Le Farnatchi’s sustainability considerations
—We’ve updated the air-conditioning units to lower-energy models. We switch off any air-cooling between guests, and do not switch on AC until just before guests check in.
—Low-energy LED lighting throughout; these lights use 80% less energy than traditional bulbs.
—Elimination of almost all single-use plastic in our operations, except in the kitchen where we feel we can not yet do so whilst maintaining hygiene standards. This is particularlly important in the Medina where there are no recycling facilities. Nothing is served in any packaging and we hope part of the magic of the look and feel is that our spaces are free of any disposable items.
—All food served — breakfast, snacks, sweet and savoury treats as well as lunch and dinner from our restaurant menu — is always home-made from scratch using fresh ingredients. We source all of our fruit and vegetables locally from independent small suppliers. All of this helps us to keep our food waste to minimum.
—With its front door right opposite our hotel’s entrance, Le Trou Au Mur is our restaurant. Traditional cooking techniques ensure an authentic taste of Marrakech. Interestingly using traditional methods makes it easier for us to accommodate a very wide variety of dietary preferences.
—We serve Moroccan wines in our hotel and restaurant with the exception of Champaign and Prosecco. These white, rosé and red wines from vineyards around the country are recognised as excellent on the world stage so there’s no need for imported wines to rack up food/drink miles.
—Our Moroccan interiors honour our destination, demonstrating a deep respect for traditional artisanal techniques, indigenous materials, and revered centurions-old crafts and culture, with no mass-produced imported furniture. Everything from our beds to our toiletries and even the vast majority of our art work has been locally made.
—We no longer have to print a room directory as everything is now either on line or on our app.
—Locally-made organic plant-based bathroom amenities and sulphate-free shampoo are presented in refillable bottles not only allowing us to reduce plastic waste but also offering our guest a bigger choice. Handmade soap and our amenities are never cellophane wrapped.
—Streamlining our deliveries, and upping stock for each of our orders, has reduced transport emissions in our supply chain.
—Our spa includes two marble hammams with vaulted ceilings, which promise a traditional experience, providing first-class personalised treatments using locally made chemical-free products which use locally sourced ingredients.
— Our spa uses energy efficient air source heat pumps to heat our hot water reducing our use of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.
—Our team is almost 100% from within 10 km, with a higher percentage of female employees than is typical in Moroccan luxury hospitality.
—Working with our whole team, it’s our aim that everyone who works in Le Farnatchi and Le Trou Au Mur understand the ways in which we are, and need to be, taking steps to be more responsible hosts.
—Most of our team have been with us since the very beginning, and our connection to community is what helps give Farnatchi its heart and soul. We support a number of local initiatives and invite our guests to visit some of them like Education for all and Jarjeer Mule and Donkey Sanctuary.
Looking to the future…
We are in the process of planning some very exciting upgrades to both the hotel and restaurant and front of mind is how can we be low impact, more conscious of energy efficiency and reuse as many existing materials and elements as possible. If you know of any winning innovations suited to a Riad in the Medina, we would love to hear your thoughts.
— We have bought two more buildings where solar panels will be incorporated into their development allowing us to heat our hot water using green energy, and contribute to the power we use in our all electric restaurant kitchen. Morocco’s national grid in general is powered substantially by renewables, too.
