Sustainability statement

A circular approach at Watergate Bay

• We’re working towards 80% of our waste being recycled and are getting close. All waste is separated onsite and our food waste is processed at a local anaerobic digestion facility and converted into renewable energy.
  
  
• Our general waste goes to the state-of-the-art Cornwall Energy Recovery Centre; the waste is used as fuel to generate sustainable energy in the form of electricity - enough for 21,000 Cornish homes.
  
  
• We have dramatically reduced single-use plastic. You’ll find reusable carafes of filtered water in our rooms instead of bottles, and no plastic straws, picks or stirrers. The land&water bath and body care bottles in rooms are made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, are refilled after use, and are fully recyclable.
  
  
  
  
• In our kitchens, food is delivered in reusable crates or recyclable cardboard. We ensure we reduce food waste, for example by using all cuts of meat across our three restaurants. The cooking oil we use is also collected for use in biodiesel.
  
  
• At Watchful Mary, reclaimed teak was used to create the outdoor furniture and our newly designed rooms in the hotel include upcycled pieces, restyled for a new lease of life.
  
  
  
  
• Our textiles and old uniforms are donated to the Salvation Army and we have collaborated with Surf Action to donate our wetsuits to veterans, their family and friends.
  
  
• Abandoned bodyboards discarded on the beach at Watergate Bay don’t end up in landfill. In partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, the polystyrene material used for the boards has been used to insulate beehives at Quince Honey Farm in Devon, as well as a craft workshop near Callington in Cornwall.

Conservation at Watergate Bay

• We only buy 100% renewable electricity, supplied by our long-standing partner Good Energy.
  
  
• We also self-generate our base load (60kw) using two onsite combined heat and power plants (CHP).
  
  
• Our CHP system not only generates our base load for electricity but also provides for the majority of our hot water and heating requirements. The system is 65% more efficient than conventional power generation and prevents 207 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere each year.
  
  
• Solar thermal panels pre-heat our hot water, reducing our natural gas use, particularly during the peak demand periods in the summer.
  
  
• Across the hotel, LED lighting is used almost exclusively to ensure less energy is wasted. To create more efficient kitchens, we increasingly use induction hobs – which also create a more pleasant working environment for our kitchen team.
  
  
  
  
• Guests can charge their electric cars for free at one of the six universal type 2 charging points in the hotel and The Village car parks. We also have two Tesla specific charging points.
  
  
• The ultraviolet water quality system in our swimming pool minimises the chlorine needed, and we filter the pool’s using OC1 - an ultra-efficient filtration media reducing overall water usage.
  
  
• In our kitchens, we source as much as we can from local suppliers supporting good local farming practice and reducing food miles. This includes heritage tomatoes, herbs, biodynamically grown summer fruits and a host of fresh vegetables.
  
  
  
  
• Almost 100% of the meat we serve is supplied by local farmers and butchers.
  
  
• Our fish and seafood are sourced from the south west, where they’re sustainably landed from waters managed by quotas to support fish populations.

• We recently provided a new home for the Watergate Bay Surf Life Saving Club and continue to work closely with the RNLI to provide life-guarding services at Watergate Bay. Together with our regular beach cleans, these are major parts of our commitment to ensure everyone can enjoy, and benefit from, the natural environment on our doorstep.
  
  
  
  
• We work with the Marine Conservation Society to help protect the beach, and sponsor Surfers Against Sewage in their fight to keep the oceans healthy and clean.
  
  
  
  
• We actively support organisations providing important services, including Cornwall Air Ambulance and through the Cornwall Community Foundation.
  
  
• In 2006 we founded the Jamie Oliver-inspired restaurant, Fifteen Cornwall. This social enterprise closed in 2019 having trained over 200 young people, the majority of whom are still working in Cornwall’s food industry. Another important legacy of Fifteen is that the charity delivered cooking programmes in the wider community which still continue.