With the due date for adherence to Dubai Tourism’s sustainability mandate approaching fast, Dr. Linen – the eco-friendly range of products created by Rent-A-Towel, a Dubai based company providing end-to-end linen management solutions – has laid out the roadmap to help hoteliers meet the guidelines swiftly.
"The recent announcement by Dubai Tourism is part of the UAE’s plan to achieve a sustainable economy," says Narayanan Raghavan, CEO of Dr. Linen and Rent-A-Towel. "Post-Covid, the efforts to operate hotels more sustainably, have accelerated further. This focus has also gained ground several fold, because of the imminent Expo 2020, which has sustainability as one of its key pillars".
Dubai Tourism is not the only hospitality affiliated UAE body to promote sustainable practices in the industry. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) has recently announced an investment of Dh500 million, across 20 sustainable tourism development initiatives.
Hoteliers in the UAE have been working hard to adapt to this future-ready approach with a flurry of activity, across several operational functions. One such area is linen management, with the water usage it entails being a key sustainability concern. Rent-A-Towel offers the industry multi-faceted benefits, which include:
- The innovative and proven linen rental model created by Rent-A-Towel, which reduces the water consumption and operating costs for the property.
- Embedded water usage is lowered because of the bulk processes that Rent-A-Towel can implement, to process the laundry needs of multiple properties.
- The Dr. Linen range, made from eco-friendly wood-based fibers that are unfavourable for microbial growth, ensures premium guest experiences, while reducing water use per article by nearly a third.
- Hospitality owners and operators can achieve results that address the comfort and health concerns of guests, at lower operational and environmental costs.
"Rent-a Towel was launched to provide the hospitality industry with a sustainable approach to laundry and linen management" Raghavan adds. "Our Dr. Linen range, created in partnership with global sustainable fiber heavyweights Lenzing fibers and their TENCELTM brand, maximizes those outcomes, because of the low carbon footprint of their lyocell fiber, during processing, use, and eventual disposal".
TENCELTM fibers of Lenzing, Austria, is revolutionizing the textile industry with raw material sourced from sustainably grown forests. These fibers significantly reduce water consumption, boast a longer lifespan, remain luxurious to use after repeated washes, and are fully biodegradable at the end of their lifecycle.
"TENCELTM fibers contribute to multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. They have been developed with the aim to reduce production emissions and lifecycle water use, while ensuring premium user experiences", says Avinash Mane, commercial head for Lenzing fibers in South Asia & Middle East. "In addition, our strict adherence to ethical sourcing and production, as well as global community initiatives, are an important value-addition, for our partners and customers".
Lenzing’s closed loop production process, which transforms wood pulp into TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact, received the European Award for the Environment from the European Commission in the category "The Technology Award for Sustainable Development". Switching to linen made from TENCELTM fibers allows hotels to discreetly, but clearly, display such significant recognition, to reassure guests about their commitment to sustainability.
"When it comes to sustainability, small changes eventually make big ripples. The Dr. Linen range, combined with the Rent-A-Towel business model provides the hospitality sector with a pathway that can be deployed easily and quickly, to help hotels reduce their carbon footprint, and adhere to the evolving sustainability mandates", concludes Raghavan.