1. Facility Overview
Located in Susukino, the largest entertainment district in Hokkaido, "Mercure Sapporo" is a lifestyle hotel featuring a total of 285 guest rooms, along with banquet halls and a gym. While achieving the milestone of becoming the first facility in Hokkaido to acquire the Green Key certification (May 2025), the General Manager concurrently serves as the Sustainability Coordinator for the entire domestic group. Acting as a frontrunner that guides approximately 40 group facilities, the hotel deploys advanced initiatives.
2. Good Practice
A defining characteristic of the property is its waste reduction tailored to regional characteristics and thorough resource management aligned with brand guidelines.
Turning Guests' "Lost and Found" into Donations: To address the problem of forgotten items such as skiwear and boots, which rapidly increase during the winter season, the hotel established a system of "donation" instead of disposal. By forming a partnership with an NPO, a mechanism was built to ship and donate these items at the hotel's expense. This successfully balances reduction of waste disposal costs with social contribution.
《《Information regarding donation activities for unwanted clothing, etc., left inside guest rooms》
《Recycling Certificate》
Thorough Elimination of Single-Use Plastics: In alignment with the group-wide plastic reduction policy, approximately 5,000 single-use shavers remaining in stock were also donated to an NPO. By avoiding simple disposal, the hotel established a circular cycle ensuring that items are effectively utilized where they are needed.
Thorough "Draining" for Food Loss Reduction: To reduce the weight of waste and minimize environmental impact, the hotel introduced a thorough "draining" operation to squeeze water out of food waste. Measuring and disposing of solid waste only has enabled highly precise data management and weight reduction.
Garbage Cleanup Volunteer Activities:For local nature conservation efforts, staff conduct volunteer garbage cleanups in the Susukino area and along the Sosei River.
Participation in the Sapporo Autumn Fest Hosted by Sapporo City:At the Autumn Fest, which uses only plastic-free materials for tableware and cutlery from an environmental perspective, the tableware used to serve guests is made of plant-derived materials such as paper and wood.
3. Challenges
The major current challenge is the increase in food waste accompanying the rapid recovery in tourism demand.
Strengthening Data Measurement and External Collaboration: In response to the increasing volume of waste proportional to rising occupancy rates, the hotel is currently strengthening its measurement tracking to grasp the actual conditions. Moving forward, rather than limiting improvements entirely within the company, the hotel is considering fundamental countermeasures to further suppress waste volume per room, keeping the introduction of external partners in view as well.
4. Message
"Since becoming the first facility in Hokkaido to acquire the certification, we have received numerous inquiries from many facilities both within and outside the prefecture asking about the acquisition process, allowing us to feel the high level of interest in sustainability firsthand. In Hokkaido, where guests gather from both domestic and international destinations, we hope our initiatives serve as a model case and contribute to the sustainable development of the entire tourism industry."
