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 6: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all"
What is Goal 6 about?
According to the UN, "Water and sanitation are at the very core of sustainable development, critical to the survival of people and the planet. Goal 6 not only addresses the issues relating to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, but also the quality and sustainability of water resources worldwide.” In the link above, you can read about the targets and indicators to Goal 6.
Tourism can be a major factor in the water consumption of a region, even more so in the case the country’s economy heavily relies on the hospitality industry for value. Water is used in the bathrooms of tourism accommodations, in the kitchens, for swimming pools and spa areas, for washing and cleaning, and for irrigating gardens and parks. Water management is even more of a key element for those establishments that operate in drought-susceptible areas or near the seaside, where marine ecosystems are easily affected by their operations.
How does Green Key help to achieve Goal 6?
Many of Green Key's criteria deal with the reduction of water consumption and the protection of water-related ecosystems as well as freshwater sources. In fact, criteria section 4 (see here) is entirely dedicated to water management, although sustainability in water resources can be considered a cross-sectional principle that should shape the whole activity structure of a Green Key certified establishment. The programme especially addresses SDG targets that have to do with reducing water pollution and protecting water-dependent ecosystems (SDG targets 6.3, 6.6), increasing water-use efficiency (SDG target 6.4), implementing integrated water management (SDG target 6.5), and enhancing capacity building related to water management in developing countries (SDG target 6.a).Here are some examples of what 2022-2025 criteria entail:
MONITORING OF THE WATER CONSUMPTION - Green Key believes in the importance of monitoring sustainability with data on environmental performance. For this reason, Green Key uses ECO-OS as a sustainability accounting database, where the establishments’ water consumption data are registered periodically to evaluate the consumption and find opportunities for improvement (criterion 4.1). Green Key recommends certified establishment to monitor water consumption by installing separated meters in strategically important water-hubs of the premises, so as to easily identify potential areas where resources can be saved (criterion 4.13). Green Key is also offering a free calculation tool on its website to help tourism establishments calculate their water footprint;
WATER SAVINGS – A whole set of criteria is dedicated to water saving and making sure that little to no water is wasted due to lack of maintenance, faulty appliances, or inefficient tools (SDG target 6.4). This is particularly the case for toilets (criterion 4.2), leakages (4.3), showers (4.4), taps (4.5, 4.14), urinals (4.6), dishwashers (4.7 and 4.9) and swimming pools (4.11);
WASTEWATER TREATMENT – In order to protect local ecosystems and drinking water sources from pollution risks (SDG target 6.3), all Green Key certified establishments install grease traps (criterion 4.10), and either must be connected to an existing public sewage system or must have an own on-site wastewater treatment system (4.8, 4.15). Wastewater treatment aims at neutralizing hazardous chemical and biological compounds in the establishments’ effluent before releasing it back into the environment;
CHEMICALS IN WATER EFFLUENTS – Establishments are required to either pick cleaning products that are environmentally sound, or to altogether replace them with eco-friendly alternatives (criteria 5.3, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 4.12). This can significantly improve the quality of water effluents generated from the establishment’s activities, thus saving down-stream resources and reagents needed for wastewater treatment processes. The same is true for pesticides and fertilizers used for gardening on Green Key establishments’ green areas, as eco-friendly and organic alternatives should always be deployed unless there is no alternative on the market (criterion 10.1). Polluted water can infiltrate the ground and contaminate freshwater reservoir, which makes sustainable gardening an important requirement for the reduction of environmental pollution;
IRRIGATION OF GREEN AREAS - To reduce the water consumption in garden and park areas of Green Key certified establishments, smart watering systems must be implemented (criterion 10.3). As a good practice to reduce drinkable water consumption from freshwater reservoirs and other sources, establishments are also encouraged to collect and use rainwater for gardening and other suitable purposes (criterion 10.5);
GUEST AND STAFF INVOLVEMENT - Green Key believes that the education of staff and guests is one main factor in reducing the water consumption in a tourism establishment. First, all staff members must be made aware of the establishment’s water saving initiatives (criteria 2.2, 2.3, 2.5), and the housekeeping staff must implement the procedures regarding towel and sheet reuse in daily operations, so as to lower water consumption related to laundry (criterion 2.4). Green Key certified establishments also engage guests in their sustainability commitment (criterion 3.4), by instructing guests about water savings, and by giving them the option to forego the cleaning of sheets, towels, and rooms (criteria 5.1, 5.2, 5.12).
A document describing Green Key’s overall contribution to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals can be downloaded here.
