Finding a legally eco-friendly one being able to travel is complex, not to mention time-consuming. The gap between sustainability claims and practices can be quite huge, and “eco-crime” is not always straightforward to identify.
But there are signs to look for. Scientists from Turkey recently Five key categories have been identified Describe the most common forms of greenwashing in tourism: eco-certifications, penniless waste management, misleading carbon offset claims, over-consumption by destination, and the exploit of the “green development” label to mask social injustice and environmental damage.
“Companies facing demands for environmental and social responsibility often make gestures that are largely for show” – authors he wrote in the newspaper published in May in the journal Frontiers in Sustainability.
As the newspaper explains, there are many reasons for concern, but there are also ways to cut through the noise. Independent and hearty certification systems play a huge role; local business is also significant, as corporate chains are often associated with problematic greenwashing, especially at the luxury level. “Sustainability cannot be seen as a communication strategy, but as a structural commitment that is measurable, inclusive and ethically embedded,” the authors wrote.
The first thing to remember when planning a trip is that it will have a negative impact. Any company saying they are helping the environment, instead of explaining what they are doing to reduce their footprint, is a giant red flag. It takes a little more effort to see anything beyond that. Take this into account when booking your trip.
Do those little notes asking you to reuse your towels do any good?
Linen reuse programs, where you forgo daily replacement of towels and hopefully sheets, have become the norm – and actually save huge amounts of water, as well as detergent and energy. If you’re traveling, you really should take part in this; many people still don’t do this.
However, when it comes to assessing a hotel’s environmental performance, a towel program should be standard practice.
PSA for any hotel operators: According to social psychology research, more people will participate if you exploit a “general norms” approach when presenting it. Posters should say “Join other guests in saving water” – rather than presenting it in a more altruistic way, such as “Help protect the environment by reusing towels.”
Look for substantiated claims
The best way to evaluate a hotel is to seek credible third-party certifications from scientific standards-setting and mandatory auditing programs such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and EarthCheck. The more familiar LEED certification, particularly the platinum standard, is best-in-class for a hotel’s design, but says little about its day-to-day operations or its local environmental and economic impact. In nature-rich regions, the nonprofit Rainforest Alliance also certifies hotels that meet certain sustainability and biodiversity conservation standards.
What to avoid: Self-created credentials or environmental awards. These signs on websites and at hotel check-in counters – “The best eco-friendly hotel!” or “Voted most sustainable hotel in town!” – they are often a marketing trick or the result of paid promotion.
Many companies claim zero waste but often rely on single-use products that claim to be compostable or biodegradable but are not actually composted; They also exploit energy and novel natural resources for production, even if they are later composted. Others make pledges to reduce plastic, which are often narrow in scope and apply to individual items such as cups or cutlery, but ignore others; or switching to boxed water instead of bottled water, even though the boxes are made of plastic and are only slightly recyclable.
Unfortunately, there is no straightforward tool to fact-check such claims because there are actually no laws governing what companies can say about how environmentally amiable they are.