Tackling climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing Scottish tourism now. Consumer concern over the environment and climate has doubled in the last decade and visitors are increasingly seeking out businesses and destinations with excellent green credentials.
Gaining green certification provides a good opportunity to showcase your green credentials as well as managing your sustainability actions.
A certification scheme provides a third-party assessment of your businesses environmental and sustainable practices.
Generally, an assessor will measure your business against the scheme criteria, which can cover a range of sustainability aspects. By meeting those criteria, you gain the certification’s label, which can then be used as an independently verified badge of validation for your business.
Renewed regularly to ensure you are maintaining your sustainability activities, it formalises your current environmental work in a visible and verifiable way to your staff, customers, suppliers and community.
Sustainability certification schemes have a range of benefits. Taking part in a scheme is a great way of reviewing your environmental, social, and economic impact and facilitating action to maximise the positive benefits to your business and wider community and environment.
The independent verification of the actions you take, can provide a robust and credible certification to help promote your sustainability commitment to potential customers, benefitting your business as well as developing a more sustainable destination.
It helps to demonstrate your commitment to the environment and community by increasing sustainable business practices
It’s a great way of reducing not just your carbon footprint, but also energy, water and waste bills too
Certification provides your business with a useful management framework to monitor and help improve your sustainable practices
It can help raise awareness and facilitate behavioural change of guests, staff, and suppliers
You could achieve marketing advantage over your competitors by meeting increased demand for sustainable businesses
You also make it easier for visitors to make environmentally conscious travel decisions
Earlier this year, as part of the Destination Net Zero Programme, we launched the Sustainability Certification Scheme Fund for Tourism Recovery. It provided grant funding to certification providers to support businesses to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 in a sustainable manner.
As a result, three sustainable tourism certification scheme providers were successful in securing funds to offer tourism businesses a membership fee discount. A total of £60,000 was allocated to the three programmes - EarthCheck, Green Key and Green Tourism.
Green Tourism
£50,000, aim to support around 150 new certified businesses
Green Key
£5,000, to support 10 new certified businesses
EarthCheck
£5,000, to support 10 new certified businesses
The certification programme providers are offering a £500 discount to businesses joining their certification schemes before March 2023 (or until all funding is used up). The discounts are limited, and will be provided on a first come, first served basis.
The discount will mean eligible tourism businesses will get membership for the first year either discounted or even free depending on the certification fees. Businesses can contact their certification programme of choice directly and make an application for membership.
Take a look at the three programmes to see which one is best for your business.
Green Tourism is also offering businesses located within a UNESCO Trail postcode area a discount on the first year of membership of up to £500 and thereafter membership will automatically renew with a 50% discount of your fees in year two and three.
Take a look at the Scotland's UNESCO Trail | Green certification offer.
EarthCheck is one of the world’s leading business advisory groups specialising in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry. EarthCheck’s holistic approach to responsible tourism and its world-leading science enable destinations and operators to benchmark and certify their performance with confidence and surety.
EarthCheck collaborates with clients in over 70 countries to help plan for the future and guide the design, construction and operation of intelligent buildings and the responsible management of tourism destinations.
The certification is for organisations across the visitor economy with a clearly defined boundary. It requires an appointed representative to be responsible for the management of the certification, however it assesses the entire organisation’s management practices.
The programme addresses key global environmental, cultural, social and economic concerns and deals with environmental regeneration and environmental improvement as well as the conservation of existing natural heritage assets.
Economic concerns addressed in the programme include employment conditions, support of local economy, and recognition of the seasonality of tourism revenue.
Access to the MyEarthCheck technology platform will deliver practical tools, data templates, management reporting and a dedicated business software program.
An annual performance report including internationally compliant carbon emissions and benchmarking of energy, water, waste and social impacts.
Following completion of an onsite certification audit, you’ll receive an audit report. If you’re successful, you’ll be awarded certification and use of the certified logo to promote your achievement. Marketing and communication tools are provided.
You’ll have a minimum of 30 hours access to a dedicated Relationship Manager, who will act as the key point of contact for support.
Every month EarthCheck publishes news and information about its members worldwide.
Annual fee £2,850, with an additional independent audit fee of £1,445 – first day, £980 subsequent days.
Visit the EarthCheck website for more information and apply.
Green Key is an international, voluntary eco-label owned by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and managed in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful. It has been developed specifically for the hospitality and tourism sector.
It's recognised and supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme. With over 3,000 tourism businesses in 60 countries certified worldwide, Green Key is one of the world’s largest eco-certification programmes for the tourism industry.
Green Key criteria are based on environmental management, water, energy, administration, green activities, staff involvement, food and beverage and waste.
Keep Scotland Beautiful will support eligible establishments to develop an application to become Green Key certified.
Applicants will receive a desk top assessment, an on-site audit and feedback on their application. If successful, applicants are provided with promotional materials including a certificate and plaque and are supported to celebrate their achievement.
Green Key is suitable for hotels, hostels, small accommodations, campsites, holiday parks, conference centres, restaurants and attractions.
Annual fee from £749 plus VAT, with an additional independent audit fee of £500 plus VAT, plus travel costs (the audit is completed in year one, two and every third year thereafter).
Applicant establishments are provided with a Green Key plaque and / or can purchase a Green Key flag for £65 plus VAT.
As a world leading sustainability standard, Green Tourism influence and advise tourism and hospitality businesses. Founded in Scotland, it has more than 2,500 members and its reach extends to 20 different countries worldwide.
Its awards are globally acknowledged as an indicator of environmentally friendly best practice and it’s expanding membership community and the positive impacts it’s collectively making, endorses its overarching vision to care for people, places and the planet.
This Scheme helps businesses reduce their environmental impact. Based on the three pillars of caring for people, places and our planet. The Green Tourism Assessment criteria covers over 70 indicators across 15 sustainability goals including carbon, waste, biodiversity, local produce, ethical purchasing and equality. All the criteria are aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2021, Green Tourism launched the Green Meetings Standard following strong demand for a meetings sector specific accreditation.
The Scheme is suitable for tourism and hospitality businesses from individual accommodation providers to visitor attractions and large hotel groups.
In the last two years Green Tourism has developed a digital portal, GreenCheckTM which provides online advice, support and a framework to help business prepare for their assessment, develop action plans, and provide evidence of actions taken. A qualified sustainability assessor always conducts the assessments.
The GreenCheckTM platform helps businesses create a bespoke improvement plan, access helpful resources and request advice and guidance from the technical support team all year round.
Annual fees range from £150 up to £650, which is dependent on the size and type of business, with an additional one off £75 joining fee.
Visit the Green Tourism Scheme website for more information and apply.
Micro, small and SME businesses within the tourism sector are eligible for discounted membership from the certification scheme programme providers.
All businesses will need to meet the certification programme’s eligibility requirements.
Ineligible businesses
Scotland’s UNESCO Trail is a digital trail connecting 13 place-based UNESCO designations across Scotland. Take a look at the trail on VisitScotland.com.
If your business is located within a UNESCO Trail postcode area you may be eligible for a discount on your first year of membership of Green Tourism of up to £500. For years two and three, your membership will automatically renew with a 50% discount of your fees.
Membership of Green Tourism will show the world that your business takes environmental considerations seriously and is taking practical steps to tackle issues such as energy efficiency, water saving and mindful waste reduction. All of which are in line with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO values.
