ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAMMES FOR HOTEL COMPANIES

Abstract

The article is concerned with analysing environmental certification programmes in the hospitality industry. It is determined that today hotels are increasingly thinking about a format of activity that minimises the negative impact on the environment and lies in the plane of environmental sustainability in the hotel industry. The main aspects of environmental sustainability in the hotel industry include energy efficiency, water management, waste disposal, use of environmentally friendly materials, social responsibility and green technologies and initiatives. The overall goal of environmental sustainability in the hotel industry is to ensure harmony between business and the natural environment, reduce the negative impact of hotels on the environment and increase the efficiency of resource use to create a sustainable and future-proof way of operating hotels. Green hospitality goes beyond the physical property to include educating guests on the importance of environmental practices, engaging with local communities and supporting environmentally responsible initiatives. This holistic approach ensures that hotels and resorts make a positive contribution to both the environment and society at large. Certified hotel sustainability programmes help to identify and recognise such environmentally responsible establishments. Hotel environmental sustainability programmes are initiatives, systems of standards, rating assessments or certification programmes aimed at reducing the environmental impact of hotels and implementing sustainable practices in the hotel industry. The essence of such programmes is to set standards and criteria that help hotels improve their environmental performance and become more environmentally sustainable. The article analyses nine well-known and popular environmental certification programmes: Green Key, EarthCheck, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council), Carbon Trust, Weeva Earth, Green Globe, Zero Waste Business (ZWB). The article describes them in detail, including the presence of a point or index scale, the number of criteria used for assessment. Their orientation towards the assessment of hospitality enterprises is determined. It is found that of the analysed environmental certification programmes, only some (in particular, Green Key, Zero Waste Business, EarthCheck) are more specialised for hospitality enterprises.