"The ecolabel has paid off" – The example of DGI Byen in Denmark

The ecolabel contributed to cost reduction of the hotel and conference venue and improved its environmental strategy, according to the DGI Byen CCO (Chief Commercial Officer).

DGI Byen hotel and conference centre

As one of the 21 hotels that received the Green Key certificate in 2021 in Denmark, the DGI Byen hotel and conference centre is already benefiting from its decision of becoming a greener establishment. That is the opinion of Jesper Bremholm, the CCO of DGI Byen, who participated in the last of four Energitrim workshops organised by Sustain in January 2022. The last Energitrim workshop focused mainly on the importance of the Green Key certificate for hospitality businesses and the necessary steps for obtaining the eco-label.

Reflecting on the first year of DGI Byen with the Green Key certificate, the hotel and conference venue CCO Jesper Bremholm acknowledged that the company is already experiencing the advantages of being certified by Green Key. DGI Byen´s CCO explained that the ecolabel has not only helped the company to improve its environmental standards but also allowed DGI Byen to sell more.

To Green Key International, Jesper Bremholm clarified: “The ecolabel has paid off and brought advantages to our business as more customers today are concerned about environmental sustainability and therefore requires the ecolabel when they book location for meetings, conferences and so on. Also, our hotel guests are concerned about environmental sustainability, and we believe that having the Green Key label gets our hotel to appear in more online searches. In the economic perspective, it means that we gain customers who would not have chosen DGI Byen if we did not have the Green Key label.”

Moreover, Jesper Bremholm considers that the environmental work initiated through the Green Key certificate has allowed the hotel to better include both guests and employees in this new green strategy.

Greek tour operator to be the first to reduce environmental impact on excursions

The Greek company Avra Tours has signed an agreement with the Green Key National Operator in Greece to reduce the environmental footprint of its transports and excursions to the minimum.

Avra Tours has now a new green strategy, aligned with the Green Key sustainable standard. The company, which is the largest Greek inbound tour operator in the country, has entered an agreement with The Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, the body responsible for the Green Key programme management in Greece.

The collaboration agreement was officialised by Avra Tours CEO Ioannis L. Dimitriadis and the President of the Board of Directors of HSPN, Nikolaos G. Petrol, also Vice President of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). In a joint statement, both parties manifested their commitment and hope on this agreement, aligning with UN goals. They also emphasised the importance of joining synergies to create short and long term results for the tourism industry.

Avra Tours is further compromising to become the first Greek tour operator with the smallest environmental footprint on excursions and transports as part of this partnership. To achieve this goal, the Greek operator will offset its carbon footprint through the FEE Global Forest Fund, helping plant trees and educating new generations to become more sustainable in the near future.

Additionally, Avra Tours will also have stricter criteria for partnerships by only working with organisations and destinations actively engaging in sustainability practices or strategies. The Greek tour operator aims to encourage the businesses it collaborates with to reduce its environmental impact.

Green Key and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: SDG #12

Green Key is a leading standard of excellence in the field of sustainable tourism, guiding tourism establishments in doing 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 12: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns".   

What is Goal 12 about?

According to the UN "Achieving Goal 12 requires a strong national framework for sustainable consumption and production that is integrated into national and sectoral plans, sustainable business practices and consumer behaviour, together with adherence to international norms on the management of hazardous chemicals and wastes."

How does Green Key help to achieve Goal 12?

SDG 12 lies at the very core of Green Key’s activities, as it sets its roots deep in societal consumption patterns (SDG target 12.1), as well as the way in which resources are handled throughout their entire lifecycle, from direct use (SDG targets 12.2) to disposal (SDG targets 12.3, 12.5), passing through handling and storing (SDG target 12.5). SDG 12 also addresses the challenges of sustainable tourism specifically, requiring stakeholders that play a role in the hospitality industry to monitor their activities (SDG target 12.b), to report them adequately and be accountable for their actions (SDG target 12.6), as well as to inform the public and share best practices, awareness, and involvement (SDG target 12.8). Green Key helps both tourism establishments and their guests to make more sustainable consumption decisions:

• SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT - Green Key demands its certified establishments to meet high standards regarding the management and consumption of resources such as water (criteria section 4), energy (criteria section 7) and food (criteria section 8). Energy (criterion 7.1), water (4.1), waste (6.10), and GHG emission (1.6) data are monitored periodically, to identify vulnerabilities as well as opportunities for continuous improvement.

• WASTE MANAGEMENT - Green Key encourages their establishments to keep records of the amount and types of waste they produce (criteria 6.10, 8.6), and to have a waste reduction plan in place for several types of waste including food waste (criteria 6.15 and 8.4 respectively). Certified establishments are furthermore encouraged to compost their organic waste (criterion 6.17). On-site composting contributes to closing loose ends of the establishment’s resource cycles. The production of compost from organic residues enables microorganisms and other decomposers to turn a costly waste flow into a valuable resource, used for example as a fertiliser to sustainably boost crop yield and plant health;

• CHEMICAL HANDLING - The environmentally and health-sound management of chemicals as defined in the targets of Goal 12 is also an integral part of Green Key. The programme has a whole category of criteria dealing with the responsible management and reduction of waste (criteria section 6), as well as several requirements dealing with the responsible handling of chemicals (criteria 5.4, 5.8, 5.10, 6.6, 6.7). The objective is to reduce environmental pollution generated by the hospitality industry, in this case particularly by having wastewater effluent treated according to national standards before it is released back into the environment, as well as to save resources and reagents to clean such effluent, by increasing its quality at earlier stages;

• LEADING THE SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITION - Green Key certified establishments are encouraged to act as green ambassadors and take the lead in the transition towards sustainability, for example by encouraging suppliers and third-party operated businesses within their premises to operate according to the principles of sustainability (criteria 13.1, 13.4) and contribute to making production/consumption patterns more eco-friendly;

• SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER CHOICES – At the very foundation of Green Key being an eco-label lies the idea that consumers must be enabled to easily make informed decisions when it comes to picking accommodations and other services in the hospitality industry. The effort Green Key is putting in collaboration with its OTA (Online Travel Agencies) partners is meant to provide consumers with an easy and reliable way to differentiate establishments based on their environmental, sustainability and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) performance;  

• SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING – As SDG target 12.6 points out, it is more and more important for establishments and especially large, transnational chains to provide information on their environmental performance, and either take credit for their efforts or responsibilities for their shortcomings. Green Key is partnering up with international hotel chains operating all over the world and keeps engaging them in the transition to sustainability. Data on energy, water, waste, and carbon emissions are collected on a periodical basis to highlight trends, improvements, or opportunities to increase efficiency, while the programme gives its partners useful data back to include in their sustainability reports.

A document describing Green Key’s overall contribution to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals can be downloaded here.

The influence and growth of utilising the Green Key status for hotels in Mexico

Since its development, Green Key has ventured into various countries and in this article, we will discuss the impact that Green Key has had on the tourism industry in Mexico. Our interview partner in this article was the CEO of FEE Mexico; Joaquín Arturo Díaz Ríos.

FEE Mexico CEO; Joaquín Arturo Díaz Ríos.

When did the Green Key programme start in México, and can you briefly explain the development of the programme in México?

Green Key México began operations in 2014. During its first year, the Green Key programme awarded three hotels. The programme in México expanded from 6 to 9 hotels between 2015 and 2016.

2017 was a landmark year; the number of awarded hotels increased to 154. The key was the added value to the hotel’s operations, generating environmentally responsible operations, employing the support of audits for the different hotel chains, which we do to have greater supervision in establishments resulting, for example, in lower electricity consumption rates. On the other hand, the day-to-day accompaniment and advice resulted in an external and independent third party audit with the alliance with Green Key México.

Currently, the programme is present in 31 states, 74 municipalities with 158 hotels, more than 26,000 rooms, and about 500 collaborators have been actively getting involved around the country.

The Green Key programme in México has been very successful and popular, what do you think is the “key” to this success?

The key is the added value of the Green Key brand, which stands for independence, objectivity, and certainty, as well as the implementation of a programme of strict compliance with national and international criteria that can always be verified.

The production of friendly material, such as videos developed explicitly for the establishments, has become a successful way of continuous technical support. The environmental managers of the hotels appreciate this proximity.

Our expertise in environmental education and sharing material to raise awareness of the actual daily environmental impact of the hotel’s operations represents quantitatively measurable actions. This is to verify compliance with the criteria and implement an environmental performance improvement programme.

An essential part in the development of a Dashboard and an App to assess the compliance of the criteria in real-time, with these tools, we can obtain Big Data from our hotels and provide information for the strategy design process focused on an environmentally responsible operation without compromising the guest’s comfort. In other words, we have implemented a sustainability management system in the hotel operation focused on modernisation and supported by technological tools.

Finally, our National Steering Committee evaluates compliance with the criteria and develops an internationally recognised tool for the hotel sector. Fundamental growth of the programme in México and the commitment of our partners to care for and protect the environment through environmentally responsible actions.

After a difficult 2020-2021 for the hospitality industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic, what are your expectations for Green Key and responsible tourism in México in the coming years?

 The COVID-19 pandemic has been a new issue for our country since it has modified attitudes and tourism methods. This has forced us to seek new forms of environmental education as an effective tool to raise awareness among tourists of the need to take greater responsibility for the care of all.

In México, tourists are part of nature-related tourism activities, which should come as no surprise considering the abundance and diversity of the country’s resources. México is a megadiverse country, ranking fifth place, with 12% of the planet’s biodiversity. This biocultural richness allows unique experiences such as nature, community, indigenous and rural tourism.

So, Green Key México’s objective is the development of sustainable hospitality industry. This one should work hand to hand with the promotion and creation of circular economies within hotels. The establishments should address equitable employment and provide a platform for entrepreneurship with the local communities.

Given that the Green Key programme is particularly strong in México, as Green Key´s main area outside Europe and the Middle East, do you think that other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can build on Green Key´s success in México?

FEE México, through Green Key, has developed material that can be shared with Latin American and Caribbean countries, for example, training videos, which are available to achieve environmentally responsible operations in the establishments. Of course, we are open to keep contact with companies that have a presence in México and with those we have already worked with and those outside the country.

Green Key México always seeks to share knowledge and recognise the work done during the application process and renewals; this allows us to comply with the execution of the environmental improvement plan to achieve international goals. Likewise, training tools on compliance with the criteria will bring more establishments and hotel chains because these resources will facilitate their application.

As a new member of the FEE Board of Directors, responsible for the Green Key programme, how do you see the global development of the Green Key programme in the next 2-4 years?

Green Key is a strong label. As a global benchmark label, we must visualise changes in the tourism sector such as security, health, new barriers for globalisation, and how these issues can impact the viability of sustainable operations.

Green Key is an opportunity for the industry to be part of the defence of the environment under the implementation of a programme that represents the safety of an environmentally responsible operation without affecting the economic viability of the business.

Green Key must strengthen its marketing and be supported by the present network of awarded hotels. After the lockdown, it needs to engage with the sector in the Recovery Plan as a necessary tool for sustainability. Green Key is ready for the challenge; see Strategic Plan GAIA 20:30; Empowering Climate Action, Protecting Global Diversity and Reducing Environmental Pollution. 

Solar Hotel - a green, affordable and activist hotel

Solar Hotel is a two-star budget hotel in Paris (France) with full focus on being sustainable and inclusive

Since 2009, Solar Hotel has assessed its carbon footprint and worked towards obtaining a green certification. The hotel is a member of the ATD network (French activists for sustainable tourism) and has earned numerous awards for its environmental and social practices.

The many sustainability activities of Solar Hotel include:

• Hallways, lounges and rooms are all exclusively lit by LED or fluorescent compact bulbs

• Purchase of 100% renewable energy

• Collection of rainwater to water plants, the garden and to wash the sidewalk

• No unnecessary individual packaging for the breakfast and in the bathrooms

• Eco-labelled soap and shampoo are available in dispensers

• The breakfast served is 100% organic and with 90% of the products produced in France

• Food leftovers from breakfast is reused in the mechanical composter in the garden

• The second-hand furniture in the guest rooms is regularly renovated and repaired

• Bicycles are available to hotel guests

• Hotel management students regularly visit the hotel to increase awareness of environmental issues

• The hotel supports and promotes environmental NGOs, e.g. by hosting and organising meetings and conferences

Franck Laval, owner of Solar Hotel says:

“We have for several reasons, chosen to be the first green, affordable and activist hotel: Firstly, to prove that ecology means investing, not spending; secondly, to prove that sustainable development is not exclusively reserved to those who have access to extensive information; and thirdly, to spread the word to thousands of independent hotel managers”.

Green Key present at the UK´s leading hospitality event

This September, Green Key will be present at Hotel360, the UK´s leading hospitality event dealing with the improvement of the hospitality industry. To contribute to the future of this ever-evolving industry, Green Key will be part of the “Go Green Advice Hub”, a 2019 brand new feature where visitors will be looking for solutions to build a more sustainable business.

Over two days, on the 18th and 19th of September, experts will introduce visitors to the latest innovations and talk about the future of the industry at Hotel360. This hub for hospitality innovation will connect industry´s professionals to solutions and services to make their establishments part of the leading ones.

In the years to come, the hospitality industry will have to focus on sustainability and responsibility, that is why communication about innovations is key to spread sustainable practices in this sector. After providing them with an environmental management framework, these industry´s most successful names will have to turn this knowledge into practices. For that, Green Key will help furnishing tools to help them reduce their water, energy usage and CO2 emissions.

Moreover, the desire to create a sustainable tourism industry goes hand in hand with a growing generation of eco-conscious travelers. Staff and guests also have to be aware of each establishment’s initiatives for the environment, as for Green Key awarded establishments. Being eco-labelled is a token of quality and proves that the establishment is committed to reducing its environmental impact.

“The Green Key team are really excited to share with visitors to Hotel360 the simple but effective actions they can take to make their hotel more environmentally friendly and how to work towards the Green Key award.”

- Emma Whitlock, Green Key Development Manager at Keep Britain Tidy

Green Key is delighted to be part of the eco-experts who will help and advise establishments in their transition. The participation in Hotel360 aims at training environmental conscious hospitality leaders who will put the development of green and responsible establishments at the top of their projects.

You can already visit hotel360.co.uk to secure your free ticket and be sure to meet our Green Key eco-experts!

XL Green Key Cartoon makes visitors curious about sustainability

The interactive science centre Hidrodoe in Herentals, Belgium came up with a creative and fun way to inform their guests about sustainability and Green Key.

At Hidrodoe, visitors can learn everything about water - from Roman baths to water in space -in a fun and interactive way. The science centre is an initiative of the Flemish water company Pidpa to raise awareness about the importance and value of water. The centre has more than 150 interactive exhibits, covering indoor and outdoor activities.

One of their newest additions is an XL Cartoon that shows the centre with all it’s environmental initiatives, for example their bee hotel, the electric bike charging station and the fair trade café. A Green Key logo on each of the illustrations indicates that this is part of their environmental agenda. At the same time, visitors learn about Green Key and it’s requirements. The creators compare the comic with the well-known “Where’s Wally” children illustrations.

Due to its high environmental ambitions and creative ways to engage visitors in environmental issues, Hidrodoe won the Belgian Energy and Environment award for Sustainable Education in 2018. Moreover, Hidrodoe has been Green Key awarded for 7 years in a row.

Online reviews featuring social and environmental initiatives score higher

A recent study reveals that there is a correlation between mentions of social or environmental initiatives in online reviews and hotel ratings.

The recent study in the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism shows a correlation between customers who mention social or environmental initiatives in online reviews and how they rate hotels. The research showed that reviews with explicit mentions of sustainability was 4.75 while reviews with implicit mentions of sustainability was 4.32 and reviews with no mention of sustainability was 4.17.

Initiatives with high scores for explicit and implicit sustainability mentions in the reviews mention sustainable management, education, biodiversity, wildlife conservation and sustainable products. Despite the promising results, the socially or environmentally responsible practices factored in in reviews might be considered low with an occurrence of 31.7% and 6.8% implicit and explicit mentions respectively. Another factor worth noting is that all the hotels in the study had a sustainability certification. These certifications often have levels, e.g. 1 through 5 or bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

When breaking down the explicit mentions of sustainability (6.8%), hotels with a Level 5 certification received nearly 19% mentions while hotels with Level 1 received only 2.1%. This indicates that hotels with a higher and more broadly integrated level of sustainability are more likely to leave an impression on the guests.

The results of the study point to a business case for investing in sustainability certification, as a strong certification means implementing sustainability throughout the organization and operations, thus becoming more noticeable to guests.  

Source: Travindy

Green Key at the Lanzarote Summit about Sustainable Tourism

From 19-20 October 2017 the world's leading experts in sustainable tourism from America and Europe gathered in Lanzarote (Spain) to discuss and exchange ideas about the latest trends in sustainable tourism.

The international conference with the title "Sustainability: A key factor of competitiveness in the tourism industry" took place on the island of Lanzarote, where the World Charter on Sustainable Tourism +20 was was adopted at the first World Conference on Sustainable Tourism  in 1995. 22 years later, in the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, sustainable tourism experts from all around the world met again in Lanzarote to discuss the progress made in sustainable tourism and to give a perspective for the future of the industry. Green Key attended the conference to follow the latest discussions in sustainable tourism. Among the panellists were representatives from World Tourism Organization, UNESCO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, TUI Travel, Tripadvisor, Responsible Tourism Institute as well as other practitioners from the tourism industry and representatives from different governmental tourism agencies in Spain. 

Main areas of discussion where the tourism industry's perspective on sustainability, the marketing of sustainability, innovation and technology in sustainable tourism, models of the industry and benefits for the local community and the tourism industry and its relation to the 17 SDGs. Among the key factors of sustainable development for the tourism industry identified at the conference were multi-stakeholder involvement, the estimation of the value of tourism compared to competing, less sustainable industries, as well as making sustainability tangible for tourists by marketing it as a quality attribute. Certification and award programmes like Green Key were highlighted as effective tools for the tourism industry to achieve their sustainability goals. 

Read more about the conference here.