SSA Group, a best-in-class provider of integrated guest services, presents its 2025 Climate Action and Impact Report, highlighting how climate action is being embedded across the full hospitality experience.
The report reflects on progress and partnerships to date, outlines four key Climate Action Drivers, and establishes SSA’s objectives for the coming year.
"SSA Group is uniquely equipped to drive meaningful climate action," says David Rosenberg, executive vice president, guest experience. "Our scale, our operational footprint, and our deep partnerships across the attractions industry give us the ability, and the responsibility, to influence sustainability and climate action.
"This report reflects our belief that sustainability is strongest when it is embedded in everyday decisions and shared across organisations. Progress requires accountability, transparency, and collective action.
"SSA is committed to this by actively pursuing our four key Climate Action Drivers: Mitigating Emissions, Restorative Purchasing, Internal Sustainability Culture, and Industry Influential Leadership.
"I am extremely thankful for our like-minded partners, our engaged team members, our strategic collaborators at Verdis Group and Aquarium Conservation Partnership, and all those who make this work possible.
"Together, we are helping move our industry toward a more sustainable and resilient future."
The 452 connection
At the centre of SSA’s approach is its 452 Hospitality ethos, which shapes how the company delivers both guest experience and environmental impact.
Named after 452 Leyden Street, the childhood home of CEO Sean McNicholas, the concept reflects a culture of warmth, openness, and belonging, where guests, neighbours, and friends were always welcomed.
Today, that ethos informs how sustainability shows up across operations, from sourcing and service to the moments guests experience on-site. This approach ensures climate action is integrated across the full visitor journey, from pre-visit decisions to on-site operations and post-visit connection.
"As SSA looks to the future, the 452 spirit also guides its approach to climate action," says McNicholas.
"Sustainability is not separate from hospitality—it is an expression of it. Through its Climate Action Plan, developed in partnership with Verdis Group, SSA translates the values of 452 into measurable environmental, guest, and partner impact across the cultural attractions industry.
For the team, sustainability is a natural extension of its hospitality values, focused on caring for people, respecting places, and ensuring future generations can enjoy the same sense of connection and welcome.
Climate strategies in action
SSA collaborated with Verdis Group to develop a Climate Action Plan that converts shared values into tangible environmental, guest, and partner impact.
By leveraging Verdis Group’s experience with museums, zoos, and aquariums, this alliance accelerates SSA’s 2040 climate objectives and broadens access to sustainability leadership aligned with its mission across the cultural attractions sector.
SSA and Verdis drive this initiative through four key drivers: Mitigating Emissions, Restorative Purchasing, Internal Sustainability Culture, and Industry Influential Leadership.
Mitigating Emissions
The impact of the Mitigating Emissions driver is evident in the firm's work with the Florida Aquarium, which hosted a zero-waste icebreaker event during the AZA Annual Meeting in 2025.
The team used compostable serviceware, real-time waste management, Oscar AI smart bins, and food-rescue planning, with collaboration between SSA, Aquarium staff, and partners on composting, recycling, food rescue, and ocean advocacy.
SSA & Florida Aquarium showcase sustainability at AZA Conference Icebreaker
The event not only reduced waste but also demonstrated how large-scale guest experiences can be designed with sustainability at their core.
SSA also partnered with Surfrider Foundation to promote ocean conservation, featured sustainable seafood, and provided recycled-material apparel for the crew.
Hosting nearly 2,800 guests, the event achieved a waste diversion rate of 96%, exceeding zero-waste standards and setting new benchmarks for large-scale gatherings.
Other initiatives include waste-reduction strategies, the implementation of electric kitchens, and edible food rescue programmes.
Restorative Purchasing
When it comes to Restorative Purchasing, SSA works with innovative partners such as A&F Souvenir to source retail items, collaborating with suppliers who implement production efficiencies to minimise water and energy use.
In 2025, A&F imprinted over 200,000 shirts on Kornit machines. Kornit's technology uses 93.8% less water than conventional screen printing, which can use as much as 10 litres of water per shirt. The result was 2,054,000 litres of annual water savings.
This highlights how digital printing can help conserve resources and encourage sustainable practices in the textile industry. The savings equate to enough drinking water for 1,760 people for a year.
SSA collaborates with plush manufacturers to create collections from recycled water bottles, reducing plastic waste, and encourages guests to return plush toys for recycling via a leading return-and-recycle programme.
It also uses recycled retail bags, eco-friendly receipt paper, and many other innovative packaging solutions.
Internal Sustainability Culture
Sustainability is a key part of the company's internal culture.
For instance, it offers toolkits to support the creation of 452 experiences and projects for Earth Day, World Ocean Day, and Plastic Free July. It also provides its own training programme, eduMe, with courses offered on climate action, sustainability, and conservation.
Many SSA accounts throughout the US participated in the first W.I.L.D. Zero Waste Challenge by pledging to cut down on single-use plastics and other waste.
In addition, SSA locations support local clean-ups, including the Cincinnati Museum Center, which participated in an Adopt-A-Spot with its local Keep Cincinnati Beautiful chapter.
Meanwhile, the SSA Birmingham Zoo team donated glass to Rage Room Birmingham. This initiative began after recognising limited local recycling options.
The organisation responsibly recycles all materials used in its experiences and supports the community while reducing glass waste sent to landfills.
Industry Influential Leadership
Finally, the fourth Climate Action driver is Industry Influential Leadership. This is demonstrated through SSA's partnerships with organisations such as AZA, WAZA, IAAPA, the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, the Green Restaurant Association, and many more.
These elements are core to SSA’s identity, driving growth and reinforcing its dedication to sustainability and conservation. As a proactive leader, SSA collaborates with others to advance the industry.
One example is its partnership with TCHO to create custom chocolate bars for select SSA accounts. TCHO, a B-Corp-certified company, is Fair Trade-certified and sources directly from cocoa farmers around the world.
The Florida Aquarium, SSA Group & TCHO create chocolate with global impact
In 2026, SSA will focus on scaling proven solutions, standardising best practices, and accelerating progress towards Net Zero by 2040, ensuring climate action continues to scale across operations, partnerships and the guest experience.
To read the full report, please click here.
Recently, SSA's Sean McNicholas and Jason Stover spoke to blooloop about how the company's new AI-driven operating system, Scout, can deliver more memorable experiences.
