The Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Hospitality (CESH) - effectively supporting the strategic goal of the BBS responsible and sustainable university - works to expand the scientific knowledge of the field, support sectoral cooperation, strengthen student sensitivity to the topic and help, in a broader sense, the shaping of society’s attitudes.
The Centre prepares topic-specific research in domestic and international collaborations, the results of which can be directly used in its training and curriculum development. In the course of the implementation of its research activities, in addition to lecturers, researchers and students, it also involves practitioners and representatives of the profession in the research, cooperates with them in their preparation and implementation, and in the dissemination of results.
Its aim is to increase the scientific knowledge of the field and to support sectoral cooperation as a knowledge-sharing platform, within the very broad field of sustainable development, with the help of high-level research in the fields of hospitality and related tourism. The Centre, together with the Sustainability Centre, actively participates in the sustainability-related activities of BBS at the institutional level.
Focus areas
Research
- Sustainability approach in the Hungarian hospitality industry - a survey of the knowledge of brands representing sustainability and environmental awareness, the examination of the most common Hungarian eco-conscious labels representing environmental awareness (ECOSCALE), and the effects on the selection decision.
- Food waste - the main goal is to prevent food waste in the hotel food preparation and sales process, mapping good practices, finding ways to reduce waste and wastage (reuse, transformation, animal feed, donation, composting, transport, etc.) and preparing international / European maps.
- Quantification of environmental load, carbon footprint calculation – the analysis of possibilities for reduction of environmental load through sample products.
- Sustainable and healthy nutrition - to determine the nutritional quality and environmental load of the diet of the Hungarian population.
Academic achievements and social impact
- High-level publications (2019 - 5 academic papers, 4 study volume chapters, 2 monographs, 5 conference publications, numerous lectures and posters).
- The Centre developed subjects related to hotel management, organisation and the management of catering companies, which appeared in the training of BBS.
- CESH helps hospitality SMEs and hotels e.g. sustainability labels and food waste reduction
- The list of CESH academic publications is available HERE.
- The Centre presents its scientific results in an interesting and comprehensible way and regularly publishes reading articles on international research and topic-specific activities.
Dissemination activities (lectures and events, editorial tasks)
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Areas of activities in details
Addressing sustainability and related issues are perhaps the greatest challenge of our century, as its social and economic impacts affect the functioning of almost all sectors. Although the challenges are global, we can make changes at the most local level to achieve sustainability goals. Tourism, hospitality and commerce are also significantly involved in taking responsibility for environmental and social issues.
As the number one training provider in the fields of hospitality, tourism and marketing in Hungary, and as a university of applied sciences, we are primarily interested in how we can assist knowledge sharing and support sectoral cooperation through our research and dissemination activities. We are committed to the ideas of sustainable development, so we strive to shape attitudes in all areas, but especially in our educational and research activities. As a responsible higher education institution, it is extremely important for us to react to changes in the field so that we can bring our students to the labour market with fresh knowledge, expertise and the right interests and attitudes. To that end, we continuously integrate research results into our education.
Carbon footprint calculation in hospitality - environmental impact measurement and reduction options
An increasing number of studies are being conducted on the environmental pressures and their various aspects. Agricultural production, the production and transport of raw materials and the food industry, as well as the processing of food in hospitality and the treatment and possible prevention of food waste, all directly or indirectly affect our environment. You can read more about the research HERE.
Healthy and sustainable nutrition
Is a healthy diet sustainable? Is sustainable nutrition healthy? The threats of global climate change and the problem of increasing environmental pressures are bringing to life disciplines that examine not only the health issues of humanity’s diet but also its sustainability. In order to override the current nutritional recommendations, there is a serious need, from a sustainability point of view, to optimise the diet of the population not only in the field of health but also in the field of environmental protection. In our research, we determine the nutritional and physiological quality of the diet of the Hungarian population. Along with the obtained data, we plan virtual diets that have a low environmental load and an optimal nutrient composition for the Hungarian population. You can read more about the research HERE.
Food waste
This research focuses on reducing the environmental impact of the principles of sustainability. Preventing food waste is the main goal in the process of preparing and selling food in hotels and restaurants. The research explores the critical points where the amount of food thrown away can be reduced. You can read more about the research HERE.
In addition to continuous research work, CESH also takes an active role in dissemination, both within and outside the walls of the university. The Centre was the theme host of the Hungarian Day of Science 2018 conference at our university. At the event attracting 200 people, we covered the topic of sustainable tourism with the help of domestic and international experts, while the staff of the Centre also reported on their ongoing research.
The Centre has traditionally been active in the annual events of BBS Researcher Days and Researchers' Night - with their diverse programmes, interesting, exciting, often interactive programmes, they make a major contribution to attitude-shaping, sensitisation and science promotion. CESH colleagues also regularly present at high-quality scientific and professional events, which you can read more about HERE.