Sustainability

Sustainability is part of the Kempinski DNA. The hotel's team, therefore, strives to minimise the ecological footprint of its activities and to integrate sustainability into the daily work.

Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is committed to achieving the best practice results in environmental and social sustainability and has been working with EarthCheck, the world's leading benchmarking and certification provider, for the past six years. The hotel introduced an environmental management system that meets the requirements of the EarthCheck corporate standard. Due to its commitment and compliance, the hotel was awarded Bronze Certification by EarthCheck in 2023.

Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is part of the new #GreenCollection by Global Hotel Alliance  - a selection of nearly 200 handpicked hotels, resorts and palaces that are committed to protecting people and the planet and demonstrating their commitment to upholding the highest international standards for sustainability initiatives and performance.

From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024, Kempinski Hotel Corvinus is entitled to the gold grade of "Green Hotel of 2023-2024", awarded by the Hungarian Hotel & Restaurant Association.

BEHIND THE SCENES

A pioneering sustainable project is the herb garden on the rooftop of the hotel, cultivated by Executive Chef Ádám Lévay and his kitchen team. ÉS Bisztró, and the hotel’s kitchens source fresh herbs directly from the premises. The mini garden is home to different plants, including tomato, paprika, lovage, thyme, tarragon, rosemary and various mints.

Exterior, Exterior View of Building, Outdoor/Exterior, On-Site

For the hotel's business partners and suppliers (more than 80% are domestic), the focus is on regional products, local services, strengthening fair trade and reducing environmental impact.

The hotel buys free range eggs only, having animal welfare in mind. In The Living Room, only the very special Heppenheimer eggs are used. Heppenheimer family deals with poultry farming, especially laying hens in Márok and Bikal, Baranya County Hungary. They keep their flock in a traditional way: hens spend their days in enclosures full of trees and groves and sleep in a comfortable stable. Feed for the hens come from local farmers’ corn, wheat, sunflower and other plants, selected by the Heppenheimers based on the needs of the hens. The feeds are GMO-free and do not contain any medication, dyestuff and soy.

The hotel purchases the coffee blend for ÉS Deli and The Living Room from a company with sustainability credentials. They do their very best to make sure that, every step of the way – from farming, roasting and packaging to the manufacturing of the coffee machine – the highest standards of sustainability are upheld to bring the highest-quality coffee to the guests.
The hotel's team collects the waste separately: Baled paper, plastic bottles, communal rubbish, glass waste, food residuals, refuse oil and dry-cleaning waste material are collected from the hotel on a regular basis.

Granuldisk dishwashers have been used in the hotel’s kitchen since 2018 and use, on average, 70% less water, energy and chemicals than traditional pot-washing methods.
At the laundry, phosphate-free detergents are used to prevent nutrient pollution and harmful algal bloom. (Phosphates remain in the wastewater and eventually make their way to a natural body of water.)
 

GUEST AREA

The hotel purchases plastic decomposable cutlery and drinking straws from ecologically sound product manufacturers. Detergent bottles are collected and then recycled for reuse.

Since 2020, plastic cocktail pickers, stirrers and packaging for all bathroom items (hygiene sets, emery boards, cotton buds, cotton pads, etc.) have been replaced by sustainable alternatives, such as paper-wrap amenities or wooden material, where possible. Kempinski’s liquid bathroom amenities, by Ferragamo, are offered in packaging made of 100% recycled plastic.
 

The bedlinen are changed every second day. To indicate the need for a daily change, guests can place a handmade green ceramic tile on the bed. The bird, depicted with a flower, is a well-known Hungarian folk motif. It symbolises peace, nature and eternity. Guests can purchase this artwork, with the profit supporting Hungary’s environmental conservation projects.
 

In autumn 2021, the hotel switched over to wooden key cards, replacing the plastic ones.

Kempinski Hotel Corvinus was the first hotel to install public electric vehicle charging stations in Hungary. It operates six high-quality, fast 22 kW electric chargers in its underground carpark.
Crafted in Sweden, an environmentally conscious solution is the on-site filtered Nordaq water, which Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest also offers to its guests. The premium quality water, free of impurities and unwanted flavours, can be prepared in both still and sparkling versions. Natural salts and minerals are maintained in the fresh and balanced, well-rounded water even after filtration.
The hotel orders the majority of its printed materials form Folprint, the first and oldest green printing house in Hungary with a FSC certification. The raw materials they use for paper are produced through their mindful care and management of the forest. Their printing and production processes are carbon neutral.

Menus in the restaurant and In-Room Dining menus are also accessible in digital form. This saves printed materials.

CLEAN THE WORLD

Kempinski has partnered up with Clean the World, an organisation that collects and recycles soap bars and bottled amenities discarded by the hospitality industry.

Joining Clean the World, we help to ensure that our toiletries will not end up in landfills or burned. Through the distribution of these and other donated hygiene products to impoverished people, we help prevent millions of hygiene-related illnesses and deaths every year. Clean the World provides at-risk people with access to soap, and information about how and when to use it. Their recycling programme significantly reduces waste and promotes a sustainable future.

Clean the World collects our amenity bottles and soap bars that were used by our guests. Liquid hygiene products are extracted from the bottles for further reuse, and our amenity bottles are recycled in a state-of-the-art process, obtaining a high-level-purity recycled plastic (Circular economy). Soap bars will be sanitised, transformed into new soap bars and distributed among the communities in need, such as benefit shelters, children's shelters, refugee camps and people struggling due to economic and misfortune or natural disaster.