Waste Management

Waste does not always have to become waste. With the right management systems in place, materials leaving our hotels can be composted, recycled, upcycled, or transformed into new resources. This helps reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and lowers the risk of waste entering the oceans, while keeping valuable resources in circulation.

Across our portfolio, we manage waste in line the 4R principles — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink — and we hold ourselves accountable with clear targets and transparent reporting.

Targets and Performances

Targets	What we achieved
Reduce water withdrawal per guest by 1% compared with 2024. Effectively manage water-related risks to prevent significant water-related incidents that could affect the company's operations or financial performance.	Reduced food waste per guest by 7.21% compared with 2024.Zero waste is sent to landfills and the ocean Increased the proportion of recycled waste by 3%.

Business Opportunities and Risks

Good waste management does more than protect the environment — it protects what makes our destinations worth visiting. Clean beaches, healthy reefs, and thriving local ecosystems are the foundation of our business. Managing waste well keeps them that way.

There's real opportunity here too: building circular systems, collaborating with global partners and networks, and turning materials that would otherwise be discarded into something genuinely useful.

The risks of getting it wrong are equally real. Poor waste management degrades the natural beauty of our locations, harms soil, water, and air quality, raises costs through food loss and inefficient resource use, and can expose us to legal and reputational risk.

OurManagement Approach

SHR prioritizes efficient waste and waste management by focusing on waste reduction and reuse to minimize environmental impact following the 4R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink). This includes reducing single-use plastics, encouraging reuse, and selecting recyclable materials. Additionally, SHR emphasizes systematic waste segregation, reducing unnecessary packaging, and enabling external waste buyers to collect waste for recycling.

Waste Journey 

The Company has designed a waste journey to avoid landfill disposal by recycling or upcycling unavoidable waste. Examples include converting food scraps into organic fertilizer, sending waste for energy recovery through incineration, and collaborating with partners like PARLEY for plastic recycling at the CROSSROADS Maldives project.

Zero Single-Use Plastics

The Company has eliminated single-use plastics such as plastic water bottles and plastic wraps for in-room amenities, supporting the use of environmentally friendly materials across all self-managed hotels.

Food Waste Management with Effective Microorganisms (EM)

The Company’s hotels sustainably manage food waste by processing inedible food scraps and fruit peels into Effective Microorganisms (EM) bio-fermentation liquid for use within the hotels and surrounding communities.

The produced EM liquid is used in activities such as cleaning, wastewater treatment, and soil nourishment in hotel green areas. Hotels also distribute EM liquid to local communities and share knowledge about its production and applications to promote efficient and eco-friendly resource management.

Upcycle – Adding Value to Waste Materials 

Across the portfolio, our hotels embrace upcycling initiatives that give new life to discarded materials, helping to reduce waste, extend the lifespan of resources, and support local communities. These initiatives reflect our commitment to sustainable resource management and the principles of the circular economy.

At SAii Phi Phi Island Village, old curtains from room renovations are transformed into guest laundry bags, while Santiburi Koh Samui repurposes retired fabric into multi-purpose bags for guests. At CROSSROADS Maldives, retired umbrellas are creatively upcycled into reusable bags, giving materials a practical second life.

Meanwhile, SAii Laguna Phuket collaborates with Seed of Change Foundation to transform expired textiles into reusable beach bags. In 2024, the initiative produced approximately 800 bags using 120 pieces of retired textile materials, helping divert waste from disposal while creating meaningful economic opportunities for local artisans. The collaboration employed 5 artisans, supported additional income generation through commissions, and contributed to the expansion of the foundation’s capabilities. The project also reduced carbon emissions by 3.56 tCO2eq and strengthened awareness of circular economy practices among guests and the local community.

Beyond reducing waste, these initiatives create memorable products that guests value as meaningful keepsakes from their stay, demonstrating how sustainability can generate positive environmental, social, and economic impact together.