SUSTAINABILITY & REGENERATION
IF SUSTAINABILITY IS ABOUT DOING NO HARM, THE CONCEPT OF REGENERATION IS TO ACTIVELY TRY TO IMPROVE THE WORLD AROUND US
Economic impact. Social impact. Environmental impact.
Newsflash: Money isn't the only bottom line. We're big fans of doughnut economic theory and triple bottom line measurements of success.
Transparent. Honest. Always working on improving.
We were the first island resort in the world to certify as a B-Corp and a are a proud member of the Regenerative Resorts collection. We adhere to high standards across all areas of the business, collecting data and aiming to improve on a range of metrics, both social and environmental. We are not perfect. We are trying.
We place particular importance on supply chain management - as we work with over 350 suppliers - and have developed a supplier and product evaluation to ensure that we are supporting businesses that align with our social, cultural, and environmental values. We prioritise local and independent suppliers, thinking carefully about every peso we spend. We know (and can show!) that over 60% of what we spend is with micro-businesses, and 30% with minority-owned businesses. Over 85% of our expenditure remains in Colombia.
All meat served at Blue Apple Beach is sourced ethically where the supplier can guarantee that the meat was produced in accordance with the five animal freedoms.
Just over half of of our energy comes from solar panels and we continue to work to reduce energy consumption. We reuse grey-water for irrigation and have natural reed beds to process blackwater, a German system that can recycle up to 70%. We measure all our waste, recycling glass, organics, plastic, paper, metals and white goods. We avoid single use plastics and work with suppliers to do the same. We currently divert around 75% of our waste from landfill.
The lowest wage at Blue Apple Beach is 15% higher than the national Colombian minimum wage and all of our team take home at least a living wage once tips, bonuses and benefits are added. We monitor staff demographics and strive to provide opportunity to everyone, especially those from under-represented groups and underserved communities. We have local people in management positions. Our social media and website strive to reflect the diversity of our client base. In 2021, we were the first mainstream venue in Colombia to host regular, dedicated LGBTQ+ events.
We have a long way to go, and will work to continually improve.