TRAVEL & LEISURE
CANDACRAIG
Candacraig is an exclusive Scottish mansion, situated in 18 acres of private woodland in the Cairngorms. This highland retreat offers truly bespoke hospitality, and a unique, memorable experience to guests. While the house itself dates back to the 17th century, Candacraig's approach to sustainability is cutting edge – from biodiversity protection, sustainable sourcing and a circular approach to waste management, to social responsibility and local communities.
SUSTAINABILITY PURPOSE
Surrounded by 18 acres of private woodland within Britain’s largest National Park (The Cairngorms), Candacraig understand the critical need to protect the environment and champion sustainable procedures to reduce their environmental impact.
They care about their community, their guests and the planet and understand the need to limit the day-to-day impact of their actions. Sustainable practices are key to Candacraig's ethos, achieved through evolving behaviours of their team and guests.
Candacraig are committed to many sustainable initiatives. These continue to evolve in alignment with the needs of their business and guests.
Established
2014
Headquarters
Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Employees
10-15
First Certified
2022
Categories
Travel & Leisure
Website
A WORD FROM THE OWNERS
Candacraig aims to be recognised within Scottish hospitality as a leader in sustainable practices, whilst promoting the wild majestic landscapes that surround us. We are inspired by guests who understand the importance of a gentle footprint without this being at the expense of a luxury experience. We meticulously create events with our carbon footprint front of mind, and continue to implement new ways to successfully achieve this.
LYNNE AND MARC LINO
OWNERS
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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CULTURE
Candacraig prioritises the health, safety and wellbeing of their teams and wider community. Internal policies on diversity and inclusivity, harassment, wellbeing and internal codes of conduct and associated disciplinary procedures are communicated clearly through an Employee Handbook implemented with guidance provided by Positive Luxury team as part of the assessment. Supporting the local community and surrounding villages is key to their values with several new projects underway. Candacraig and its sister business The Steading Bar employs a local workforce with two members of Candacraig’s female led leadership team active members in local tourism initiatives.
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WASTE & CIRCULARITY
The estate’s circular business model is epitomized by their efficient waste management, recycling and composting systems. Water at Candacraig is sourced from a local well and all sanitary wastewater is treated in the onsite septic tanks before releasing it back into the environment. Zero food waste is achieved by careful planning and supplier communications while all surplus food is distributed to staff and the local community. Candacraig follows a strict Zero Plastic Policy internally and promotes plastic alternatives in their supply chain.
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CARBON
100% of energy at Candacraig is renewable, while heat and water heating is carried out by wood burning biomass technology significantly lowering the GHG release. To further lower their carbon footprint, Candacraig limits corporate travel to a minimum, working closely with industry partners for representing the estate in corporate events. All employees live locally and additional event staff are provided with accommodation to avoid unnecessary commuting.
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BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION
The Candacraig property is situated on 18 acres of land inside many thousands of acres of the Cairngorms National Park. Careful management and protection of these natural resources are carried out, contributing greatly to biodiversity conservation in the area. Rewilding initiatives are supported in partnership with The Big Picture for nature protection. Candacraig avoids all toxic chemicals in estate and household management.
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SUSTAINABLE SOURCING
Candacraig has implemented a Sustainable Procurement Strategy focusing on reducing negative environmental impacts and ensuring fair operating practices in the supply chain. Their sourcing strategy supports small local business, promotes diversity and inclusion across their value chain, demands animal welfare, and carries out sustainability risk analysis for every product or service procured. By careful supplier selection and building close relationships over many years, Candacraig is able to promote sustainable practices such as limiting both the use of plastic in transit packaging and carbon emissions from produce delivery by choosing suppliers in close proximity. As part of the assessment, Positive Luxury guided Candacraig through Sourcing Strategy implementation and it is now firmly ingrained in the business operations.
