PRESS RELEASES
Rosewood Phnom Penh has been awarded three stars by The Sustainable Restaurant Association in its Food Made Good Standard, the world’s leading sustainability accreditation for the hospitality sector. It is the first hotel in Cambodia and the first within the Rosewood Hotel Group to receive this accolade, a testament to the hotel’s steadfast commitment to sustainable operations.
October 10, 2024
Achieving 3 Stars in the first assessment is rare, and was made possible by Rosewood Phnom Penh’s strong foundation in sustainable practices. The hotel scored 77% in sourcing, 83% in societal impact, and 85% in environmental initiatives. These achievements are in large part the result of partnerships with local farmers and suppliers who share the hotel’s commitment to sustainability.
These partners include organizations like Cambodian NGO, Smiling Gecko, which supports local communities while ensuring the freshest produce reaches its kitchens. Overall, Rosewood Phnom Penh sources 83% of its ingredients from farmers and fishers with a focus on sustainable practices.
The hotel’s culinary team has introduced a number of zero-waste menus, including at signature restaurant, Cuts. Fresh ingredients are sourced from local farmers and food waste is minimized through creative menu design. Of the remaining waste, 70% is either composted, donated, or repurposed for farm feed.
The hotel has also implemented a number of other initiatives to reduce waste. These include the creation of Sora Vermouth, an in-house vermouth produced from the peels of Battambang oranges, lemons, and limes in collaboration with a local distiller. It is available exclusively at Sora Bar.
Rosewood Phnom Penh also operates a hydroponic garden, supplying 70% of the leafy vegetables used in its restaurants and reducing reliance on external suppliers. Meanwhile, the hotel continues to prioritize reducing single-use plastics (SUPs) and aims to eliminate all guest-facing SUPs by 2025. Associates are encouraged to use reusable water bottles, while guests are served using glass bottles.
Furthering its community support, the hotel has donated 3.5 tons of glass bottles to local schools, every month since 2023. Rosewood Phnom Penh has also partnered with local schools to provide students with practical hospitality experience, equipping them with valuable skills for the future.
“Our goal to provide outstanding experiences while prioritizing environmental responsibility,” said Daniel Simon, Managing Director of Rosewood Phnom Penh. “This award is a reflection of that, and reinforces our dedication to integrating sustainability into everything we do. We are deeply honored by the recognition.”
About Rosewood Phnom Penh
Rosewood Phnom Penh presents an ultra-luxury hospitality experience in the Cambodian capital. The hotel is located on the top 14 floors of Vattanac Capital Tower in the central business district, with unobstructed views of the city and the fabled Mekong River from its position within the tallest building in the capital. Rosewood Phnom Penh embraces the Rosewood brand’s A Sense of Place®️ philosophy and reflects the location’s history, culture and sensibilities. It features 175 rooms and suites; six restaurants and lounges, including Sora, a sky bar on a cantilevered terrace; Sense, A Rosewood Spa; a fitness center; a 22-meter indoor lap swimming pool; and meeting facilities that include The Pavilion residential-style meeting and function space.
About The Sustainable Restaurant Association
Since 2010, The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA) has set the Standard for sustainable food and drink businesses, connecting businesses across the globe to accelerate change toward a hospitality sector that is socially progressive and environmentally restorative. They do this through the world’s largest sustainability certification tailored for the sector: the Food Made Good Standard (more details below), as well as through strategic partnerships with organisations like The World’s 50 Best, the UK’s National Restaurant Awards, WRAP, Beans is How, LIFE Climate Smart Chefs, San Pellegrino Young Chef, Flor de Caña, Bar World of Tomorrow and more.
About the Food Made Good Standard
Created by The Sustainable Restaurant Association, the Food Made Good Standard is the only global sustainability accreditation designed for the hospitality industry. The Standard is awarded to restaurants and other F&B businesses around the world that meet a set of rigorous, measurable criteria across three main focus areas: Sourcing, Society and Environment. The accreditation aims to encourage, support and recognise sustainability practices across the F&B industry worldwide.
The Food Made Good Standard takes a big-picture, holistic view of what sustainability should mean for the hospitality industry. Undertaking this work means a restaurant is not only minimizing food waste, carbon emissions, or water use but also implementing sustainable sourcing policies, designing menus that are good for both people and the planet, treating staff with compassion and dignity, and getting involved in the local community. The Standard changes what it means to be a sustainable restaurant in the 21st century.
In 2023, The SRA launched a new, improved version of the Food Made Good Standard. Supported by a more user-friendly platform, this updated Standard is now globally accessible, applicable and relevant, allowing restaurants anywhere in the world to sign up and assess their sustainability. The Standard can now be accessed and used in English, Spanish, Japanese and Traditional Chinese, with more languages still to come.
