Green Key and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: SDG #17

Green Key is a leading standard of excellence in the field of sustainable tourism, guiding tourism establishments to do their part in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. In the past months, we presented all 17 SDGs and explained their connection to Green Key. Today we talk about the last goal, SDG 17!

In 2015, the UN member states adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to guide governments, the private sector and civil society in transforming our world into a safer, fairer and more livable place.   

On this page, you will learn more about Goal 17: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development".

What is Goal 17 about?

According to the UN, “Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda requires a revitalised and enhanced global partnership that brings together Governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other actors and mobilises all available resources. Enhancing support to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and the small island developing States, is fundamental to equitable progress for all”. In the link above, you can read about the targets and indicators to Goal 17.

Green Key’s global profile involves cooperation and partnerships among multiple stakeholders from the public, private and NGO sectors at various levels: At the local level between staff, guests, suppliers, and the surrounding community and at the national and international level between NGOs, corporate partners, authorities, and other partners involved in sustainable tourism. 

How does Green Key help to achieve goal 17?

Sustainable development can only be attained when businesses, civil society, NGOs, and governments contribute together to the same goals. Green Key believes in SDG 17’s global partnership for sustainable development and harnesses the power of its multi-stakeholder network to move further in the transition towards sustainability (SDG target 17.16).

Additionally, Green Key is partnering up with companies and startups in the field of clean technologies and smart solutions to spread sustainable technology as far and as broadly as possible (SDG target 17.7).

Green Key is also engaging with partner countries (with essential help from National Operators), institutional stakeholders, and NGO partners in the process of building collective capacity for sustainability (SDG target 17.9), for example by actively requiring establishments to measure their consumption and quantify their impacts on the environment.

Although SDG 17 shapes all actions undertaken by Green Key as a programme, we point out some of the ways 2022-2025 criteria help achieve the aforementioned targets:

• STRONG LOCAL PRESENCE – Thanks to Green Key's global network encompassing around about 60 countries, the programme can count on a variety of sustainable tourism experts who are ready to share their experience, knowledge, and ideas in close contact with applicant establishments all over the world. National Operators speak the local language, know national regulation and culture, and can assist establishments more closely in their path towards sustainability;

• INDEPENDENT, UNBIASED DECISION-MAKING - In most countries running the Green Key programme, either national juries composed of stakeholders from different sectors (e.g. national establishment associations, ministries of tourism/environment, representatives of the private sector or NGOs, etc.) or third-party auditors take the decision on the award, which ensures a broad and independent verification of the requirements, as well as a transparent and unbiased decision-making process;

• PARTNERING UP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES - Green Key certified establishments must establish an active collaboration with relevant local stakeholders to enhance their active role in boosting environmental awareness and in promoting environmentally friendly practices in their surroundings (criterion 11.6). The aim of the programme is to actively engage businesses as ambassadors of sustainability and drivers for eco-friendly change across society;

• RELIABLE SUSTAINABILITY DATA – In line with SDG targets 17.18 and 17.19, Green Key believes in integrating education and awareness raising with a quantitative approach to the measurement of sustainability. Establishments are asked to register monthly/annual data on energy (criterion 7.1), water (criterion 4.1), waste (criterion 6.10), food waste (criterion 8.6) and GHG emissions (criterion 1.6) and input them in sustainability accounting database ECO-OS for further analysis by the Green Key staff. Annual reports are given back to the establishments, identifying opportunities for improvements and general trends in their environmental performance. Organised information on how the establishment is doing in terms of sustainability can support management and help leaders take more informed decisions to lower negative impacts on the environment and significantly move the hospitality industry closer to the common sustainability goal.

A document describing Green Key’s overall contribution to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals can be downloaded here.

TUI Group and Green Key entering cooperation agreement

TUI Group works with all Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) recognised certification programmes, and TUI Group will on some of its websites highlight Green Key awarded establishments.

Elounda Beach Hotel Viilas, Greece

TUI is the world’s leading tourism group. The broad portfolio gathered under the Group umbrella consists of strong tour operators, 1,600 travel agencies and leading online portals, five airlines with around 150 aircraft, over 400 hotels, 18 cruise liners and many incoming agencies in all major holiday destinations around the globe. It covers the entire tourism value chain under one roof. This integrated offering enables TUI to provide their 27 million customers with an unmatched holiday experience in 180 regions. A key feature of their corporate culture is the global responsibility for economic, environmental and social sustainability. This is reflected in more than 20 years of commitment to sustainable tourism.

As part of the cooperation agreement between TUI and Green Key, a Green Key database extract will regularly be sent to TUI Group, and TUI Group will on some of its websites (the TUI Nordic websites) add the Green Key logo next to Green Key awarded establishments that are included in TUI’s portfolio. TUI Group accepts not only Green Key awarded establishments, but establishments from all certification programmes recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

National Green Key management now present in Brazil

Green Key interested and awarded establishments in Brazil can now apply and get support nationally through the organisation, Instituto Ambientes em Rede (IAR).

The growing interest for Green Key in South America has spread to Brazil: the country has now its own National Operator! The Brazilian member of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has decided to become the Green Key National Operator for Brazil. The Instituto Ambientes em Rede is also in charge of the Blue Flag programme for beaches, marinas and boats in the country as well as other school-based environmental education programmes.

The Brazilian Green Key National Operator, Ms Leana Bernardi, says:

“Brazil is a country of amazing natural beauty that is enjoyed by a large number of domestic and international tourists. We believe that efforts to reduce the environmental footprint in the hospitality industry is very important to maintain our beautiful country. We also see a growing interest among tourists, hotels and other establishments and our national authorities for this direction, so we are happy to now launch Green Key in Brazil.”

Since December 2019, Brazil already has its first establishment with Green Key: Eco Pousada Baia do Joao, located in Buzios near Rio de Janeiro.

Other hotels, small accommodations and other tourism establishments in Brazil interested in Green Key are encouraged to contact the Green Key National Operator, Ms Leana Bernardi at gkbrasil@greenkey.org.br or +55 (47) 99947 0267.

Brazil welcomes its first Green Key establishment

Eco Pousada Baia do Joao is the first Green Key awarded hotel in Brazil. Located in Buzios, a popular tourist destination near Rio de Janeiro, Eco Pousada Baia focuses on educating its guests on sustainable living options while they enjoy a fabulous vacation.

©Patrick Dias

The two owners of the 9 rooms Pousada, Karl Schieneman and Rita Melo, renovated the 30 years old establishment in a sustainable way to protect the local environment. The renovation was run along with a Brazilian designer based in Connecticut. Paying attention to every detail, they replaced all of the toilets, showers and faucets while adding new sustainable and locally made furniture. While replacing the tile in the pool and changing the rotting wooden deck into tile, Rita also decided to replace the wooden fence around the pool with glass. In that way, the ocean is viewable from the pool area and from the metal and wooden pub chairs from their Sunset Bar. 

Karl observed, “my hope is that guests will leave Baia do Joao seeing how easy it is to walk or cycle more, to try vegan foods, recycle, and to watch their energy consumption. Hopefully they will take some of these ideas home with them while enjoying an amazing vacation at the same time.”   

As an experienced award winning entrepreneur in the legal field, Karl came up with the idea of designing an Eco Game to help guests earn points based on simple positive behaviors they can do to help the local environment.  As a result, guests are handed a tri-lingual Eco Game pamphlet and learn how they can win gifts such as an assortment of bamboo and wooden items. They also learn about local vegan restaurants, where to rent bikes, and the location and prices for the convenient bus and van system which go to all of Buzio’s beach areas inexpensively. 

©Patrick Dias

©Patrick Dias

Karl, who took on the responsibility of the Pousada’s environmental management said, “one of the things I found most interesting about Green Key is its emphasis on helping guests see how they can impact the environment by staying at a Green Key certified location.”

Along the way, enthusiastic water engineers joined the project and drew up plans for a grey water system. Karl and Rita easily picked water conservation as their Green Key focus for 2019-2020.  In a city surrounded by 20 unique beaches, Rita pointed out that “while people notice the water surrounding us in Buzios, they think less of the wasted water when they bath and flush toilets.”  After 2 months of work, their Pousada now has the first grey water system in Buzios and one of the few grey water systems being used anywhere in Brazil. 

Karl proudly said, “on December 23rd, when we turn the grey water system on, water from many of the showers will flow into a series of tanks, filtered through a series of rock beds, and be pumped back into toilets.  Other used water will be diverted and used to water plants in the Pousada, provide showers for animals in a pet friendly park we are building, and to water some gardens we are building below the Pousada.”  Rita notes, “this will enable us to increase our water usage in a way which does not hurt the environment and between the animals and plants, in a way which helps the environment.” 

©Patrick Dias

The support from Brazil and Buzios since they announced these projects has been huge. Karl and Rita strongly believe that the people of Brazil are very interested in hearing about and supporting sustainable projects. They also have noticed that in several months, it has become easier to find eco-friendly cleaning supplies so they no longer have to fill their truck with cleaning supplies at Walmart in a larger city an hour and a half away. Local stores now carry these products.

Karl and Rita could not be happier to see all of this momentum in Brazil and look forward to having other hotels join them in Green Key to educate their guests on sustainable living options while they enjoy a fabulous vacation at the same time. 

World’s first Green Key awarded winery

Located in Slovenia, Klet Brda winery turns the uniqueness of the Brda local wine into a success story.

Klet Brda unites 400 families who have been working together for over half a century, capturing in their wine the uniqueness of the Brda terroir. Their vineyards planted on demanding terrain and steep slopes cultivation relies almost only on manual labour. This kind of production known as heroic viticulture enhances deep respect for nature and its cycles in the winery day-to-day activities.

Klet Brda wine makers know that nature is their strongest ally. As they see sustainability as the only right way forward, the vineyards are cultivated according to the principles of integrated production.

Moreover, guests from all over the world come to enjoy Klet Brda’s wine tasting tours and guided tours of the winery. From the vineyard to the bottle, guests can discover Klet Brda’s sustainable wine production. They can have a tour of the small viticulture and wine making museum created to commemorate the winery’s 60th anniversary in 2017.

“Our guests can learn about our history and they can see that viticulture has been present in Brda for over two thousand years. We show them how we work with the land that we were given, how we take from it, and how we give back to it. In fact, this is true for every renowned wine region in the world. Wine reflects the terroir and the people who live there and that makes for a great tourist attraction,” summarised Silvan Peršolja, CEO of Klet Brda.

Klet Brda’s passionate wine makers also pay a lot of attention to their responsibility towards territory and people by passing the traditional know-how from fathers to sons. In that way, the winery contributes to the richness of cultural landscape and to sustainable development of remote rural areas.

Green Key and DIVELLO partnership to save water and energy

This partnership will help Green Key establishments optimizing, improving energy efficiency and extend the life of existing sanitary and heating installations.

In hotels, large amounts of energy and water are consumed unnecessarily. Sanitary and heating installations are often replaced, although with simple steps you can optimize and extend the lifespan of the existing installations.

Divello offers products to optimize existing sanitary and heating installations in properties (shower, tap, WC and radiator). Divello quickly became a leading product company in Scandinavia within their business area thanks to their independence, high-quality products and close cooperation with market-leading partners in production, distribution and installation. Individual tap sites have reduced their showers and tap water and energy consumption by up to 60% thanks to Divello products.

We are very proud to enter a partnership with Green Key. A strong brand, a global presence and the enthusiastic team at Green Key in combination with Divello high-quality products secures a water and energy efficient future. This partnership ensures a win, win, win situation for the Green Key establishments, their guests and especially the environment. Niclas Ryhage, Managing Director – DIVELLO AB (Stockholm 10/12-2019).

The agreement between Divello and Green Key will provide Green Key establishments with the tools to reduce their water and energy consumption and in this way contribute to spreading more sustainable practices in the hospitality industry.

First Independent 5-Star Hotel in Ethiopia Awarded Green Key

Capital Hotel and Spa has been recognized for its sustainability efforts and has become the first of the independent hotels in Ethiopia to achieve the Green Key award in this category.

© Capital Hotel and Spa, Addis Ababa

Capital Hotel and Spa is an independent 5-star hotel in Ethiopia that proved compliance with Green Key's criteria.

The hotel is well known for its environmental and social engagement. The hotel donates  various items to Mekedonia Foundation which takes care of elderly and disabled people, and to nearby public schools such as Dr. Hadis Alemayehu Secondary School, Environment protection club The establishment also supports the plantation of trees every year for Green and Clean City Project and builds infrastructure for local community. Moreover, it follows fair trade principle and over 98% of its supplies are locally produced. These are few of the success stories that made the hotel appreciated and certified by the local government.

Learn more about the hotel here.

©Capital Hotel and Spa, Addis Ababa

©Capital Hotel and Spa, Addis Ababa

©Capital Hotel and Spa, Addis Ababa

New Radisson hotel awarded Green Key in Asia Pacific

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney received the Green Key certification for the first time for its commitment to sustainability.

From left to right: Terry Oomens (Director of Sales & Marketing), Jean-Bernard Raousing (Chief Engineer), Stefanie Peters (Front Office Manager), Annika Spaans (HR Manager), Cecilia Gutierrez (Assistant Housekeeper), Peter Tudehope (General Manager), Mitchell Turner (Hotel Manager), Jeffrey Wong (Financial Controller) & Sahil Sabhlok (Executive Sous Chef)

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney has several responsible business initiatives fitting consumer demand and concerns about our impact on the environment. The establishment follows Radisson’s Responsible Business strategy.

Regarding energy consumption and savings, the hotel aims to source 100% renewable energy for the property in 2020 thanks to a new initiative and industry partnership. It included water-saving showerheads to save water and the staff awards bonus Radisson Reward points to guests who opt out of daily housekeeping.

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney is going plastic-free and got rid of plastic straws by replacing them by biodegradable straws. Furthermore, it is the first hotel in Sydney to install a Waste to Water system, a food waste processing unit using microorganisms to minimize waste and allowing the hotel to have less than 5% of food waste going to landfill.

The staff and leadership team support the local community and are involved in many activities to make a difference. They participate in Soap for Hope, a programme re-purposing used soap cakes from the hotel into new soap for local disadvantaged people in the community. Thanks to their last event, over 200 new soap bars were produced and distributed to a charity helping people in crisis housing. Moreover, they raised money during the hotel’s last annual Gala Dinner to provide educational assistance to local children. They also support drought victims in rural Australia by raising funds through several outlets during the Christmas period.

General Manager, Peter Tudehope said, “It is exciting and satisfying to see how the Radisson brand’s commitment to Responsible Business influences our own staff’s actions. Our employees are able to get involved as well as suggest new ways we can improve our dedication to being an eco-friendly hotel.”

Staff is playing a key role in the hotel’s Responsible Business principles. Thanks to the latter’s input, the hotel has been using microfiber cloths in housekeeping since 2007 and in this way reduced the need for harsh cleaning chemicals and equipment. 14.4 million litres of water have been saved due to this initiative.

It is great to see that a hotel can produce such an inclusive workspace culture with teams creating initiatives to contribute to a great range of causes!

Ecolab and Green Key partner to help hotels and restaurants across Europe improve sustainability

Partnership will help promote sustainability in the hospitality industry by offering sustainable and efficient hygiene solutions to members

A global survey carried out by travel and tourism company TUI Group found that 66% of travellers expect on the travel industry to build and promote a more sustainable experience.

Every day, Ecolab works with its customers across the globe to do more with less – using innovative solutions to improve business outcomes while protecting vital resources. The company’s partnership with Green Key will promote the use of sustainable solutions at hotels and restaurants across Europe to meet customer expectations and achieve and maintain Green Key certification.  

“We provide customers with solutions and services that help keep their operations clean and safe and enable them to achieve both operational and sustainability goals,” said Maarten Potjer, vice president and general manager of Ecolab’s Institutional business in Europe. “Through this partnership with Green Key, we can help hospitality businesses meet increasing consumer expectations around sustainability and achieve Green Key accreditation.”

“Working closely with market leaders and environmentally conscientious organisations such as Ecolab is a mutually beneficial arrangement that helps to broaden our reach while affording our partners the opportunity to highlight their commitment to helping address environmental concerns,” said Finn Bolding Thomsen, International Green Key Director.

To learn more about Ecolab’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.ecolab.com/sustainability/product-responsibility.

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About Ecolab

A trusted partner at nearly three million customer locations, Ecolab Inc. is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services that protect people and vital resources. With annual sales of $15 billion and 49,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments, optimise water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies for customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. www.ecolab.com

Follow us on Twitter @ecolab, Facebook at facebook.com/ecolab, LinkedIn at Ecolab or Instagram at Ecolab Inc.

Ecolab Contact:                          

 Laetitia Tettamanti

laetitia.tettamanti@ecolab.com

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About Green Key

The Green Key award is the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry

This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education. A Green Key stands for the promise to its guests that by opting to stay with the Green Key establishment, they are helping to make a difference on an environmental level. The high environmental standards expected of these establishments are maintained through rigorous documentation and frequent audits. Green Key is eligible for hotels, hostels, small accommodations, campsites, holiday parks, conference centres, restaurants and attractions.

Green Key Contact :

Finn Bolding Thomsen

finn@fee.global