New Energy For a Storied Landmark
Fairmont Royal York takes our role as a city-defining destination very seriously. As the world and Toronto move toward a more sustainable future, it’s our responsibility to lead that movement.
And so, our landmark hotel is in the midst of a stunning transformation for the zero carbon century ahead. An historic heritage decarbonization project, now complete. Tackling food waste with AI. Better balance with the natural world. Reducing plastic. Supporting the social fabric.
Together, it’s a crowning achievement for a sustainable city.
And it’s only just begun.
In pursuit of zero carbon future, Fairmont Royal York has just completed the largest heritage hotel retrofit in North America – achieving a *Zero Carbon Building – Performance Standard™ certification by the Canada Green Building Council. This transformative project will reduce our building’s carbon emissions by over 7,000 tonnes every year the equivalent of taking 1,558 cars off the road.
How did we do it?
Cooling is provided by cool water from deep in Lake Ontario, through connection to Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system, replacing centrifugal chillers. Heating and hot water comes from an electric heat pump installation plant; legacy steam systems have been decommissioned. Other innovations in energy management systems optimize efficiency. The project removes 80% of direct emissions from building operations (the remaining emissions will be addressed with offsets certified by Carbon Zero).
This crowning achievement is proof of concept: even large legacy buildings can transition for the sustainable century ahead. It’s a major boost of confidence for the skyline, our city, and our industry.
Our rooftop garden delivers a pocket of lush green, high up in the skyline. It’s a connection to the natural world, and a moment of natural calm in the booming centre of the city.
Rooftop honeybees
Established in 2008, our rooftop apiary was the world’s first home for honeybees atop a city hotel. These hives teem with 600,000 honeybees – a supportive home for the pollinators crucial for the health of crops, flowers, and biodiversity. (In fact, pollination is an essential ‘ecosystem service’ which is worth an estimated $326 million worldwide.)
And the results are sweet for our guests. An average of 450lbs of honey is produced in these hives every year – a golden hyper-local addition to afternoon tea, cocktails, and culinary creations.
Herb garden
The rooftop herb garden produces 45 different varieties of herbs – fresh flavours ready to be harvested by our chefs for kitchens and cocktails experiences in the hotel. It’s also a great way to watch things grow in the heart of our city.
Food waste is a massive issue – for our city, and our world. As much as one third of the food humans produce is never consumed. This waste accounts for up to 8% of global GHG emissions – four times as much as aviation. In travel and hospitality, the issue is particularly acute.
Fairmont Royal York is committed to shifting this dynamic. We’ve set a target of reduced food waste by 60% by 2030, through a host of initiatives including:
* Using the Orbisk technology platform to sort and track food waste with AI, including image recognition cameras and advanced waste stream management
* Oscar Sort, our intelligent sorting system, leverages Intuitive AI to help our team separate food waste properly and efficiently in the course of service operations
* Be One to Give captures unavoidable food waste and redistributes it to communities in need
* In partnership with Civil Pours, we have diverted more than 811 kg of citrus waste in 2024. The peeled fruits and juices that remain from our cocktail garnishes are collected and upcycled into fresh distillates, which are in turn used in our cocktails.
* Partnerships with local farmers and producers reduce wastage from travel
We are continually seeking out technology and operational solutions to reduce food waste – and we’re determined to lead our industry and our city on this issue.
Plastic waste is a prevalent and growing issue across the planet. Addressing plastics must be a priority for all those who lead our culture and economy. At Fairmont Royal York, we’re reducing plastic waste across our city landmark, with:
* The elimination of single-use plastics across the guest experience
* Tracking plastic waste and managing recycling more efficiently with Oscar Sort at key touchpoints in the service cycle
* New circular systems for coffee, water bottles, and other vital material streams within the hotel
Plastic waste is something we must all approach with mindfulness, innovation, and vigilance. We are proud to make progress and evolve to address this issue.
Where we source our food matters immensely. For freshness and local character, on the one hand. And, much more, food sourcing has enormous impacts on ecosystem health, reduced emissions, and the communities of our local growers.
Fairmont Royal York draws from local, organic farms whenever possible. We focus our sourcing on producers within 100km of the hotel. All for pure cuisine, less waste, and the health of Ontario’s famed Golden Horseshoe agricultural region.
Our seafood, meanwhile, is OceanWise certified and sustainably sourced – vital in an era where our oceans need more attention than ever before.
The social dimension of sustainability is crucial. Ensuring that people have equal and just access to community opportunities, resources, and safe spaces to live and connect is paramount. Fairmont Royal York has renewed our commitment to social impact programs across the hotel, including:
* A progressive commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including a strong focus on developing and promoting women leaders
* Proud participation in LGBTQ+ cultural events at the hotel and across our city – and an active culture of inclusion and safety for both colleagues and guests
* An active partnership in the IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association)
* Training across all colleague teams to spot human trafficking and child exploitation, and intervene to stop it
* An ongoing partnership with Make-A-Wish Canada – Fairmont Royal York hosts and donates to Trees of Joy each year, granting children with life-threatening illnesses their most heartfelt wish