace all single-use items and provide luxurious bathing products with all-natural ingredients.
Read on to discover what makes us one of the best sustainable hotels in the UK.
OUR SUSTAINABLE ETHOS
We believe that running a luxury hotel doesn’t have to come at a cost to the earth. Sustainability runs through the core of everything we do. From going fully organic and carbon neutral, to working towards going zero waste and carbon net zero, our sustainability programme is going full force, and we are proud to have won two recent sustainability awards. Our journey to reduce our carbon footprint has reached its summit –
We are now carbon neutral!
ZERO-WASTE, ORGANIC AND LOCAL
As a sustainable hotel, we aim to source 80% of our produce within a 30-mile radius, and are striving to buy only organic and seasonal fresh produce, with menus that reflect our surroundings and are better suited to each season. The result: we support local businesses and producers and our menus have a lower environmental impact. By working with local suppliers and prioritising local and seasonable produce, products and natural, eco-friendly materials, we aim to consistently be one of the best sustainable hotels in the UK.
THE THREE PS: PEOPLE, PLANET, PLEASURE
We understand that sustainability creates the best business plan – it’s just a different way of thinking. This means thinking twice and buying once; buying better and doing less; living locally and connecting globally – and creating the very best experience for our guests. Some examples of The Three Ps in practice include investing in our biomass boiler, switching to 100% renewable energy, using sustainable materials, phasing out single-use plastic water bottles, using our own vegetables by creating our own organic “No-Dig” kitchen garden, cutting down on food waste and replacing menu items with locally-sourced, sustainable produce.
THE GROUNDS
We have partnered with Sapling Vodka, which plants a tree on our estate or in the local area for every bottle we sell. Made from 100% British wheat, Sapling Vodka is now our house spirit, and has inspired us to plant our own forest garden. Using a permaculture design, the result is an eco-friendly, self-sustaining garden that naturally regenerates and promotes biodiversity.
GREEN ROOMS
The housekeeping products used throughout Raithwaite Sandsend are from Green&Clean. We offer canned water in guestrooms, eliminating the use of single-use plastic bottles. We are always looking to reduce energy consumption, and our chosen laundry company boasts some of the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly facilities in the UK and Europe.
WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY
One of our most exciting projects is working with Botton Village, just 15 miles away. Founded in 1955, Botton was the first Camphill centre to offer supported living opportunities to adults with learning disabilities and other special needs. We already buy their award-winning organic unpasteurised cheese, and next they will supply us with soaps, shampoos, bath products and handmade wooden craft items, all made from natural materials, to replace all single-use products in our rooms. Not only will this cut down single-use waste, but it will also help improve the lives of those in need.
EVERYONE’S INVITED
We’re including the whole hotel team on our sustainability journey. Each department now has a Green Leader, whose responsibilities include leading the conversation on how eco-friendly hotels like Raithwaite become more sustainable. They are there to observe, monitor, develop ideas, and implement actions. We feel strongly that involving the team spreads the responsibility and leads to a more harmonious voice.
OUR PEOPLE
Our team is one of our most important assets and we believe in treating them fairly. We have created a tiered pay programme to encourage team members to achieve a higher wage rate, while also increasing their skills and progressing their careers. Our Mentor Programme guides new employees at the start of their journey with us and helps make them feel part of the Raithwaite family. By looking after our team, we will keep employees for longer, and feel more unified in our mission to help create a more sustainable future at one of the most sustainable hotels in the country.
As a business we are on a journey towards a more sustainable future, and we look forward to updating you more on our achievements.
