Sustainable tourism: all the labels, standards, and certifications you need to take action

Nearly one in five people temporarily leaves their home… just for the pleasure of visiting another place! In 2016, global tourism grew by another 4%, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Similar growth is expected this year. But at this rate, will the planet be able to keep up? Tourism means carbon-intensive travel, disruption of natural environments, and massive production of all kinds of waste… Are tourism and sustainable development compatible? This Friday, June 2, International Day for Responsible Tourism, the AFNOR Group is raising this question and proposing solutions based on voluntary standards.

Guidelines and Best Practices

As Grégory Berthou, head of development for the sports and leisure sector at AFNOR Standardization, points out, In this age of globalization and new technologies, tourists are changing their behavior. With a growing concern for ethical issues, they want greater transparency, particularly from industry professionals. This trend is also evident in the development of standards: sustainable development is becoming increasingly prominent . As the group’s core business, the standard provides the framework: developed by all professionals and consumers in the relevant sector, it serves as a guide and offers guidelines, along with best practices, to ensure quality and sustainability in products and services.

In the field of tourism, two international standards are expected to be released by 2018 or 2019. The first, initiated by Brazil and led by the TC 228 working group of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization), focuses on sustainable tourism. “It will establish a framework for responsible management systems in the hospitality sector, with criteria related in particular to environmental and social aspects,” says Dori Nissan, project manager at AFNOR Standardization. This standard is supported primarily by countries whose economies depend heavily on tourism, such as Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. However, some countries (seven, including France) remain skeptical. They believe that existing tools (framework standards such as ISO 9001 on quality and ISO 14001 on the environment, etc.) are sufficient. However, ISO standards carry such weight that it is entirely possible that, in the long run, this new standard will ultimately be adopted by French tourism professionals as well.

Adventure tourism committed to sustainable development

The second upcoming ISO standard concerns adventure tourism . The players in this market are the ones most directly affected by sustainable development, as the activities they offer often involve local communities, wildlife, and the natural environment , explains Fabrice del Taglia, CEO of Nomade Aventure and president of the AFNOR standardization committee an expert on the subject. Very straightforward and unique in France, the upcoming voluntary standard will enable industry stakeholders to align their sustainability practices. In a sense, it will allow them to speak the same language. The draft ISO standard, initiated by Portugal, has been enriched by French stakeholders—who have been deeply involved—with social, economic, and environmental requirements , says Fabrice del Taglia. The text will help give international recognition to the existing standards in this market segment, including the ATR (Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable) label, created by the association of the same name and adopted by about ten adventure tourism professionals.

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The need for ethical standards in the tourism sector, regardless of the specific industry, is thus confirmed. This is also evidenced by the recommendations issued in late April 2017 by the Global Committee on Tourism Ethics (an offshoot of the UNWTO), which aim to ensure that online reviews from customers of travel websites are collected and published impartially. Not to mention the historic work of TC 228 on scuba diving, which takes sustainable development into account, or the discussion on tourist sites accessible to people with disabilities.

The European Ecolabel: 25 Years of Certification

In 2017, we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the European Ecolabel, famous for its flower-shaped logo. Recognized in all European Union member states, this distinctive mark—affixed to products and services that apply for it—is issued in France, following an audit, by AFNOR Certification. And all tourist accommodation services are eligible: hotels, campgrounds, vacation villages, vacation rentals, and bed-and-breakfasts. Among the more than 1,000 service providers holding this label on the European market, France leads the way, with 335 holders to date. This anniversary coincides with a new European decision, adopted last January, that updates the criteria on which the Ecolabel is based "announces Laure Garcia, a sales engineer specializing in the tourism market at AFNOR Certification."

Among the changes: Tourist accommodations and campgrounds now fall under the same framework, as their respective criteria are very similar. The decision to award the label focuses on the key criteria affecting the environment, which have been reorganized for greater clarity. For some, the standards are becoming more stringent, while for others, they are being phased in more gradually. A social component has been introduced, with an emphasis on the efficiency of facilities, and the fight against food waste has been incorporated. Finally, adherence to other initiatives aligned with sustainable development (such as ISO 14001) is valued. , explains Laure Garcia.

GET CERTIFIED: European Ecolabel for "Tourist Accommodation"

Teamwork, Business Management

Obtaining certification often requires support (see the example in Gironde). Regional branches of AFNOR (Brittany, Pays-de-la-Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Réunion, Guadeloupe, etc.), in partnership with public institutions, are taking steps in this direction. For example, the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the support of the regional council, helped twenty professionals obtain eco-labels in late 2015. The decision to pursue this path depends above all on management’s willingness to embrace it, and it requires a team effort , notes Annie Santerre, tourism advisor at this Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adding this important point: Some organizations view this approach as purely financial business management, since it helps reduce waste or energy consumption—and thus, ultimately, costs. But everyone comes out a winner! The Amiral Hotel in Nantes even displays each room’s daily water and electricity usage at the front desk. It encourages guests to be more responsible! And it’s cost-effective: starting in 2011, by offering a breakfast buffet without small containers and featuring local products, the hotel operator has saved money , continues Annie Santerre.

More and more tourist offices are also getting on board. Jérôme Lay, director of the Seignanx tourist office (Landes), describes himself as a passionate advocate of sustainable tourism: Our mission is to preserve and share our region, which boasts a rich and diverse natural heritage. We started from scratch in 2008, with no model to follow. Thanks to assessments conducted with elected officials and tourism professionals, we created a very simple charter for lodging providers, which was later expanded to include surf schools, tourist attractions, equestrian centers, and more. Naturally, we encouraged lodging providers to take it a step further by guiding them toward the European Ecolabel. he says. Today, one vacation village and two campgrounds hold the European Ecolabel, accounting for one-third of the available accommodations. And some tourists specifically ask for an eco-certified campground! , adds Jérôme Lay. Professionals who take the plunge say they’re delighted, such as Benoît Morin, director of Éthic Étapes Val-de-Loire in Blois

Mulching mowers and energy-generating bicycles

It’s the same story at campsites. Éric Bourgon, manager of La Garangeoire campsite (Vendée), which also holds the European Ecolabel, welcomes 1,500 guests each season: “Everyone is on board: guests, suppliers, and staff (16 permanent employees and 100 seasonal workers in the summer). “Since our certification in 2011, we’ve purchased two cars and eleven electric carts, invested in an electric chainsaw and a snowblower, not to mention a mulching mower, which chops the grass into small pieces and deposits it back onto the lawn, forming a protective mulch against drought and a natural fertilizer,” he explains. He continues: “We are one of only two campsites in France to have installed a Fonteko. This zero-waste station features a self-service water fountain and a dispenser for 100% natural detergents. This summer, we plan to add a smart recycling station that will open the correct compartment based on the barcode.”

NF Environment: Sites to VisitIn addition to the European Ecolabel, other certifications are attracting an increasing number of tourism stakeholders eager to highlight their initiatives. This is the case with AFAQ Ports Propres, which is well established in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, as well as NF Environment “Visitor Sites”, which was awarded in late 2016, notably for the Proumeyssac Cave (Dordogne). According to its director, Alain Francès, “being certified allows for regular monitoring and encourages us to improve our performance, particularly in terms of energy consumption and pollution.”

But the guiding principle is continuous improvement. At the cave site, six energy-generating bicycles were installed in April 2017. The goal? To have willing visitors pedal to generate the equivalent of the energy consumed during their visit. Fun… and educational! Among the latest initiatives, Alain Francès cites the replacement of certain floodlights with LEDs in the cave, the replacement of heating equipment with energy-efficient models, and the installation of a medium-power charging station for two electric vehicles.

GETTING CERTIFIED: NF Environnement Site Inspections

Through their daily actions, these professionals demonstrate the value and benefits of earning and maintaining a certification that, through the eyes of an independent certifying body, serves as tangible proof of their commitment to sustainable tourism. Customers (and the planet) thank them for it!

Certification project in Gironde

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the European Ecolabel, ADEME issued a call for projects that closed on May 31, 2017. The goal was to provide financial assistance to help tourist accommodations obtain this certification. Five regions responded to the call, including Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which already has the highest number of certified establishments. On June 2, four press conferences will be held across the country, explains Muriel Lacroix, a development engineer at the AFNOR regional office. “The Bordeaux office aims to launch a joint initiative for the Gironde region, led by Gironde Tourisme, covering both the European Ecolabel and the NF Environnement – Tourist Sites certification. ” Four workshops to present the project are being organized, the last of which will take place in early September, in partnership with the tourist offices. In the fall, training on the standards will begin, followed by support services. Ten lodging providers and visitor sites have already signed up. 

3 Questions for Benoît Morin, Director of Ethic Etapes Val-de-Loire in Blois

Your facility started out as a social housing project for young workers. How did you come to expand into environmental initiatives and apply for the European Ecolabel?

Our commitment dates back to 2010, when the buildings needed to be renovated. Any measures that could improve the environmental impact were included in the specifications. The windows were replaced, exterior insulation was installed, and so on. The work helped raise awareness among the 26 employees on the team, allowed us to study the criteria of the European Ecolabel for tourist accommodations, and prompted us to review what changes we needed to make in our behavior. We were certified in March 2015 and are very proud to be the first establishment of our kind in Blois! A certification means continuous improvement. We’re moving forward with the process while taking our time.

So, what improvements have you made?

We have developed an annual action and staff awareness program that goes beyond the requirements of the certification. For example, we’ve done away with 5-liter buckets and bleach for cleaning. Today, our cleaning products are gentler on surfaces, and the containers hold half a liter, reducing packaging waste and the weight we have to carry. We encourage guests to sort their waste, and our team does the same. Before, we’d take out six to seven 100-liter trash bags a day; now it’s just one—so much so that the garbage collectors asked us if the hotel was closing! We compost food waste, spreading it on our green spaces and, for employees who want it, at their homes. Weeding is done by hand, and the waste is burned. We have also worked with the chef to reduce food waste and have introduced products from local suppliers that carry quality labels.

Are the results coming in?

These factors are difficult to measure. Guests often praise our staff for the quality of the accommodations and the food. They sometimes take an interest in the eco-label, but that isn’t their primary motivation. That said, we have noticed that some school groups choose us specifically because of our eco-friendly approach!