Harmony with living beings and commitment to sustainable development

“Collaboration with UNESCO is a natural step for our Association: our objective is to support and encourage change and continue to rethink the models of our establishments to associate travel, a source of personal enrichment, with environmental, social and economic objectives,” he explains. Laurent Gardinier, president of Relais & Châteaux. For her part, Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, states that “throughout history, nature has never faced such a drastic decline. Of the eight million species in the world, one million are in danger of extinction. “UNESCO and the Relais & Châteaux association call on us to change our perspective and habits related to food to find a balance between humans and the environment.”

Gardinier points out that “in 2014 the Association presented a Manifesto for a better world through cuisine and hospitality at UNESCO headquarters. Ten years later, we modified this manifesto to respond to new challenges and take action. For the Association, it is an immense honor that our initiative has the official support of UNESCO. And he adds: These commitments reveal a deep will: that of working for sustainable development in harmony with living beings. We are aware that we must rethink the way we work in a hotel and a restaurant so that it is more in tune with its environment and we need cooperation that goes beyond the members, involving our suppliers and producers, our teams. , our clients (with emphasis on the young generations), non-governmental organizations and local and international public authorities.

The collaboration between both entities is based on two fundamental pillars. On the one hand, UNESCO supports the new commitments of Relais & Châteaux which, under the title ‘In harmony with living beings: 12 commitments for sustainable development’, have three main objectives: preserving the traditions of hospitality and the cuisines of the world; contribute to the protection of biodiversity and its development and act daily for a more humane world.

These commitments have been voted on by the members of the Association at the annual congress and ratified by Audrey Azoulay, representing UNESCO.

On the other hand, pilot projects led by members of Relais & Châteaux and following the principles of UNESCO will be developed in spaces declared World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. These projects aim to revalue protected spaces, promote natural and cultural heritage and encourage the sustainable conservation of biodiversity while respecting local traditions.

In 2025, members of Relais & Châteaux will carry out the first projects near the biosphere reserves of the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) and spaces categorized as World Heritage. The UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program is an intergovernmental scientific program that aims to establish a scientific base that allows improving relations between human beings and the environment and that combines conservation, local development, the preservation of cultural heritage and the protection of the knowledge and traditions of local and indigenous populations. With 759 biosphere reserves in 136 countries, UNESCO protects nearly 8 million km² of natural spaces (the equivalent of the area of ​​Australia) and supports the communities that benefit from them. Almost half of Relais & Châteaux members are located within two hours or less of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

The driving force behind this collaboration is Mauro Colagreco, vice president of Relais & Châteaux chefs and chef-owner of the three-Michelin-starred Mirazur restaurant in Menton, France. Since his appointment as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity in 2022, Colagreco has worked to promote the MAB program and generate public interest and participation in environmental issues. This collaboration between the two institutions will allow it to expand its action to the 580 members of the Association. «In the last two years I have worked with UNESCO to defend biodiversity and raise awareness about the need to protect our ecosystems. Gastronomy is a powerful engine of change and we must radically rethink food systems. I quickly realized that we need to significantly increase the number of biodiversity stewards in the world if we want to protect our planet and the species that inhabit it. With a network of 580 properties, including 800 restaurants, involving Relais & Châteaux in this initiative was a logical step,” says Colagreco.

Sustainable development strategy

In their daily dedication to gastronomy and hospitality, the 580 Relais & Châteaux member properties, located in 65 countries on five continents, are in constant contact with people of all origins, from diverse communities, as well as with nature in all its richness and diversity. It is in this context that this collaboration between UNESCO and the Relais & Châteaux association arises, whose commitments reflect the vital connection between food, health and the environment. To fulfill its commitments, Relais & Châteaux has consolidated a strategy that can be summarized in four points:

• The Commitments for the Association, voted by the members of Relais & Châteaux at the annual congress, whose preface was signed by the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.

• A Commission dedicated to sustainable development, made up of seven exemplary members who will be in charge of supervising all Relais & Châteaux actions in this area and better supporting members in their transformation.

• A Consultancy at the headquarters that has been possible thanks to the creation of a sustainable development department in charge of implementing the global strategy of Relais & Châteaux.

• Quality criteria: every two years the technical and emotional criteria of the establishments are reviewed; In the future, quantitative criteria related to sustainable development will also be evaluated.

Challenges and CSR in the hospitality industry

The members of Relais & Châteaux met in Paris to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Association. During the congress, members became aware of the CSR challenges of the hospitality and restaurant sector: carbon emissions, inclusion and diversity, new transformations in cuisine, protection and preservation of biodiversity. Renowned speakers have participated in the debates: Mauro Colagreco, from the Mirazur restaurant, in Menton; Daniel Humm, of Eleven Madison Park, in New York; Michael Caines, of Lympstone Manor Restaurant, in the United Kingdom; or Gari Yin, from Kings Joy, in China.

To close the meeting, attendees enjoyed a gala dinner at the Palace of Versailles organized by some of the best three-star chefs: Pierre Gagnaire, from the Pierre Gagnaire restaurant in Paris; Gérald Passedat, from Petit Nice, Marseille; Anne-Sophie Pic, from the Pic restaurant in Valence; and Stéphane Mack, from Les Prés d’Eugénie – Maison Guérard, in Eugénie-les-Bains. The dinner was followed by the presentation of the Relais & Châteaux 2025 Trophies, which recognize the career of the best hospitality and restaurant professionals on the internet (more information about the winners on the Relais & Châteaux website).