Green Key is a leading standard of excellence in the field of sustainable tourism, guiding tourism establishments to do their part in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. In our new feature series we will present each of the 17 SDGs and explain their connection to Green Key.
In 2015, the UN member states adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to guide governments, the private sector and civil society in transforming our world into safer, fairer and more livable place.
On this page, you will learn more about Goal 2: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture".
What is Goal 2 about?
According to the UN, "Goal 2 aims to end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. It also commits to universal access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food at all times of the year. This will require sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices, equal access to land, technology and markets and international cooperation on investments in infrastructure and technology to boost agricultural productivity." In the link above, you can read about the targets and indicators to Goal 2.
How does Green Key help to achieve Goal 2?
The Green Key criteria include several requirements and guidelines that promote sustainable food production and support local agricultural businesses. In particular, Green Key criteria 2022-2025 contribute to supporting incomes of small-scale food producers (SDG target 2.3), promoting sustainable agricultural practices and ecosystem protection (SDG target 2.4), as well as maintaining the genetic diversity of plant species (SDG target 2.5). Here is how Green Key criteria do that:
LOCAL FOOD SOURCING - With the new 2022-2025 criteria, each Green Key certified establishment will purchase and register at least five types of food/drink products that are organic, eco-labelled, fair-trade and/or locally produced, a further step in the path to responsible sourcing. This is to ensure that each establishment supports sustainable food producers and stimulates the local economy, as well as implementing sustainable patterns of consumption and encouraging sustainable production on the offer side (criterion 8.1, 8.10). For customers to be aware of food/beverage origin and composition, establishments are encouraged to provide information about them in the menu (criterion 8.7);
BAN ON PRODUCTS FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES - Green Key certified establishments must not serve products from endangered species, as a way to make meals less impactful on ecosystems and biodiversity (criterion 8.2);
VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN OPTIONS - The Green Key programme promotes the inclusion of vegetarian and vegan alternatives on the menu card, as meat-free dishes have a lower environmental footprint (criterion 8.3). In their effort towards continuous improvement, establishments are encouraged to keep widening their vegetarian/vegan offer in the restaurant menus (criteria 8.8, 8.9);
SUPPORTING LOCAL PRODUCERS - The programme promotes the provision of means for local small entrepreneurs to develop and sell sustainable products within the establishment’s premises. This includes the possibility for local farmers or food producers to either sell their products to the hotel or directly to the guests (criterion 11.7). Consumption of locally sourced products can significantly lower environmental impact by reducing transportation emissions, packaging-related waste and by supporting non-intensive use of the land as well as low-emission manufacturing.
A document describing Green Key’s overall contribution to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals can be downloaded here.
