Sustainability and Tourism: Which Environmental Certifications Exist?

Environmental certifications in tourism confirm that an accommodation business meets a set of environmental sustainability requirements, and more besides.

Alongside saving resources and managing waste efficiently, for instance, these criteria also cover the preservation of biodiversity, the circular economy, social inclusion, the promotion of culture and sustainable economic growth.

The most relevant strategies include, among others:

• Globally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals;
• Nationally, the Estratégia Turismo 2027 from Turismo de Portugal.

Environmental certifications in tourism therefore confirm that accommodation providers and businesses are aligned with these goals. Once a set of requirements specific to each certifying body has been met, the tourism business is awarded the Sustainability Seal.

Some of the main sustainability seals are:

To apply for certification, the accommodation provider must draw up and implement a sustainability policy, then send evidence of how it has been carried out to the body responsible.

These bodies either set the requirements to be met or allow providers to choose the ones they wish to implement, subject to a mandatory minimum number of criteria.

Some bodies award certification at different levels, allowing providers to move up a tier according to how many years they have been certified or how many further measures they have put in place.

Did you already know about these certifications?

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