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選單
登錄
海擇短評 Haize Comment：
近期在代表荷蘭政府的消費者和市場管理局(ACM, Authority for Consumers and Markets)壓力下，Booking(NASDAQ: BKNG)公告取消了"可持續旅遊計劃(Travel Sustainable program)"，該計畫於2021年推出，旨在對飯店在可持續發展層面所做的努力，給到1到3+評分；Booking同步也下架了已頒發給超過50萬家住宿的永續旅遊徽章(Travel Sustainable Badge)。
ACM是位於荷蘭海牙的競爭監管機構，由消費者管理局(Consumentenautoriteit, CA)、獨立郵電管理局(Onafhankelijke Post en Telecommunicatie Autoriteit, OPTA)和荷蘭競爭管理局(Nederlandse Mededingsautoriteit, NM)合併而成。本次它在公告給了Booking很嚴峻的指責，說明它將不斷專注於教育和針對不正確的永續發展資訊採取行動，且將致力保護永續發展的企業，免受使用誤導性聲明進行不公平競爭的企業侵害(businesses that undertake sustainability efforts must be protected against businesses that compete unfairly by using misleading claims)。
詳盡閱讀ACM的公告後，海擇資本認為，要求Booking下架的理由似乎也沒這麼罄竹難書。ACM的說明如下："首先，可持續旅遊計劃的名稱是一種具有誤導性的永續發展聲明(misleading sustainability claim)，它會讓人誤解旅行與可持續發展有關；其次，消費者無法清楚了解Booking評分的依據；再次，一些評分指標沒有意義，比如要求飯店削減一次性塑膠製品，由於歐盟已禁止一次性塑膠製品，這項評分指標實質上沒有任何價值。"海擇資本認為，ACM想要表達的很單純，就是－"什麼可持續、可持續應該符合什麼指標、誰有資格評比可持續，這是政府說了算的，商業公司無權置喙。"
新創公司應該要從這件事得到一個警訊。很多新創是以可持續、ESG等社會公益為題目進行研究開發，這類題目雖然討巧、資本額要求也低，但很多層面的定義權還是在政府機關，如何精準的理解政策與得到官方授權可能很重要。Booking被政府修理，只要下架相關產品/服務就沒事，能創造收入的產品線還有很多；如果一家以可持續諮詢服務為核心的公司被政府這麼修理，估計未來再次融資增長的機會就難了。
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Under pressure from the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), Booking.com (NASDAQ: BKNG) recently announced the cancellation of its "Travel Sustainable program," which was launched in 2021. The program rated hotels on sustainability efforts with a scale of 1 to 3+ and has now also removed the "Travel Sustainable Badge" previously awarded to over 500,000 accommodations.
The ACM, a competition regulatory authority based in The Hague, Netherlands, was formed by merging the Consumer Authority (CA), the Independent Post and Telecommunication Authority (OPTA), and the Dutch Competition Authority (NM). In a recent statement, it issued a stern rebuke to Booking.com, emphasizing its commitment to educating on and acting against incorrect sustainability information. The ACM aims to protect businesses engaged in sustainability from those that compete unfairly using misleading claims.
After thoroughly reviewing the ACM's statement, Haize Capital noted that the reasons for demanding Booking.com to remove its listings were quite straightforward. The ACM explained: "First, the 'Travel Sustainable program' name is a misleading sustainability claim, suggesting a misleading connection between travel and sustainability. Second, consumers cannot clearly understand the basis for Booking.com's ratings. Third, some rating criteria are meaningless, such as reducing single-use plastics, which have no real value since the EU has already banned such products." Haize Capital summarized the ACM's message as simply stating, "What is sustainable, what criteria should sustainability meet, and who is qualified to assess
Startups should take a warning from this incident. Many startups focus on sustainability and ESG-related social benefits, which are attractive and low in capital requirements, but the definition of many aspects still rests with government agencies. Understanding policies accurately and securing official authorization can be crucial. While Booking.com could easily discontinue its implicated products/services without major consequences, as it has many other revenue-generating lines, a company centered around sustainability consulting might find its opportunities for future fundraising and growth severely limited if similarly scrutinized by the government.
標籤 Label： ACM Booking.com BKNG Travel Sustainability ESG