How Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare is Giving Back and Reducing Waste

Find out how this sustainable Bordeaux hotel is minimising its environmental impact by monitoring waste production, supporting local food banks and composting organic waste.

Channelling the understated elegance of Bordeaux’s historic bourgeois homes, Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare Atlantic is housed in a tawny-bricked residence opposite the train station in the lively neighbourhood of Saint-Jean. This recently renovated and modernised area is known for its convenient location in between the old town and the Paludate business district; but also for its progressive, youthful ethos. And this future-focused outlook is reflected in the hotel’s own commitment to environmental integrity, including the reduction of its carbon footprint and, in particular, new and exciting methods of waste management. The goal? To support sustainable travel in a way that benefits not only today’s guests and local community members, but also those of generations to come.

Every Mercure hotel is an inextricable part of its local community. We are driven by the desire to give guests an authentic insight into their destination, and also by the necessity to benefit and give back to both the people and planet around us. And yet, it’s an inescapable fact that the hospitality industry generates a significant amount of waste. Finding a sustainable way to deal with that waste is both an environmental imperative and a standard that should be expected from any hotel claiming to have a positive impact. Good waste management practices also afford peace of mind for our socially responsible and eco-conscious guests.

Green waste management requires a multifaceted approach. Potential policies include limiting single-use plastic by using refillable bottles for bathroom amenities or switching plastic food and drink packaging for environmentally friendly alternatives. Clearly labelled recycling facilities should be easily accessible for guests and staff alike, allowing for the reuse of materials such as plastic, glass, tin and paper, which would otherwise end up at landfill sites. But what about organic waste? Any hotel that has its own restaurant or room service facility will generate food waste, and managing this properly is an essential step on the path to sustainability.

At Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare Atlantic, organic waste consists mainly of kitchen scraps and leftovers from meals at the hotel’s Le Saint-Jean bistro. Food waste is carefully separated from regular waste during each service and then collected daily by Veolia, a recycling company that converts the waste into green biofuels and organic compost. The compost is then used by farmers and artisan producers to feed their crops in a self-sustaining cycle that is completed when our chefs purchase locally grown ingredients for use at our farm-to-table Bordeaux restaurant. Our commitment to championing regional growers also adds to the hotel’s overall sustainability by keeping food miles to a minimum and bringing income to local businesses.

If knowledge is power, our environmentally friendly Bordeaux hotel is in the best possible position to bring about positive change in terms of waste management. That’s because we use cutting edge online reporting tool Gaia 2.0 to measure and monitor everything from energy consumption to water usage and waste production. The technology is also capable of calculating the hotel’s carbon footprint, giving us the latest data so that we can better understand our status and make any necessary changes to reduce our environmental impact. We’ve also found that the ability to see the results of actions taken to reduce waste inspires our staff, encouraging them to work even harder to support sustainable practices.

So, if kitchen scraps and table leftovers get converted to compost, what happens to untouched food items that go unsold? We’ve partnered with non-profit organisation HopHopFood to find a solution. The purpose of the charity is to connect those who have an excess of food with those who don’t have enough, thereby solving two increasingly prevalent problems in France: a growing amount of food waste, and an increasing percentage of the population who are struggling to afford to feed themselves. 

The HopHopFood app allows individuals and businesses like ours to list products that they have too much of or that would otherwise go to waste. These products are then distributed to vulnerable people through a network of food pantries. Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare Atlantic is committed to providing weekly meal packages made up of unsold food items to participating individuals, who are able to reserve their package online. 

As important as positive waste management practices are, making a positive impact on the local community is about more than environmental sustainability. That’s why we also participate in Solid’AIR, an initiative launched by the Bordeaux Tourist Office (OTCBM). Operating under the belief that everyone has a right to leisure no matter their personal circumstances, Solid’AIR’s aim is to enable vulnerable residents to experience the benefits of tourism. In this way, the preconception that hotel stays, restaurant meals, guided tours and attraction visits are only for wealthy visitors is dispelled, making way for a greater sense of inclusivity within the local community. 

The project connects tourism professionals and service providers with charities and social workers. As part of our involvement with Solid’AIR, we gift a hotel stay and dinner to a family or couple in need once a month. Being able to help our special guests enjoy a much-needed break from daily routine and hardship is a privilege for us, and something our staff look forward to immensely. 

Finally, in the spirit of inclusivity we are currently applying for our Tourisme et Handicap (Tourism and Disability) certification. This label acts as a guarantee that we are capable of adapting to the specific needs of people living with both visible and invisible disabilities, and that we are looking forward to welcoming them with open arms.