Events: HCMI & CHSB

Calculate event emissions by floor area and number of days with the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) and Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index (CHSB) datasets.

OverviewCopy Anchor Link

The events sector, with its wide scope and large carbon footprint, has long been under scrutiny for its environmental impact. Two methodologies, HCMI (Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative) and CHSB (Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmark Index), were introduced for the hotel industry and were soon recognized as applicable to measuring sustainability in the broader events sector.

HCMI, developed with leading hoteliers, offers a unified approach to measuring and communicating the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings. Because the hotel and event industries are closely related, event organizers naturally adopted HCMI's carbon measurement tools. CHSB, developed by Cornell University, is a benchmarking tool that lets event managers compare their sustainability performance against global standards. As more event planners prioritize sustainability, both HCMI and CHSB have become key tools for the event industry.

Hotel Carbon Measurement InitiativeCopy Anchor Link

HCMI is a free methodology and tool for hotels to calculate the carbon footprint of hotel stays and meetings in their properties.

The hospitality industry developed it to give all hotels a consistent way to measure and communicate their carbon impact. More than 25,000 hotels use HCMI globally. The ambition is that widespread use of HCMI improves understanding, transparency and accuracy across the industry.

Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking IndexCopy Anchor Link

CHSB is an industry-led global data collection and benchmarking initiative, with data on energy, water and carbon emissions from more than 20,000 hotels around the world. Participants include major hotel brands, operators and owners from all regions of the world.

Cornell's School of Hospitality Research publishes the public dataset free of charge. It contains average hotel performance for different types of hotels in different geographies. Hotels that take part directly receive a confidential, bespoke benchmarking report that shows how they perform against their competitive set.

Governments, corporate customers, travel management companies and many other organizations use CHSB data to set benchmarks and estimates for energy and water usage, and carbon footprints.

GHG ProtocolCopy Anchor Link

GHG Protocol sets comprehensive global standardized frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions.

Building on a 20-year partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), GHG Protocol works with governments, industry associations, NGOs, businesses and other organizations.

Sample requestsCopy Anchor Link

Send a quote before booking, then repeat the call with audit set to true once the booking is final.

{
  "expand": ["items"],
  "items": [{
    "audit": false,
    "type": "event",
    "methodology": "HCMI",
    "methodology_version": "2024",
    "external_reference": "string",
    "stars": 4,
    "country": "FR",
    "city": "Paris",
    "state": "Ile-de-France",
    "square_meters": 120,
    "number_of_days": 2
  }]
}

DefaultsCopy Anchor Link

Request fieldsCopy Anchor Link

Sample responseCopy Anchor Link

{
  "carbon_quantity": 3497,
  "carbon_unit": "gram",
  "items": [{
    "carbon_quantity": 3497,
    "carbon_unit": "gram",
    "external_reference": "string",
    "type": "event",
    "methodology": "HCMI"
  }]
}

BibliographyCopy Anchor Link

Ricaurte, Eric. Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking Index 2024: Carbon, Energy, and Water. 2024.