The EU Ecolabel for accommodation is a recognition given to hotels and campsites that want to commit to sustainable recovery, offering a high-quality green alternative to traditional structures. It presupposes the promotion of a different type of tourism, based on quality and commitment to environmental protection, in which both staff and customers are involved. But in order to get it, you need to meet some requirements.
L’EU Ecolabel it is the official European Union brand that rewards environmental excellence. This is a recognition whose purpose is to encourage accommodation facilities and tourists to respect the environment. It is an increasingly sought-after certification that tourists prefer, but even more so it presupposes that hotels (and not only) are moving towards management that is increasingly respectful of the environment and against waste. In this article we will delve into what it consists of, what the current legislation is and what the criteria are for obtaining it, effectively becoming an Eco Hotel.
What is the EU Ecolabel for accommodation facilities
The EU Ecolabel, established in 1992 by Regulation (EEC) no. 880/1992, is the European Union eco-label that refers to products and services that are characterized by a reduced environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle despite their high performance standards. Since 2003, the applicability of the Ecolabel has been extended to tourist accommodation services and, a couple of years later, also to campsites. It so happened that in 2017, thanks to EU Decision 2017/175, the EU Ecolabel criteria for Accommodation Facilities were born (which united these two realities).
What is this particular EU Ecolabel relating to the hospitality sector? In essence, it is a recognition given to accommodation facilities that satisfy certain requirements environmental and sustainability standards. Standards that cover a series of criteria, including water and waste management, the use of renewable energy, the environmental impact of the products used. The mark certifies that the owner of a tourist accommodation facility or a campsite who has already implemented nature protection strategies, aimed at reducing the environmental impact of his facility, has recognized his commitment at an international level. With a good return also in terms of image. Analyzes conducted in this regard have shown how tourists, when choosing the structure in which to stay, prefer those where environmental quality is ensured.
The advantages of the EU Ecolabel for accommodation facilities
Brand recognition involves several advantages in favor of accommodation facilities. First of all, it improves its image through more effective promotion both on the national and international markets. The result is greater visibility both thanks to the presence on ministerial websites and from participation in events on sustainable tourism. Furthermore, it favors market expansion: it can attract new tourists from countries where high environmental sensitivity dominates. Another interesting advantage concerns economic savings: having to comply with ecological criteria to obtain the EU Ecolabel has the consequence of reducing the waste of resources.
EU Ecolabel for accommodation facilities, criteria
Which criteria must they be respected in order to receive Ecolabel certification? This recognition is given, in general, to those who implement tourism different from that to which we are sadly accustomed, which is characterized by quality and the environment. Before getting to the heart of the assignment criteria, there are two: prerequisites requested from the structures that want to obtain it. That is, “that the structure complies with community, national and local laws and regulations regarding energy efficiency and thermal insulation, water sources, water treatment and disposal, waste collection and disposal, equipment maintenance and maintenance, provisions regarding safety and health and any relevant laws or regulations in the area relating to landscape and biodiversity conservation”. And that the company is operational and registered, as required by national or local laws, and the staff is regularly employed and insured.
Coming, therefore, to the criteria for becoming an Eco Hotel, the European Commission has established two categories, one mandatory and the other optional. As reported by the EU Decision 2017/175in order to satisfy the criteria of the standard a structure must be:
- compliant with all mandatory criteria indicated in part A of the annex to the aforementioned Decision
- compliant with a sufficient number of optional criteria indicated in part B of the annex to the aforementioned Decision
Mandatory criteria
Below are the mandatory criteria:
General management criteria
- Basis of an environmental management system
- Staff training
- Information communicated to guests
- General maintenance
- Consumption monitoring
Energy criteria
- Energy efficiency of space heating and water heating appliances
- Energy efficiency of air conditioning equipment and air source heat pumps
- Low consumption lighting
- Thermoregulation
- Automatic shutdown of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and lighting
- External appliances for heating and air conditioning
- Procurement of electricity from a supplier of electricity from renewable sources
- Coal and fuel oils
Water criteria
- Efficient plumbing devices: bathroom faucets and showers
- Efficient plumbing devices: flushing toilets and urinals
- Reduction of washing by reusing towels and bed linen
Waste and wastewater criteria
- Waste Prevention: Food Service Waste Reduction Plan
- Waste prevention: disposable items
- Separate waste collection and start of recycling
Other criteria
- Smoking ban in common areas and rooms
- Promotion of environmentally preferable means of transport
- Information to be reported on the EU Ecolabel
SOURCES:
Source: www.greenstyle.it
