Alina Arnelle, chief sustainability officer at BeCause, explains how to tackle it head on
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Guest Post: Navigating sustainability certification challenges in hospitality
Consumers are increasingly prioritising the reduction of their holiday’s impact on the environment and local communities. A significant portion of global tourism is concentrated in a limited number of destinations. McKinsey estimates that 80% of travellers visit just 10% of the world's tourist destinations, leading to overcrowding, environmental degradation, and strain on resources in these popular spots. Educating travellers is crucial to mitigate these impacts and hotels can play a pivotal role by promoting sustainable travel options and helping travellers make more responsible choices.
Globally, 75% of tourists say that they want to travel more sustainably in the next year, while 73% would rather stay in hotels that use sustainable practices. This cultural shift has caused a significant upswing in the number of sustainability certifications for hospitality and tourism operators, with over 200 currently available. Not only key for marketing to the growing demographic of sustainability-minded travellers, but these green and ethical labels are also vital for climate risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. However, with so many on offer, how can hotel owners determine which ones are truly worth the investment?
Challenges to be overcome
Forward-thinking hotel owners should start by assessing the challenges to be surmounted. The first is the overwhelming number and variety of certifications, each with its own standards, requirements and costs. The criteria to be measured can include everything from carbon emissions, energy consumption, and water usage, to waste management, pollution, biodiversity conservation and human rights.
It’s also important to consider whether these metrics align with those of local sustainability legislation, particularly in the European Union (EU).
Next, it’s vital to understand that different certifications cater to different audiences or sectors. For instance, BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) are focused on a building’s environmental performance. Meanwhile, Green Key is about sustainable business practices, like technical demands and initiatives that involve guests, staff and suppliers.
For hotel chains, another challenge is determining if certifications can be applied across all properties. Standardisation can offer several benefits in terms of brand consistency, increased consumer trust and greater efficiency when it comes to gathering data. However, regional sustainability regulations and guest preferences in certain territories may differ, meaning that a more flexible approach may sometimes be required to accommodate varying requirements.
The final issue is sustainability data management. Collecting and analysing various metrics from multiple sources is a complex, resource-intensive process. With so many disparate data points to track, the manual handling of this information can lead to inefficiencies, inconsistent reporting, and a higher likelihood of human error.
Guidance for choosing the right sustainability certification
To overcome these challenges and pinpoint the right certifications for their brand, decisionmakers can use the following five tips:
For those just beginning with sustainability certifications and gathering their initial data, a great starting point is to leverage a tool like Hotel Sustainability Basics. Developed by the World Travel and Tourism Council, it offers a great entry point by setting out 12 actions that are fundamental to hotel sustainability.
A hotel’s certification strategy should align with its key objectives, whether that’s attracting external investment, ensuring compliance with legislation or reaching a new market segment. Green or ethical labels should be selected to support these goals and resonate with relevant audiences.
Certain certifications, such as Green Key, align with major legislative frameworks, like the EU’s Green Claims Directive. Gaining such a third-party endorsement means a brand can rest assured that it’s meeting the requisite legal requirements and countering any possible greenwashing allegations.
Using digital technology, like a centralised sustainability data management platform, can help optimise the efficiency of data gathering and monitoring. These digital tools not only streamline the entire data collection process but also ensure accuracy, reduce costs, and help businesses adapt when the standards for a certification get updated – especially if it’s powered by advanced technology like AI or machine learning.
Commercial, environmental and social gains can also be made by benchmarking sustainability performance against wider industry standards. It’s how to highlight successes, identify areas that need improvement and create a competitive advantage.
A visible escalation of the climate crisis, particularly in tourism hotspots, along with the rising public concerns about social inequality means that green travel is no longer just a priority for younger travellers like Millennials and Gen Z, but the majority of travellers. Hotels looking to meet these changing guest expectations and comply with new sustainability legislation can navigate the proliferation of certifications by establishing clear objectives, defining their target audience and streamlining their data management through automation. As sustainability goes mainstream, selecting the right certifications can help ensure long-term business resilience.
