Accor And Ademe Sign New Framework Agreement To Protect The Environment

100 new hotels equipped with solar panels

(Tuesday, May 29, 2007) - Gilles Pélisson, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Accor, and Michèle Pappalardo, President of France's Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME), today signed a third framework agreement to expand their joint programs in six areas: renewable energy development, energy management, waste prevention/management, international cooperation, communication and eco-design.



The new three-year agreement will allow the partners to build on existing projects, with the long-term goal of stimulating other initiatives in the hotel business. With ADEME's backing, 100 new Accor hotels will be fitted with solar panels, bringing the number of Accor establishments equipped worldwide to 200 by 2010. Under a broad plan, ADEME will help Accor identify and implement energy savings measures at its French hotels and introduce a waste reduction program following an audit conducted by Accor. The initiatives will then be deployed in Morocco, Tunisia, China, India and other countries where Accor is experiencing rapid growth.



Underscoring Accor's commitment alongside ADEME to enhancing customer and employee awareness of environmental concerns, the new pact also helps create awareness among the general public about the advantages of renewable energy.



Ever since the first two framework agreements were signed in 2000 and 2003, Accor and ADEME have been working together to reduce the hotel industry's impact on the environment. With encouraging results in the field of waste prevention/management, energy management and communication, the two partners decided to renew their agreement. With the help of ADEME, Accor has reduced the environmental impact of its operations over the last six years by:

o Installing solar energy collectors for producing hot water in 24 hotels and a photovoltaic system for generating electricity in one hotel (Ibis, Porte de Clichy).

o Conducting audits under ADEME's "Reduce Waste by 10%" program, resulting in a significant reduction in waste and more efficient sorting at seven Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Etap Hotel and Formule 1 hotels in France.

o Building energy management awareness through a practical guide "In hotels, as in the home, a few simple actions to conserve the environment" (100,000 copies in seven languages distributed throughout Accor hotels worldwide) and a film "Together, Ever More Responsible".



This partnership figures prominently in the Earth Guest program, a new sustainable development initiative deployed across the Group. The program is divided into two main sections: environmental stewardship (ECO) projects dealing with water, energy, waste and biodiversity, and social responsibility (EGO) projects focused on diet, health, child protection and local development.



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Accor, European leader in hotels and tourism, global leader in corporate services, operates in nearly 100 countries with 166,000 employees. It offers to its individual and corporate clients 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:

- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, All Seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands: close to 3,800 hotels and 450,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Lenôtre;

- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 23 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor Services products – human resources, marketing services and expense management.



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ADEME is a French state-owned industrial and commercial agency overseen by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It helps formulate public policy on environmental, energy and sustainable development issues. Through its technical expertise and consulting services, ADEME supports businesses, communities, government authorities and the general public. It provides financing for projects in five areas—waste management, soil remediation, energy efficiency and renewable energy, air quality and noise control—thereby helping them to achieve their sustainable development goals. www.ademe.fr




CONTACTS

ACCOR

Armelle Volkringer

Vice President, Corporate Communication and Public Relations

Phone: +33 (0)1 45 38 84 85

Arnaud Leblin

Chief Media Relations Officer

Phone: +33 (0)1 45 38 84 85

ADEME

Nadège Chapelin

H&B communication

n.chapelin@hbcommunication.fr

Phone: +33 (0)1 58 18 32 45

Claudia Berthol

H&B communication

c.berthol@hbcommunication.fr

Phone: +33 (0)1 58 18 32 43

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