Green Key featured in FEE's annual report of 2021

Every year, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) shares the main highlights and decisions from the organisation and its network in the annual FEE report. Amongst others, the report includes various achievements from FEE’s five programmes. Therefore, milestones and other important highlights of the Green Key programme are also displayed in the report.

After a challenging 2020 for the tourism industry, with many hospitality businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, at the beginning of the year 2021, the Green Key programme was busier than ever. As part of its COVID-19 strategy and to assist its members during this difficult time, the Green Key programme extended the certifications from establishments affected by the pandemic. In addition, Green Key recognised the efforts of accommodations that were able to comply with the strict set of criteria, and therefore received the certificate despite the circumstances in 2020.

In 2021, the Green Key programme also achieved other milestones, such as:

• Welcoming two new countries to its network, Madagascar and Trinidad & Tobago, which are now also amongst the countries having Green Key certified establishments;

• Establishing and renewing cooperation agreements with enterprises that work closely with hotels and other accommodations worldwide. One of these partnerships was signed with Beirholm, a company that produces environmentally friendly textiles. In addition, Green Key also prolonged its collaboration with Drinkable Air, which works with Atmospheric Water Generators technology to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles;

• Being represented at COP 26 in Glasgow;

• Being highlighted as a robust example of a sustainable tourism scheme by the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés (HOTREC) in its publication Towards sustainable Tourism in Europe (2020);

• Launching its first course on FEE Academy, which inspired the development of a training project for a hospitality school in Cambodia;

• Revising its criteria. Green Key’s new standards for 2022-2025 have been recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council and can be found here.
  

  To read more about Green Key’s highlights of 2021 featured in the FEE annual report click here.
  

Green Key International featured in the UNWTO Affiliate Members newsletter

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has recently released its November Affiliate Members newsletter, featuring Green Key International at the side of others tourism-related organisations.

The UNWTO, the United Nations agency charged with the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, is the leading international organisation in the field of tourism. Its November newsletter highlights Green Key as one of the few international labels in the hospitality industry managed by one of the UNWTO affiliate members, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The Green Key programme guides tourism establishments in doing their part in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN member states in 2015. Worldwide, our network engages in acts of awareness-raising about environmental management and sustainability education related to the SDGs. Moreover, Green Key is involved in UNWTO’s Affiliate Member working group on SDGs support on behalf of FEE.

This September, Green Key also signed the International Tourism Plastic Pledge at the sides of over 100 companies and organisations from the tourism sector to reduce plastic pollution at holiday destinations worldwide. The International Tourism Plastics Pledge is a reflection of the readiness and commitment of tourism stakeholders to take action in the fight against plastic pollution. The joint ambition of its signatories to come to a concrete roadmap with tangible goals and a monitoring system will be taking place within the framework of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, led by UNWTO and UN Environment and in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

You can have access to the UNWTO Affiliate Member newsletter here.

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

Bookdifferent.com highlights Green Key as "greenest choice"

Green Key awarded accommodations receive highest sustainability ranking with the online booking platform Bookdifferent.com

Bookdifferent.com, which includes 1.1 million accommodations all over the world, makes sure all its accommodations are checked on their sustainability performance while offering the best price guarantee.

On the new user-friendly, fast and mobile-friendly Bookdifferent.com website, the new ‘staygreencheck’ feature ranks the 22 ecolabels (including Green Key) that Bookdifferent displays on their website.

“It is our intention with this new feature to help travellers to make a better informed and more sustainable choice. We believe that consumer demand will motivate the hospitality sector to continue improving their level of sustainability,” says Lonneke de Kort, CEO of Bookdifferent.com.

With the 'staygreencheck' Bookdifferent has monitored how each of the labels perform on the four pillars of sustainability: fair & social, nature & environment, culture friendly and local economy taking the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Standard as the norm. Each of the four hearts in the ‘staygreencheck’ display compliance with one of these pillars.

As Green Key criteria touch upon all four pillars of sustainability, Green Key awarded establishments has been awarded all four hearts and is indicated as the ‘greenest choice’ and shown on top of each search result as a standard.

Finn Bolding Thomsen, Green Key International Director, says: "We are very proud to have the Green Key awarded establishments listed as the greenest choice in Bookdifferent.com. The establishments are deeply engaged in contributing to a more sustainable world through their actions, and we as Green Key strives to support this work through regular updates of our standards as well as supporting the Green Key awarded establishments with ideas, tool and best practice examples from our network.”

Hotelier Qatar Magazine featuring Green Key

In the latest edition of Hotelier Qatar, Green Key is highlighted as an initiative to support the sustainable development in Qatar.

The article in Hotelier Qatar has been prepared by the Chairman of the Green Hotel Interest Group in Qatar and describes the general work with sustainability in Qatar with focus on how Green Key can support this development.

In 2008, Qatar launched its 2030 vision with the aim of transforming the country towards sustainable development. The vision is being implemented in various parts of the society, also within the hotel and hospitality sector with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) as legislative body.

QTA has recently agreed on a new hotel classification system where environmental criteria are now integrated into the system, and participation in international eco-certification schemes are encouraged through the hotel classification system.

The work with the hotel classification system goes hand in hand with the non-profit organisation, Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) having become the national organisation managing the Green Key programme in Qatar.

The Green Key programme was officially launched in Qatar in late 2017 at an event with 45 hoteliers present. During the workshop, the advantages of joining Green Key were highlighted with special emphasis on the programme being well-reputed and widespread as well as the benefits of having a national representative in Qatar understanding the local conditions. QTA is supporting the implementation of Green Key in Qatar. 

Currently, W Doha Hotel & Residences has had the Green Key award since 2013 but interest has been shown from a number of other hotels and hospitality groups in Qatar.

The link to the full article (page 32-33) in Hotelier Qatar can be found here: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//launch.aspx?eid=ef0c27c1-051f-4492-825b-ef4d28150bf9.

Green Key establishments featured in SAS in-flight magazine

Green Key awarded Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Hotel Kong Arthur and Axel Guldsmeden are listed as sustainable luxury hotels in Copenhagen in the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in-flight magazine Scandinavian Traveler.

The article featuring sustainable luxury in Copenhagen, Denmark presents the three hotels as luxurious sustainable hotels well worth a visit. 

Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers offers organic food, organic personal care products and the only lounge in the city with an indoor forest combined with luxurious and ultramodern surroundings.

The family-run boutique hotel, Hotel Kong Arthur, has an organic menu, a lovely courtyard, an elegant spa and is beautifully located between the lakes and the city center. Both Copenhagen Towers and Kong Arthur have been proud holders of the Green Key, the leading standard of excellence in environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry, for several years.

In the central district of Vesterbro you can find Axel Guldsmeden, offering cozy rooms and an atmospheric spa in addition to being an organic hotel. Axel Guldsmeden is one of the newest members to the Green Key family, having received its first award in October this year.

The article also mentions other sustainable attributes of Copenhagen; the city being named the world’s best city for cyclists and the fact that it has some of the purest bathing and drinking water as well as a thriving organic gourmet food scene.

You can read the full article in the SAS in-flight magazine Scandinavian Traveler online, on board or in the magazine app. 

This is the second time within a short period that Green Key has been mentioned in an in-flight magazine. Green Key on board of Brussels Airlines was featured in the July issue of b.inpired magazine, which focused on sustainable development.  

Source: Scandinavian Traveler