Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi, the local arm of Cristal Hotels and Resorts, has become the first hotel in the emirate to recycle six products - paper, plastics, aluminum cans, glass, Tetra Pak packaging, cartridges and toners.

Since opening in 2009, Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi has made remarkable investments into recycling programs and is the owner of the largest recycling cages among all hotels in Abu Dhabi.

One of the fastest-growing hotel chains in the region, Cristal has established itself as a leader in environmental responsibility within Abu Dhabi’s growing hospitality sector, said a top official.

“The hotel industry is often considered as one of the most waste-producing businesses in the world. We aim to change that perception here in Abu Dhabi by adopting sustainable strategies to complement our local growth,' explained Immanuel Williams, manager of Total Quality Management.

'Cristal Hotel intends to introduce more eco-friendly programs to help raise environmental standards among hotels in Abu Dhabi and throughout the Emirates and promote the concept of sustainable growth among all local industries,' he added.

Over the past two years Cristal has been actively involved in the ‘Clean Up UAE’ campaign and was the newest hotel to participate in ‘World Green Tourism,’ an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

Moreover, Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi was short-listed for the Arabian Corporate Social Responsibility Awards 2010 by EEG, while Williams was short-listed for the ‘Green Hotelier of the Year’ – 2010 by the Hotelier Middle East.

Cristal Hotel Abu Dhabi has adopted various approaches to reduce its energy use and lessen its carbon footprint. For one, it was the first local hotel to switch to compact fluorescent lamps for its guest rooms.

It also turns off heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment when not required, adjusts chilled water temperature for air conditioning according to atmospheric temperature, and regulates domestic water temperature to reduce compressor load.

As a result, the hotel’s energy consumption increased by only 9 per cent between 2009 and 2010 despite a 26 per cent increase in occupancy for the same period, Williams added.-TradeArabia News Service