November 14th, 2025
Making legacy last
Nestled in Covent Garden since 1998, One Aldwych occupies a historic Edwardian building, originally the Morning Post offices and printing presses from the early 1900s. With a weighty legacy comes responsibility and from its inception, One Aldwych made sustainability part of its foundation. Recycling a Grade II-listed building, installing a chlorine-free pool and employing LED lighting and heat-reclaim systems. The result is a luxurious guest experience grounded in environmental sensitivity.
Foundations of sustainability
What truly distinguishes One Aldwych is its long-term, independent vision. Privately owned, the hotel could prioritise holistic care over profit. Over two decades, sustainability grew from a dream to a feasible reality, embraced at all levels of the business’s operation. With this, One Aldwych became the first five-star hotel in London to receive B Corp certification, one of only 18 in the UK accommodation sector.
As Managing Director, Janine Marshall puts it,
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and has been for over 20 years.”
Practice makes perfect
One Aldwych’s sustainability has overhauled its supply chain, forging relationships with local and ethical producers. Some of which include, Chocolarder (sails cocoa beans to Cornwall), Skye Weavers (hand-woven blankets from the Hebrides) and Mitchell & Peach (aluminium bathroom bottles).
As well as building these professional relationships to supply the hotel with sustainable goods, they are more careful with their usage and waste than ever. Water use has been radically cut and through vacuum drainage systems, the hotel uses seven times less water. Each year, it targets a 5% reduction in energy usage via LEDs, timers and meticulous resource tracking. They even have their own rooftop beehives, contributing honey and biodiversity and in-house water filtration/bottling to eliminate single-use bottles!
Sustaining community
One Aldwych’s responsibility extends socially. The hotel supports charities like Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity and initiatives aiding the homeless. They foster staff engagement via a Green Team and weekly sustainability-focused discussions with allocated project budgets. Amid their art-filled interiors and cultural programming, the Curators’ historical walking tours, cinema and iconic afternoon teas, One Aldwych locates community-building and heritage at the core of its method of sustainable legacy.
The global hotel industry plays a complex role in the climate crisis. Tourism accounts for nearly 9% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and about 3% of GDP. In response, over 50 countries signed a UN Declaration on Sustainable Tourism, incorporating frameworks like the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance’s metrics for emissions, water, waste and energy. Industry players like luxury chains, partnering with sustainability academies, are promoting local sourcing, waste reduction and data-driven decisions to reduce environmental impact.
Hotels are increasingly moving toward renewable energy, eco-construction methods and guest engagement aligned with climate goals. Certifications such as B Corp, Green Key, EarthCheck and Green Globe create accountability and transparency in hospitality. These certifications and boards ensure that responsibility standards are met and maintained, allowing others to keep up with the high bar set by pioneers like One Aldwych.
One Aldwych demonstrates how a luxury hotel can become a sustainable leader through systemic, ongoing innovation. Their journey showcases that the hospitality sector can harmonise comfort, culture and responsibility. This illustrates how luxury hotels can lead meaningful change, without compromising style and elegance to maintain ethical and environmental standards.
Created by Jessica Marwood.
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