From a basement to the World - The story of Green Key

One of the founders of Green Key, HORESTA (Association for the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry in Denmark), has prepared an overview of the development of Green Key from a Danish initiative in 1994 to a successful international programme today.

The publication describes the development of Green Key in Denmark from an idea based on the philosophy of the Blue Flag programme for beaches and marinas to a programme for hotels and later also for other categories. Green Key was launched in Denmark in 1994 with criteria focusing on environmental management as well as training and awareness raising. In Denmark, the hosting of the international climate conference (COP15) meant a big growth in the programme.

Green Key became an international programme, when the concept was taken up in France in 1998 and exported by HORESTA to Greenland, Sweden and Estonia from 2000. In 2002, the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) became the international manager of the Green Key programme enabling FEE's national member organisations to implement/run Green Key. An International Steering Committee consisting of members of the founders/owners and of FEE was established to be in charge of the political development of the programme.

In 2009, establishments in 17 countries had joined the programme. From 2010, Green Key entered collaboration agreements with Radisson Hotel Group and later also Starwood Hotel Group meaning that establishments in countries without FEE member organisations could also join Green Key. From 2014, Green Key entered cooperation with SGS (the world’s largest auditing company) supporting Green Key with the onsite audits. These initiatives meant a fast growth in participating establishments, so that today more than 2,370 establishments in 52 countries have the Green Key award.

The criteria have been regularly revised/updated and new criteria take effect in 2016. The new criteria include CSR criteria, and the new criteria for hotels and hostels have been recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Green Key International would like to thank HORESTA for developing this great document describing the history of the programme. The full document can be downloaded here: “From a basement to the World – The story of Green Key”.  

The Radisson Hotel Group publishes its 2015 Responsible Business Report

Radisson Hotel Group has released its 2015 responsible business report, highlighting the company’s progress to date and signposting their future priorities.

The highlights of the company’s achievements include Radisson’s recognition for the sixth year in a row as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, the hotel group donating €1.3m to charity, Radisson employees completing 5,000+ days of volunteering and Blu Planet, the innovative towel re-use programme at Radisson Blu, providing safe drinking water to 4,700 children.

In addition the group has achieved energy savings of 22%, a reduction of Radisson’s water consumption by 29% and the Meetings Minus Carbon programme has offset 32,000 tonnes of carbon and planted 32,000 trees.  77% hotels in the group are now eco-labelled, the majority with Green Key as a result of the cooperation between Green Key and Radisson.

But alongside their Think Together and Think Planet pillars, Radisson Hotels’ third responsible business aspect is Think People. Their work on this has seen 65 Radisson hotels certified by the Safehotels alliance, employee satisfaction scores at 87.5 and the launch of new courses to develop the company’s female talent.

In October, Radisson Blu hotels supported the worldwide breast cancer awareness month with the Pink Breakfast. On the Pink Breakfast buffet, food and drink items which can help reduce cancer were added to the Radisson Blu Super Breakfast. As part of the campaign, donations were collected for Europa Donna, the international breast cancer awareness organisation.

In 2014 Radisson launched its Women in Leadership initi­ative. Supported by the CEO Wolfgang M. Neumann and top management, the initiative aims to:

Challenge existing thinking and increase the rep­resentation of women in senior positions across the entire company

Breakdown the barriers that prevent women across Radisson from having open conversations about their careers and encourage them to consider flexible approaches towards their working conditions
Harness the individual strengths of their female leaders and actively encourage their collective participation at every level of the business
Develop and retain female leaders through sustainable and lasting changes which focus on long-term career planning for all.

In return, those women working in senior posi­tions are asked to lead by example and become positive role models for the future.

CEO Wolfgang M. Neumann presented Radisson’s commitment to talent, develop­ment, and Women in Leadership to students during the SEG talent day. Wolfgang explained that Radisson embraces diversity and inclusion, and that talent always come first, independent of gender, visible differences, beliefs, or sexuality.

In the report Neumann says, “Responsible business has a long tradition at Radisson. Our first environmental policy dates back to 1989, and we were one of the first international hotel companies to introduce a group-wide Responsible Business pro­gramme. We are proud that our continued efforts are acknowledged beyond the industry: since 2010, we were named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the think-tank “Ethisphere”.

“The COP21 agreement and the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 have confirmed the role that international businesses can and must play in curbing climate change and in contributing to sustaina­ble development around the globe. The tourism industry provides income through employment and job creation and fosters sustainable development by focusing on employability and education. Collaboration within our sector is essential in these important missions so I am driving alignment between all major global hotel groups in my role as Chairman of the International Tourism Partnership.”

The Full Responsible Business Report 2015 – The Radisson Hotel Group 

Green Key National Operator Meeting 2016

Green Key National Operators from 35 countries gathered on 11-13 April 2016 to discuss the status and future development of the Green Key programme.

The 2016 Green Key National Operator Meeting took place on 11-13 April 2016 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Green Key National Operators from countries in Europe, Caribbean, Mexico, Africa, Middle East and Japan gathered to discuss the status and the future development of Green Key.

The main issues for discussion at the National Operator Meeting were the implementation of the new Green Key criteria, Green Key for the various categories, sharing of best practise examples from different countries, new Green Key developments as well as the monitoring, evaluation and promotion of the Green Key programme.

Green Key International would like to thank our corporate partners, SGS, Lucart Group and Semaphore as well as the Green Key National Operators for their support and active participation in the event.  

First Hotel Copenhagen prepares to host 40 Green Key experts

Exciting times at First Hotel Copenhagen as they will host 40 Green Key National Operators during the annual Green Key Meeting from 11-13 April 2016. A great opportunity for the hotel to show the amazing work they have been doing the last couple of years to become more sustainable. 

First Hotel Copenhagen was first awarded with Green Key 1 July 2013 when all the hotels of the First Hotel chain joined the Green Key programme. Since then they have been working very hard to make their ways of working and overall management more sustainable.

A few actions to highlight.

-          All rooms have a key card system that switches the electricity in the rooms on and off.

-          Water flow in showers has been reduced to only 6l/min and 4l/min in all taps.

-          All lights have been replaced by LED or alternative energy-saving light bulbs.

-          All toilets have a dual flush system to save water.

-          A water cleaning system has been installed in the parking area to drain and clean all the             rain water instead of leading it to the sewage system.

-          A new energy-saving dishwasher was purchased with special trays to let soap and water             run off.

-          Organic products are widely used in the restaurant of the hotel.

-          A waste plan has been put in place to optimize the waste separation and reuse

-          All taps in public toilets have sensors.

-          Electricity is put into the tap water to reduce the amount of calcium in the water.  This              way pipes and electric installations don’t have to be cleaned or replaced that often.

A great list of achievements which will most certainly impress the 40 Green Key experts who will be staying in the hotel.

Landal Marina Lipno is the first holiday park in Czech Republic with Green Key

 Located by the Lake Lipno in the forests of South Bohemia, Landal Marina Lipno is now the first holiday park ever in the Czech Republic to be awarded with the Green Key.

From Left: Robert Lorenz (German Green Key national operator), Václav Hobora (General Manager of Landal Marina Lipno), Alena Alova (Front Office Manager of Landal Marina Lipno), Anne Glas (Sustainability and CSR officer of Landal GreenParks) and Finn Bolding Thomsen (International Director of Green Key)

Václav Hobora, general manager of Landal Marina Lipno: "We have carefully prepared for the audit of Green Key. We already met most of the criteria by our current ways of working. We are communicating to our guests on how they can contribute without sacrificing the holiday experience. When it comes to waste, we see guests can make a major contribution to this by separating their waste. In addition to paper, glass and residual waste, we collect a lot of plastic. Recently, we have installed two charging stations where our guests can recharge the electric cars. It is a great step towards a more sustainable business."

Václav Hobora added: "It was an honor that the Director of Green Key International was present at the inspection. This indicates to us that the organisation gives great importance to the growth of Green Key and thus the growth of the number of establishments committed to a sustainable world. "

Landal Marina Lipno is part of the Dutch organisation Landal GreenParks, which has made it their mission that all 75 holiday parks in 7 countries hold the Green Key certificate by the end of 2016. Currently, more than 40 parks of Landal GreenParks are already awarded with the Green Key. The results of Landal GreenParks' achievements in the field of sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship is explained in their sustainability report . A German version is available on http://www.landal.de/Nachhaltigkeitsbericht.

Clean the World and Green Key announce a collaboration agreement

Green Key has entered a collaboration agreement with Clean the World, an organisation combining humanitarian help to the community with corporate social responsibility.

Clean the World is a non-profit organisation with its focus on a recycling and donation programme. Many hospitality establishments generate large volumes of solid waste, and Clean the World has therefore established a waste reduction programme with soap and bottled amenities (shampoo, shower gel, etc.) being recycled in order to protect the environment and preserve natural resources.

Clean the World gives a second life to the recycled products received from hospitality partners through the programme aiming at donating the collected soap and other donated hygiene products to humanitarian organisations. Clean the World is committed to maintaining an environmentally and hygienically safe recycling process.

Pierre Daigneault, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clean the World, says: “Through our initiative, we have managed to distribute more than 30 million bars of soap to people in need in 100 countries. By recycling soap and other discarded hygiene products, Clean the World saves lives with items that traditionally end up in landfill.”

Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director, adds: “We are very pleased with the initiative of Clean the World which gives those Green Key awarded establishments that are not using dispensers an opportunity to contribute with unused soap and bottled amenities for the benefit of people in need.”

Welsh holiday provider achieves Green Key accreditation across all properties.

Experience Môr, a Welsh holiday cottage provider, has set the environmental standard for others to follow by gaining an environmental accreditation for every holiday cottage in their portfolio. 

Based in Pembrokeshire Wales, Experience Môr is the first holiday provider in Wales to gain Green Key environmental accreditation for all of their cottages, ensuring that environmental excellence is at the heart of what they offer.

Each luxury Experience Môr property has a 5* Visit Wales rating and been led by the principles of sustainable living since they launched in 2012. And with 57% of staying visitors to Wales believing it is ‘very important’ that the destinations they choose to visit are managed sustainably*, Experience Môr are appealing to a growing market.

Experience Môr have installed solar panels to help provide electricity for many of their properties, as well as year round hot water at two of their cottages.  The newest property within the Experience Môr portfolio has solar water panels on 3 different elevations to capture the most solar energy throughout the day.

Throughout all properties Experience Môr have installed double glazing, led lighting and source sustainable wood for their log burners. They use eco-friendly cleaning products and also harvest rainwater for toilets and irrigation. Founder of Experience Môr, Jonathan Heron Said:

‘Environmental sustainability is incredibly important to us here at Experience Môr and gaining an accreditation for the work we do means that we can give our guests an independent verification of our work. Green Key accreditation appealed to us because it is recognised in 50 countries worldwide and will allow us to communicate to an international market. The fact that Green Key is run in Wales by the environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, made a lot of sense to us.’

Sustainability is good business

The Green Key awarded conference center, Bella Center Copenhagen, strive to ensure sustainability at all times and in every aspect of the business. Their approach is called “Responsible Hospitality”.

For Bella Center Copenhagen, hospitality is more than providing the best possible service and delivering the highest possible quality to guests and customers, it is about taking responsibility for the relationships with others, for the impacts of the business on society and the environment and proactively contributing to positive change wherever possible. All of this makes their Responsible Hospitality a competitive advantage, while also contributing to the formation of common values for everyone involved.

Their Responsible Hospitality policy include support to the UN Global Compact principles; promote and strengthen sustainable development in own business practice and value chain; provide a healthy and safe environment for staff, guests and business partners; protect the natural resources; and ensure that suppliers meet the standards set out in ethical code of conduct for suppliers.

The Environment and Climate Policy of Bella Center Copenhagen include implementation of environmentally friendly solutions; efficient use of energy, water and other natural resources; incorporate environmental considerations, including biodiversity and animal welfare, into their actions and procurement decisions; raise awareness of environmental matters among employees and stakeholders and optimize waste reduction through recycling and limiting use of hazardous materials.

The full information about the Responsible Hospitality approach of Bella Center Copenhagen can be read here.

Bella Center Copenhagen received the first Green Key Award ahead of hosting the climate conference, COP15, in 2009.

Carbon footprint tool available on Green Key website

Green Key International is proud to present their new carbon footprint tool for hotels on the Green Key website. 

The tool allows hotels or other types of accommodation to calculate their carbon footprint.  The carbon calculation follows the “Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative” (HMCI) tool developed by the International Tourism Partnership (ITP). Currently, more than 21,000 hotels have already been calculating their carbon calculation footprint using the HCMI tool.

By comparing your results with those of other similar establishments you can assess how you’re doing relative to your peers and competitors. Those insights will enable you to identify areas of strength within your establishment so you can take steps to maintain your advantages, as well as spot areas of opportunity where you can make improvements. That is why the International Tourism Partnership (ITP) has developed a bench-marking system where you can compare your results with the average carbon footprint (per room, per occupied room or per m2) of similar establishments in your area. The link is available on the Green Key website.  

Check out the new tool here.