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Tropicalia

Tropicalia

Tropicalia is a sustainable luxury resort development created by Cisneros Real Estate, offering sophisticated architecture in a captivating and breathtaking site of diverse natural beauty in northeast Dominican Republic. Comprised of residential and resort developments and a Tom Doak golf course, Tropicalia integrates smart design with the natural landscape, creating a sense of balance between time and space. The project embodies the philanthropic and cultural values of the Cisneros Family and is uniquely positioned to be a model for sustainable luxury tourism in the Caribbean and the world.

Four Seasons Tropicalia

The project’s first phase of development, known as Four Seasons Tropicalia (FST), includes a 169-key Four Seasons resort and 40 branded residences, both of which are located on the Costa Esmeralda beachfront and were designed by Brazilian architect, Isay Weinfeld. Amenities include a luxurious spa, meeting and banquet spaces, a kids’ club, and a fitness center. Four Seasons Tropicalia’s minimalist architecture and tropical modernism diminish the barriers between indoor and outdoor space, evoking natural luxury and effortless transitions for the ultimate peace of mind. Amenities offer a rich combination of adventure and leisure activities to guests and residents alike.

Management and Governance Mechanisms

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Our Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) effectively replaced Tropicalia’s Sustainability Management System and prompts us to analyze issues in key topic areas such as stakeholder engagement; the environment, health and safety of workers; contractor management; sustainable supply chains; and grievance mechanisms, among other issue areas. 

Every ESMS document defines the scope of application and the user group (ownership, hotel operator, general contractor, suppliers and subcontractors) responsible for implementing the plan, policy or procedure outlined by this management system. The general scope of the ESMS encompasses Four Seasons Tropicalia, the Tropicalia estate and Fundación Tropicalia when appropriate; which also coincides with the reporting boundaries of our sustainability report.

In 2019:

  • Tropicalia developed its ESMS in compliance with IFC Performance Standard 1, comprising 44 procedures, plans and policies that set targets and objectives for Tropicalia’s environmental and social performance.
  • We defined our external grievance mechanism, effectively identifying our external stakeholders and the process by which Tropicalia will manage community concerns and recommendations during construction and operation.
  • We managed local stakeholder relations in coordination with Tropicalia’s Institutional Relations Manager based out of our Miches office, providing a space for ongoing and open-door consultation with community and sectoral stakeholders. Concerns are assessed and channeled to Tropicalia's executive team for proactive resolution.

Environmental & Social Management System

In an effort to ensure we report and measure material topics to Tropicalia, we rely on our newly developed Environmental and Social Management System, which prompts us to analyze issues in sustainable destination management, community development and other key topic areas. The ESMS has effectively replaced Tropicalia’s SMS from previous years.

LABOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS

We remain committed to the protection of human and labor rights as a fundamental element for creating a healthy workplace.

  • We translate these commitments into policies that counter child labor, advocate for gender equality, equal opportunity employment, and encourage individual freedom of association.
  • Our newly developed ESMS includes procedures for: Human Resources Management and Recruitment Procedures; Environment, Health and Safety of Workers; and an Internal Grievance Mechanism Procedure, all of which comply with IFC’s Environmental and Social Performance Standards as well as local regulation.
  • We are proud to say that more than 45% of our current employees are women; all employees are remunerated based on experience and position.
  • We hire and train local residents (nearly 70% come from rural regions); and all Miches-based operations implement local community engagement and development programs via Fundación Tropicalia.

Labor and Human Rights

In 2010, we committed to the United Nations Global Compact’s universal principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.

SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Tropicalia’s Sustainability Committee is a cross-functional team that meets annually to discuss strategy, report progress and define goals for the upcoming year. The diversity of the Committee members has brought strength to this corporate governance body.

  • Members include senior level Cisneros executives hailing from a wide variety of roles and backgrounds, in addition to external advisors, which are convened depending on the particular topic and area of expertise that is needed.
  • In November 2019, we rescheduled our annual meeting to the first quarter 2020 due to scheduling conflicts of our team. Continuity regarding sustainability programs and implementation was guaranteed throughout the year.
  • The Sustainability Committee is the most important governance body that reviews social and environmental issues for the project. The Committee plays an advisory role and guarantees the financial and human resources necessary for implementing Tropicalia’s sustainability programs.
  • In light of the current global pandemic, the Committee is prepared to assess and restructure strategy in order to respond to the new realities affecting our industry.

Sustainability Committee

Tropicalia’s Sustainability Committee is a cross-functional team that meets annually to discuss strategy, report progress and define goals for the upcoming year. Our committee is the highest governing body for reviewing environmental and social issues for Tropicalia. The diversity of our Committee members brings strength to this corporate governance body.

COMMITMENTS TO THE UNGC AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Specifically, Tropicalia is driving the following  SDGs:

  • SDG 5 for Gender Equality: We constantly push forward women and girls’ empowerment by implementing equal opportunity hiring policies, monitoring gender balance in our workforce and via the work of Fundación Tropicalia, which actively supports women and girls in agriculture, education and entrepreneurship.
  • SDG 8 for Decent Work and Economic Growth: Our entire business model is structured around sustainable tourism, thereby supporting the local government in promoting cultural integrity and local consumption.
  • SDG 9 for Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: We support SDG 9 via our pursuit of LEED and EDGE certification, both of which account for infrastructure resilience in the face of climate change.
  • SDG 12 for Responsible Consumption and Production: Tropicalia’s annual sustainability reports support SDG 12 as we pride ourselves on transparency and communication of our business’ impact in the world.
  • SDG 15 for Life on Land: Our biodiversity management plan and environmental programs support SDG 15 as we aspire for 100% compensation of deforested areas and plan on using only native, non-invasive species for gardening and landscaping.

It’s worth noting that Fundación Tropicalia supports SDGs 2, 4, 5, 8, 11, 14, 15 and 17 as well via its community development programs in the areas of education, environmental protection, economic inclusion and sociocultural advocacy.

Commitments to the UNGC and SDGs

We remain committed to the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals, which offer a critical path for business to achieve collective environmental and social objectives.

Download our Management and Governance Mechanisms

KEY COMMITMENTS TO SUSTAINABILITY

SOUND BUSINESS

  • General Contractor, Bouygues Construcciones República Dominicana, developed an Environmental, Social, Health and Safety program for the construction of Four Seasons Tropicalia, in accordance with the Environmental and Social Performance Standards of the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), and committed to applying these guidelines to their entire supply chain of subcontractors.
  • Tropicalia developed its own Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), which complies with 50% of the action items listed in the project’s Environmental and Social Action Plan. Our ESMS also defined our Corporate Policy Statement and the programs, procedures and plans that support the continuous improvement and monitoring of Tropicalia’s environmental and social performance, with specific focus on environment, health and safety (EHS); contractor and hotel management; capturing external and internal grievances; voluntary and mandatory compliance with local and international conventions and regulations; and stakeholder engagement.

We previously defined this commitment as “Economic Sustainability,” and modified it to “Sound Business” as it more accurately reflects how we balance financial, environmental, social and aesthetic viability when making business decisions for Tropicalia. In 2019, we focused efforts on structuring early works activities and developing internal controls and management systems.

THOUGHTFUL ARCHITECTURE

  • Four Seasons Tropicalia will be required to achieve a minimum of 20% energy and water savings, as well as 20% savings of embodied energy in materials. We anticipate achieving up to 50% energy savings thanks to the implementation of passive cooling design strategies, such as green roofs and open corridors.
  • At completion, the project is anticipating LEED Silver certification, corresponding to 50-59 points for sustainable design, construction and operation strategies ranging across seven categories: sustainable sites, water use reduction, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor air quality, innovation and regional priority.
  • Dominican Republic’s most renowned botanists curated our species selection for Four Seasons Tropicalia landscape design, ensuring that we only use indigenous, non-invasive species, contributing to biodiversity conservation and responsible water use.
  • The architectural design of Four Seasons Tropicalia is low density and prioritizes open space, accounting for passive cooling systems throughout. This key attribute of sustainable design increases resiliency and allows the project to manage the new realities posed by social distancing.
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Four Seasons Tropicalia is pursuing the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED certification and will comply with the IFC’s rigorous standards for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE).

ENVIRONMENTAL BALANCE

  • Tropicalia, and a group of important investors in Miches, began organizing the El Seibo-Miches Hotel and Restaurant Association with the vision of positioning Miches as a sustainable tourism destination, support the co-management of coastal spaces and identify solutions for responsible water use and solid waste management, among other objectives. See more about this effort in Destination Management.
  • We identified and georeferenced a total of 82 endangered Roystonea hispaniolana (Palma real), Sabal causiarum (palma cana), Bactris plumeriana (palma catey), and Pterocarpus officinalis (drago) trees to be avoided and/or transplanted during site clearance in 2020. 
  • We submitted Tropicalia’s 13th Environmental Compliance Report (ICA) to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.  
  • We continued implementing maintenance and clean-up efforts of the Costa Esmeralda beachfront, as well as our recycling efforts on site.

Tropicalia protects and conserves the natural environment using sustainable site development and destination management to maintain biological integrity, habitat connectivity, and green space.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

  • In 2019, FT celebrated its tenth anniversary with an itinerant photography exhibition in collaboration with the artist, Fer Figheras. We launched the exhibition in Miches, where it was on display in the municipal park for two weeks, and subsequently traveled to four additional locations in Punta Cana and Santo Domingo, generating awareness of FT’s activities over the last decade.
  • Soy niña, soy importante (SNSI, I’m a Girl, I’m Important) was awarded four international recognitions for excellence.
  • FT launched two pilot programs in 2019, under the Productivity program area. One encourages women to establish organic home gardens, and the other provides entrepreneurial training for farmers, some of which were previous participants of ¡Miches, sí!
  • FT impacted the lives of 2,589 beneficiaries (59% female and 41% male), by successfully implementing eight programs in 2019.

The community development efforts undertaken by Fundación Tropicalia (FT) are a key component of Tropicalia’s goal in building local capacity and expanding economic opportunities while preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage.

Download our Key Commitments to Sustainability

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Tropicalia Sustainability Report 2019 © All rights reserved Tropicalia República Dominicana