Novotel is celebrating the first anniversary of its partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) by launching two new food initiatives ahead of World Ocean Day on June 8.
The hotel brand has introduced Sustainable Seafood Principles developed with WWF France and a global Plant-Forward ambition across its 600 hotels.
Novotel’s global brand president, Jean-Yves Minet, highlighted the partnership as a key driver in promoting responsible sourcing, reducing ocean impact, and encouraging sustainable choices that benefit the planet and future generations.
The Sustainable Seafood Principles include banning 350 endangered seafood species, promoting MSC-certified wild-caught fish, and requiring ASC- or organic-certified farmed seafood such as salmon and shrimp. These guidelines will be supported by a global training programme for chefs and procurement teams to improve traceability and responsible sourcing. Meanwhile, Novotel aims to have at least 25 per cent of its menu offerings plant-based by 2026, with 39 per cent of hotels already meeting this target.
Recognising its role as a family-friendly hotel brand, Novotel is also launching two educational games developed with WWF France to engage children in ocean conservation. These interactive games aim to inspire young guests to learn about marine life and the threats facing oceans through fun and engaging activities.
Since launching its ocean impact strategy in 2024, Novotel has taken concrete steps to reduce its environmental footprint by phasing out single-use plastics, installing refillable dispensers, piloting microplastic filters in hotel laundry, and minimising food waste. The brand has also launched a global Fishery Improvement Project in partnership with WWF, supported seafood traceability efforts in the Middle East, and formed a seafood procurement taskforce in Europe to collaborate with suppliers on sustainability.
To further raise awareness, Novotel will introduce Ocean Awareness Training for its teams and Sustainable Seafood Training for chefs and procurement staff, developed in partnership with WWF and AXA Climate. The hotel also supports several WWF France conservation projects, including protecting Posidonia seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean, removing abandoned fishing gear (ghost gear), supporting the Blue Panda educational boat campaign, and tracking and protecting threatened marine turtles across Asia-Pacific and the Western Atlantic.
Looking forward, Novotel plans to expand its sustainable seafood efforts, grow its Plant-Forward menu offerings, introduce new guest engagement programmes focused on ocean preservation, and actively participate in the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice.
Minet said: “Our well-being is deeply tied to the health of the ocean. Protecting the ocean isn’t just about the environment, it’s about supporting human health and longevity too.”
“Protecting the ocean also means protecting our common future. Faced with the growing threats of overfishing, pollution and loss of biodiversity, economic players have a key role to play. We welcome Novotel’s commitment to integrating the preservation of marine ecosystems into its strategy,” added WWF France’s ocean programme manager, Ludovic Frère Escoffier.
