Marbella Club achieves Butterfly Mark Certification
and joins community of real changemakers
Founded by Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe in 1954, this now-legendary resort occupies a prime patch of Marbella’s Golden Mile, tucked away from the buzz amid peaceful pine groves. A love-letter to slow living, Marbella Club has gracefully evolved from its rustic, motel-style origins to encompass 115 rooms and suites and a collection of 17 villas. The 5,000 sq m, Kids Club is one of the best in Europe, making the hotel a paradise for families. Marbella Club is also a dazzling destination for socialising with 10 restaurants and bars, and perfect for wellness travelers, thanks to its sea-fronted Thalasso spa and heavenly Holistic Studio, set in lush botanic gardens, offering deeply healing, integrative health practices.
The Butterfly Mark is only ever awarded to the luxury brands meeting higher and higher standards for people and nature. To earn it, Positive Luxury’s clients undergo a comprehensive assessment which is built on the foundation of international agreements, global frameworks and standards, and potential upcoming legislation. And every two years, brands have to do it all again.
In order to achieve the Butterfly Mark, companies must achieve a minimum of 50% in each area of assessment: Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG). Marbella Club achieved 77% in Environment, 76% in Social and 80% in Governance, excelling in the following areas:
BIODIVERSITY
With emphasis on conservation, responsibility and mitigation Marbella Club are continuously working towards understanding their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity. The club work closely with Fundación Aula del Mar Mediterráneo (FAMM), a Malaga based marine conservation research centre, who together with the club have been working on a four-year long seahorse repopulation project. Not only has this initiative increased the understanding of the status of Spain´s native seahorse populations, the project has also prompted stakeholder awareness and engagement in relation to biodiversity. To further understand and mitigate their impact on people and nature, Marbella Club completes an annual Natural Capital Assessment in which risks and opportunities for positive action are identified. The club also ensure to align with the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
FAMM´s SeahorseMED project is evolving as stakeholders become more actively engaged. Following a scientific workshop jointly organized by FAMM and the Marbella Club in late 2023, the project is now being integrated into “Hippo-Dec”, a recent initiative that is going to be managed by Spain´s “Ministerio de Transición Ecologica y Reto Demográfico”. Hippo-Dec aims to coordinate the efforts of independent NGO´s dedicated to the conservation of native seahorses, map remaining populations at a national level and establish micro-reserves for their protection.
FAMM is one of only two NGO´s, that has successfully mapped seahorse populations in Spain and has given that data to the Ministerio de Transición Ecologica y Reto Demográfico. While FAMM and the Marbella Club will continue conducting ex-situ research on captive seahorse breeding, the primary focus will be on working with local authorities to set up micro-reserves in areas along the Malaga coast where seahorse populations have been identified. This means that reintroduction is still a distant goal.
CLIMATE
From net zero emission practices to analysing their scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, Marbella Club have a wide range of initiatives in place all aimed at reducing their impact on the environment. The club have implemented SMART metering and carbon control systems throughout the hotel to understand and optimise their energy usage, as well as significantly reducing their GHG emissions from bottled water transportation through opting for Nordaq 500, premium filtered water bottles. Furthermore, Marbella Club are in the process of developing their Environmental Management System, highlighting the risks and opportunities associated with their operations as well as setting reduction targets.
WASTE & WATER
To promote responsible consumption and production patterns, Marbella Club have implemented Environmental and Waste Management policies that largely focus on Reducing, Recycling, Reusing, Repairing and Recovering. These policies are widely communicated throughout the hotel ensuring all internal and external stakeholders are aware of the correct ways in which to dispose of waste. Following LEANPATH's tech-based organic waste management system, the club also partakes in an annual 7-day waste audit conducted by a third party. Through this, non-hazardous waste is monitored and measured to generate total annual weight estimates which can then be used to set year on year reduction targets. The hotel has also invested 800 hours of one-to-one waste management training to employees aiming to spread awareness of its efforts to promote a circular economy.
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT & THE SDGs
Following their detailed sustainable procurement policy, Marbella Club ensure to only select suppliers who align to their core ESG values, prompting a more sustainable approach to sourcing. The club work closely with suppliers to increase transparency and traceability and highlight the importance of ethical and local sourcing. In addition to SDG 13 and 14, Marbella Club have conducted an in-depth analysis of the SDGs, selecting 3 additional goals to align with including SDG 3 (Health & Wellbeing) through wellness programmes and awareness trainings, SDG 10 (Reduce inequalities) through robust DEI policies, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) through emphasising the importance of a circular economy as well as their detailed waste management policy.
“This is truly a milestone for the Marbella Club and a seismic shift for our 70th anniversary year. We’re fortunate to be able to mark the path as we enter into the next decade, and continue our hospitality journey responsibly. I am so proud of our Marbella Club family that has pulled together to achieve this goal.” Jennica Arazi, Owner of Marbella Club
"Receiving the Butterfly Mark is a profound recognition of our entire team's unwavering dedication to surpassing benchmarks and innovating our business practices to help safeguard the planet for future generations. It signifies not just the acknowledgment of our achievements thus far, but also serves as an inspiring guide for the journey ahead. We are filled with immense pride and pledge to continue driving positive change within luxury hospitality industry”. Leigh A. Barrett, Director of Group Sustainability of Marbella Club
“We are delighted to announce that Marbella Club, in our view the hotel with the best address on the southern Spanish coast, has been awarded the Butterfly Mark for meeting higher and higher standards for people and nature. From emphasising conservation through its work with the Marine Conservation Research Centre, undertaking annual Natural Capital Assessments, implementing SMART and carbon control systems, and promoting responsible consumption through its Environmental Management Systems focused on the principles of reduce, recycle, reuse, repair and recover – this family run hotel is inspiring others in the travel industry through actionable change. Marbella Club has invested significant time, resource and passion, and addressed head-on some of the most challenging topics for the travel industry: biodiversity, water and waste. Marbella Club has set the bar high for luxury hotels, and it is an absolute honour to recognise the entire Marbella Club team – from owners to associates – as real changemakers.” Amy Nelson-Bennett, CEO of Positive Luxury
Other luxury brands across different verticals that have been awarded the Butterfly Mark include Monica Vinader, Le Grand Bellevue, Tom Ford Beauty, Valextra, MCM, Belvedere, The Macallan, Anya Hindmarch and more.
Learn more about Marbella Club here and view the full breakdown of their sustainability performance via the Connected Butterfly Mark tool.