Credible, inspiring, sustainable, creating change. These were the words that audiences associated with the EU Ecolabel in our latest webinar, “The EU Ecolabel puts tourist accommodation in the green spotlight”. The webinar brought together key players in the industry to share inspiring success stories and the positive impact the EU Ecolabel is having on the future of tourism.
Becoming the first hotel in your country to receive the EU Ecolabel is a big deal, and Belgium’s Hotel Fevery and Czech Republic’s Best Western Hotel Moran have already benefited from it since receiving the certification in 2009 and 2023 respectively. Both hotels sought the EU Ecolabel after introducing sustainable initiatives such as climate-smart renovations, free filtered water and no single-use plastics.
“The EU Ecolabel has brought us cost savings. Our new heating system has reduced energy consumption by 30 percent, 50 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources, water-saving devices have reduced our annual water consumption by almost 50 percent, we also do not use single-use plastics and more than 90 percent of our lighting is energy-efficient,” said Gabriela Placharova, Hotel Director at Best Western Hotel Moran.
“Thirty percent of our guests choose us based on our certification, and 50% actively participate in sustainable practices (such as changing towels less frequently),” says Paul Aselman, owner and manager of Hotel Feverley.
“As well as reducing energy, waste and water, both hotels aimed to educate their staff on sustainable practices, grow their own produce and offer “eco tips” to guests. Their efforts have paid off through increased visibility in the media and on booking portals, but also increased demand from companies subject to ESG reporting,” Gabriella said.
Both panellists felt that the application process was smooth: despite the many criteria that had to be adhered to, both companies received support from their national competent authorities and were successful in obtaining the EU Ecolabel, despite being at opposite ends of the spectrum – an international hotel operator and a small independent hotel.
Appealing to sustainable travelers with environmental awareness
The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary EU label of environmental excellence awarded to high-quality goods and services with excellent environmental performance since 1992. Known for being reliable and trustworthy thanks to its third-party verification, multi-criteria, life cycle and scientific approach, the EU Ecolabel enables sustainable choices and enables market players to actively participate in the transition to a circular, clean and carbon-neutral economy.
The EU Ecolabel will be awarded to 25 product groups, including tourist accommodation. The group covers hotels, campsites and more, and appeals to conscious travellers looking for accommodation that strives to reduce the environmental impact of its activities. It ensures that accommodation optimises environmental and waste management, reducing food waste, energy and water consumption, transport emissions and chemical consumption.
More than 700 tourist accommodations have been certified so far, most of them in France, Austria and Italy, but efforts are ongoing to rapidly increase these numbers. A recent Eurobarometer poll showed that awareness of EU ecolabels is growing among Europeans, which is good news for accommodations working towards obtaining this top-class label.
Major Industry Association Adopts EU Ecolabel
It’s not just individual tourist accommodations that are considering the EU Ecolabel: major players in the tourism industry, such as HOTREC, lastminute.com and Booking.com, have spoken about their environmental commitments and their aim to meet traveller demand for sustainable options.
All of them pointed out the importance of sharing information about the EU Ecolabel with their customers, for example by adding a sustainable badge to their accommodation page to make it easier for customers to choose sustainable travel options. Moreover, they recognized the benefits of promoting a trusted label such as the EU Ecolabel, which is already compliant with the new “Helping consumers in the green transition” and the upcoming “Green Claims Directive”, which aim to prevent greenwashing and false sustainability claims.
If you couldn’t join us live, watch the recording of the webinar and read the presentation. For more information, please visit the EU Ecolabel website.
