Celtic Collection Achieves Green Dragon Environmental Standard Level 4 Across Seven Hotels And ICC Wales
The Celtic Collection has stepped up its commitment to sustainable practice and achieved the Green Dragon Environmental Standard at Level 4 across seven hotels and International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales).
The Celtic Collection properties at Celtic Manor Resort, Coldra Court Hotel, Newbridge on Usk, The Parkgate Hotel and the Tŷ Hotels at Magor, Newport and Milford Waterfront are the first hotels to reach the Level 4 accreditation.
Having achieved Green Dragon at Level 3 in 2005, the flagship Celtic Manor Resort was uplifted to Level 4 along with ICC Wales in 2024 and the Celtic Collection has worked hard to bring its other properties up to the same high standard in 2025. Only 19 other organisations in Wales are accredited at Level 4 and above.
The UKAS-accredited certification is owned and accredited by Groundwork Wales which pointed to the Celtic Collection’s environmental training programmes and embedded environmental management systems as instrumental to its success in gaining the awards.
Katy Stevenson, CEO of Groundwork Wales, said: “We are delighted to have worked with the Celtic Collection and ICC Wales for a number of years, accrediting their venues through the Green Dragon Environmental Standard and now uplifting to Level 4. This demonstrates consistent improvement and progress across a large and complex business.”
Fitzroy Hutchinson, Energy and Environment Manager at The Celtic Collection, said: “With a track record of over 30 years of sustainable business practice, we are committed to making sustainability part of our everyday. Having held the Green Dragon Environmental Standard at Level 3 at the Celtic Manor Resort for 20 years, we are delighted that our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and our environmental impact have resulted in us achieving Level 4 across The Celtic Collection and ICC Wales.
“We have made significant investment in our facilities to minimise our energy and water consumption, reduce our waste and raise our recycling levels but perhaps the most pleasing aspect of Level 4 recognition is that it reflects the enthusiastic participation of our team. More than 1,300 people have been trained to recognise and enhance our sustainability practices and we have proactive working groups in all properties and across every department. This engagement has been instrumental in reaching the Level 4 standard.”
All Celtic Collection properties source 100% of their electricity from REGO-backed renewable supplies, send zero waste to landfill, and recycle food waste into renewable energy and waste oil into biodiesel.
In 2024, the Collection opened the first all-electric large hotel in Wales at Tŷ Hotel Newport where energy-efficient electric ovens and induction hobs reduce energy consumption by around 40% in comparison with traditional gas-fired equipment.
At the flagship Celtic Manor Resort a new Environment and Ecology Stewardship Manager has overseen the planting of 5,000 trees, the installation of 120 bird boxes and the introduction of four bee hives housing 150,000 honeybees to boost biodiversity.
ICC Wales champions sustainability through initiatives like eliminating single-use plastics, using locally sourced produce, and maintaining Green Meetings Certified status. A member of leading industry sustainability body isla, ICC Wales offsets 465 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually thanks to its 230 acres of woodland and its state of the art construction includes a smart power Building Management System to minimise energy consumption.
