Sustainability at Hotel Botanika

At Hotel Botanika Uppsala, we have seen the benefits of creating a circular and sustainable
stay.


Environmental goals
-Create sustainable events that make Botanika an inspiration in sustainability for
local people in Uppsala
-Operate a biophilic hotel where plants and cutting are at the centre of our
activities
-Reduce our carbon footprint by reducing our consumption of electricity, water, waste,
chemicals and transport from 2022 to 2023

 

Environmental policy
At Hotel Botanika Uppsala we have chosen to break down our working areas into:


1. Bar and restaurant operations:
Here we focus on raw materials as the biggest source of emissions and reduce these by
choosing green, vegetarian options, locally produced and reduced transport distances
and saving food waste


2. Hotel operations
Within our hotel operations we have chosen to be a green hotel with a plant profile which
means that we grow our own plants, have plants in all hotel rooms and an insane amount of plants in
our social spaces to contribute to a better planet. We work on environmental policy by
focusing on how we can reduce our emissions of energy, water, transport, chemicals
and waste. We also want to be inspirers in Uppsala through sustainable events.


3. Social sustainability:
In social sustainability, we work on who we employ, who lives with us and
who is visible in our media channels.


Action Plan
We are continuously working to implement our environmental objectives with this action plan:


Bar and Restaurant:


Save food
Botanika is part of the "Too Good To Go" app where in 2020 we saved 50 portions of food
and hope to quadruple that by 2021. The app sells food with a short expiry date at
half price to make the most of food and reduce waste.


Food from the plant kingdom
On our menu, we work as much as possible with non-animal products
to reduce our carbon footprint. We have a wide range of vegan and
vegetarian options and our chefs actively work to create an appealing range
that is largely from local produce with a focus on the plant kingdom.


Choosing local
At our breakfast we work with a Nordic buffet to promote local produce that
promotes our region and country and to cut down on long transportation. Our ingredients are
mostly from Sweden. Purchases of food and drinks are always based on local and
Swedish wherever possible with regard to product and price.
Local selection of drinks
We are proud of our local partnerships in the bar where we actively invite local
breweries and spirits suppliers to guest play with us and to offer Master
Classes. We offer local beer, wine and tonic and try to choose European spirits.


We grow our own!
We mix our drinks the "Nordic way". Instead of topping a drink with a lemon or lime slice from the other side of the world, we top it with fresh thyme, rosemary and
mint grown locally, even as local as our backyard!


Hotels:


Renewable energy and energy-efficient solutions
Our hotel will be powered by renewable energy and we are currently working towards
running the hotel on its own solar energy. Energy efficient LED lamps will be used and replaced
when replacing light sources. We have carried out an energy declaration in quarter 1, 2022, to
review the energy system together with our suppliers. Tuning of
heat exchanger is completed. We have carried out a project to reduce electricity consumption
in our ventilation system together with AirTeam.


Biophilic design
We are currently working on establishing an in-house greenhouse to grow
stickligar and fresh herbs with plants in all public areas and in our rooms. This
helps to capture carbon dioxide as plants are the environment's best friend.


Sustainability events
We work with sustainable events that support local businesses. Our spring market
highlights "slow businesses" that work with circularity, recycling and sustainability in focus. We
organise swap days based entirely on recycling clothes, books and
plants. We organise these events in cooperation with Slow living Uppsala who
are passionate about a more environmentally friendly Uppsala.


Waste
We are currently working on the construction of an environmental station that will be ready by quarter 4
2022. We are virtually free of unnecessary plastic products. We sort our rubbish as well as
offering a source separation station for our guests.


Reducing environmentally harmful chemicals
Our soaps and shampoos for guests are organic products with as few chemicals as possible
. The chemicals we use are environmentally classified as red, yellow and
green, depending on their impact on people, animals and the environment.


Saving water
In 2020, we have installed water-saving showers and taps and toilets to
reduce water use.
Reusing towels and changing linen is only done after the guest stay unless
otherwise requested by the guest, this to save water and energy.
Sustainable supply chains
That suppliers are environmentally certified and work to clear environmental targets. Where we have not yet
found sustainable suppliers, we are actively working to replace them with more sustainable companies.



We work actively to promote Swedish tourism and attract domestic hotel
guests. This reduces long travel distances by air for our travellers as they mostly come to Botanika by train and car.


Reduce transport distances
Through carefully thought-out ordering procedures and joint purchasing of goods, we reduce the number of
transports to the hotel. We choose mostly Nordic goods as the right product selection
reduces global deliveries.


Social sustainability:
We welcome everyone!
We are a multicultural meeting place where both our employees and guests should feel
welcome regardless of their origin or orientation. As Hard Rock Café says, "Love all,
serve all!"
Employment for those who are far from the labour market
Through internships, work training and job introductions, we provide opportunities for people who
are far from the labour market or at the end of their careers to work with us.