Building on our track record of industry-leading sustainability best practices and performance, the Company was recently named to four top sustainability leadership indices: the Dow Jones North America and World Sustainability Indices and the CDP Climate Disclosure Leadership Index and the CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index.

We sat down with Michael Babicki, director, sustainability, to learn what it really means for the Company to be named to these indices.

How important is it for Wyndham Worldwide, and other companies, to address climate change?

I try to avoid the climate change debate and focus on environmental impact. Most would agree that we (people and companies) have an impact on the environment in which we live and conduct business.  How the impact manifests, whether it is ozone layer depletion or climate change, then becomes a sub-issue of the impact.  My belief is that we should minimize the impact and leave the environment in as good, if not better, condition as a result our interaction.  For companies in general, if the current environmental trend continues, there could be significant long term risk if there isn't a focus on these issues today.  Competition for raw material, water and energy needs in order to maintain business operations, and a threat from the changing landscape, such as drought and flooding, could present significant risk to business health. The fact of the matter is that we all share the eco-systems. In order to drive the necessary change and reduce environmental impact, we all have to make a commitment. 

Wyndham Worldwide was named to both the North American and World Dow Jones Sustainability Indices as well as to the Climate Disclosure Leadership and Climate Performance Leadership Indices. What does this mean to the Company's associates? What does this mean to suppliers and business partners? What does this mean to customers?

We use these reporting mechanisms to bring validity to all of our efforts in improving environmental and social performance, addressing risk and strengthening our business both by reputation and financially. Although we still have more to do, to be named near the top in both Dow Jones and CDP reassures us that we are on the right path and setting the pace. The ranking provides an independent third party assurance for associates, partners and customers, and confirms that they are working for and conducting business with an industry leader.  

What tools does Wyndham Worldwide use to disclose (report) the Company's climate impact?

We developed the Wyndham Green Toolbox, a proprietary, online environmental management system, to manage our energy, emissions, water and waste performance company-wide. Developed in 2010, the Toolbox is a state-of-the art system that was created to be flexible, scalable and customizable to match the Company's global presence across its business units. The Wyndham Green Toolbox allows both owned and managed properties, as well as independently owned and operated franchised properties to track, measure and report on global assets in which Wyndham Worldwide has direct operational control. It is available in multiple languages and currencies and provides normalization for weather and room nights to allow for comparisons among properties in various regions. The Toolbox helps to not only improve the data accuracy, but also to quantify the results in a timely manner. The flexibility of the Toolbox has enabled us to make continuous improvements each year, upgrading and adding new features to monitor our progress towards reaching our 2020 goal.

Is there an economic upside to addressing climate change?

Of course! First by addressing longer term environmental risk, companies can be flexible and adaptable to handle potential issues. There are studies that indicate companies that perform well on environmental issues, and that are socially conscious are more resilient in tough economic times and typically outperform the market compared with their peers.  In addition, consumers and other stakeholders look to align with like-minded business partners to leverage the philosophy of the triple bottom line.  

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