Episode 30: Sustainability in Hospitality with Joe Sykes, Co-Founder of ecommit

In this episode of Hospitable, we sit down with Joe Sykes, Co-Founder and Director of ecommit, to explore the critical role data plays in driving sustainability within the hospitality industry. Together, we delve into how hospitality brands can leverage data to create awareness around CO2 emissions, ensuring that sustainability efforts move beyond mere buzzwords into actionable strategies. Joe shares insights from his journey, starting from a family-run restaurant in the Netherlands to building a platform that helps businesses offset their carbon footprint through clear, impactful data.

Throughout the conversation, we discuss the importance of small, manageable changes and how collective efforts can make a significant impact. We explore the balance between unavoidable and avoidable emissions, and how hospitality businesses can contribute to sustainability without sacrificing operational efficiency or guest experience. Joe emphasizes that while data is essential, it’s only valuable when acted upon, and he illustrates this through practical examples from his work with ecommit. The conversation highlights how data-driven, transparent sustainability practices can lead to lasting change, both for businesses and travelers.

Whether you’re a hospitality professional or someone passionate about sustainability, this episode offers valuable insights on how we can all take meaningful steps toward greener travel experiences. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share for more thought-provoking discussions on making hospitality more sustainable and human.

Podcast Timestamps:
[00:01:16] Data's actionable importance in sustainability.
[00:04:19] Sustainable travel experiences.
[00:09:19] Unspoken expectations in sustainability.
[00:11:37] Hospitality's role in sustainability.
[00:17:37] Small changes, big impact.
[00:20:05] Small habitual changes for sustainability.
[00:23:00] Unavoidable emissions in hospitality.
[00:25:55] Data in the hospitality industry.
[00:30:42] Theory versus execution in sustainability.
[00:33:34] Perfection vs. Imperfection in Impact.
[00:36:51] Future collaborations and meetings

Quotes:
00:02:31 - "Data is king. But I always ask, is data still king if you don't do anything with it?"
00:07:40 - "That's not very hospitable."
00:10:34 - "It shouldn't be thrown around as a buzzword. It should just be covered. It should just be done, right?"
00:12:41 - "But I think that in all those small things do add up to make big impact."
00:16:30 - "You basically would need the surface area of the state of New Jersey to compensate those emissions of the complete hospitality industry in the US."
00:19:23 - "the impact of doing a few small things is huge."
00:20:59 - "It's only small changes that can have actually the biggest impact, right? Because it's small changes by many people, not just by a few, right?"
00:25:09 - "First is awareness, then it's identifying what is unavoidable."
00:26:22 - "Small small things can result in very big things."
00:30:07 - "I think highlighting that and knowing what's unavoidable versus what is avoidable, and then creating that visualization."
00:34:06 - "Perfect gets in the way of good."
00:35:43 - "Perfection creates inaction, doesn't it?"
00:36:58 - "It's data-driven automated climate impact. So it's going to be reportable. It's all going to be fantastic."