Environmental & Social
Responsibility at EarthCheck

The world is changing fast, and businesses need to keep up. People's priorities are shifting, and we’re seeing big changes due to climate issues, new technology, and the push for a cleaner, greener future. To stay on top, we must be ready to adapt and rethink how we do things.

To achieve ‘net-zero’ emissions, businesses—especially in travel and tourism—need to reduce their environmental impact. The tourism industry plays a big role in global emissions, so encouraging people to make greener travel choices is both a challenge and an opportunity. To make a real difference, we need to understand what influences people’s decisions, provide them with sustainable alternatives, and communicate these options clearly.

As Professor David Simmons, Chairman of the EarthCheck Research Institute, puts it: “You can’t hope to have a sustainable tourism industry on an unsustainable planet. Tourism, local community ownership, and a safe and healthy environment are joined at the hip.”

At our core, we are committed to this approach. We actively support sustainability and social initiatives, from helping homeless charities and running staff produce swaps to fundraising for direct climate action. By taking meaningful steps, we can make sustainable choices the easy choice.

See EarthCheck’s sustainable initiatives here. 

You can’t hope to have a sustainable tourism industry on an unsustainable planet. Tourism, local community ownership and a safe and healthy environment are joined at the hip.

Good for Business, Good for the Planet

At EarthCheck, we’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment and supporting local communities. We want to protect our planet for future generations and improve the places where we live and work.

We continuously look for ways to minimise waste, save energy and water, and support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Our Green Team leads the way with a policy that guides our efforts in environmental protection, legal compliance, hiring locally, and choosing local products and services.

We have a Quality Management System (QMS) in place and are ISO 9001 certified, ensuring we continuously improve our processes and deliver the highest standards in everything we do. We also adhere to ISO 17065 to maintain excellence in certification services.

We encourage our staff, partners, and suppliers to join us in making a positive impact. Your feedback is always welcome—download our policy to learn more.

Benchmarking and performance

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

Every year, we assess how we’re doing in sustainability. Recently, we ranked as a regional leader in reducing landfill waste, but we know we can do better in energy and water use. We’re working with Marquette Properties (our building owner) to improve.

The EarthCheck Performance Report tracks our successes and areas for growth. Want to see how we compare to others in the industry? Check out our latest report in the download section. Questions? Contact us at info@earthcheck.org

Governance – doing things right

Good governance means following the rules and making responsible decisions. At EarthCheck, we assess risks and track all environmental, social, and legal obligations in a legislation register.

We also value input from our partners and stakeholders. You can download our latest assessment to see how we’re ensuring our work benefits both people and the planet.

Sustainability and energy 

Sustainability is at the heart of what we do. Our Sustainability Action Plan outlines our goals, the steps we’re taking, and how we measure progress across 10 key areas.

Want to learn more about our sustainability efforts? Get in touch!

Staying connected

Keeping everyone informed is key to making a real impact. That’s why we share updates, industry news, and sustainability tips in our Monthly Tips e-newsletter.

If you are an EarthCheck member and would like to receive EarthCheck’s Monthly Tips, please send an email to relationshipmgt@earthcheck.org or your dedicated Relationship Manager.

Learn more about our initiatives by visiting the link below

As the global economy starts to open up again, it provides a rare opportunity to reset and reimagine how our destination management and business plans can be enhanced to better meet the needs of the new normal.​

It heralds a time when we are seeing shifts in consumer and community sentiment and accelerating disruptions from climate change, digitisation and decarbonisation. Managing risk, building resilience and factoring in adaptation and recovery responses are now required as standard operating procedures.

As Professor David Simmons, the Chairman of the EarthCheck Research Institute, says ““you can’t hope to have a sustainable tourism industry on an unsustainable planet. Tourism, local community ownership and a safe and healthy environment are joined at the hip. We have to define the values and purpose of why we travel and we have to use them as a signpost and GPS for how we manage and direct the future growth of our industry.”

It is now clear that the post COVID-19 conscious consumer will begin to scrutinise every aspect of a destination, business and supply chain. Here at EarthCheck we are working hard to provide our members with practical and positive solutions for where we collectively can make a difference. Our rallying message from inception has been and still is that: the planet deserves more than half measures.™

Our rallying message from inception has been and still is that: the planet deserves more than half measures.™​

Walking the Talk

At EarthCheck, we are committed to reducing and preventing the negative environmental, social and cultural impacts associated with our activities, products and services. We are committed to enriching local communities and protecting the planet for future generations. By informing and educating our employees, members and other stakeholders, we set the stage to protect our surrounding ecosystems and contribute to the continuous improvement of our planet.

We are continuously improving our operating practices to reduce our ecological footprint and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are our guiding light as we move towards a more responsible and sustainable tourism industry.

Our dedicated Green Team developed a Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Policy detailing our commitment to environmental protection, continual improvement, legal compliance, local employment, and preference of purchasing local products and services.

We also adopt a total Quality Management System designed to adhere to the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 17065. We encourage our staff to maintain this commitment to environmental and social responsibilities and quality management in our daily operations and we seek support from our customers, service providers, business partners, contractors and suppliers to deliver improved outcomes. 

We would appreciate any feedback or comments you may have regarding the Policy. Please see the Policy in the download & links.

1. Commitment and Policy

At EarthCheck, we are committed to reducing and preventing the negative environmental, social and cultural impacts associated with our activities, products and services. We are committed to enriching local communities and protecting the planet for future generations. By informing and educating our employees, members and other stakeholders, we set the stage to protect our surrounding ecosystems and contribute to the continuous improvement of our planet.

We are continuously improving our operating practices to reduce our ecological footprint and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are our guiding light as we move towards a more responsible and sustainable tourism industry.

Our dedicated Green Team developed a Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Policy detailing our commitment to environmental protection, continual improvement, legal compliance, local employment, and preference of purchasing local products and services.

We also adopt a total Quality Management System designed to adhere to the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 17065. We encourage our staff to maintain this commitment to environmental and social responsibilities and quality management in our daily operations and we seek support from our customers, service providers, business partners, contractors and suppliers to deliver improved outcomes. 

We would appreciate any feedback or comments you may have regarding the Policy. Please see the Policy in the download & links.

2) Benchmarking and Performance

You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

We are committed to continually improving our environmental and social sustainability performance by undergoing an annual benchmarking evaluation. In our latest benchmarking assessment, we achieved regional leader for waste sent to landfill but could improve our energy and potable water consumption. We are working with the owner of our building Mirvac, to try and improve those indicators.

The EarthCheck Performance Report provides an overview of our successes, areas for improvement, our progress over time and how we compare to our competitors. You can view our latest Performance Report in the download & links section. If you have any questions about the data, please contact us at info@earthcheck.org

3) Governance

Governance addresses the requirements of an organisation’s regulatory compliance. EarthCheck assesses all actual and potential environmental, social and cultural risks in relation to our scope through a risk assessment and record our regulatory requirements in the form of a legislation register.

When undertaking the risk assessment, it is important to seek and consider the views of stakeholders. We’ve made ours available for download on this page.

4) Sustainability and Energy Approach

EarthCheck takes a holistic sustainability approach in our operations. A sustainability approach is the way in which an organisation manages and improves its overall environmental and social performance.

Our EarthCheck Green Team developed a Sustainability Action Plan outlining our objectives, actions and targets that guide the initiatives we implement against 10 Key Performance Areas. To learn more about our targets for 2021, please feel free to download the infographic from the download & links section.

5) Communication

Clear communication of our sustainability activities, goals and objectives is essential for effective stakeholder engagement. Communicating with our stakeholders ensures that they are aware of their role and how they can positively contribute to EarthCheck’s sustainability goals.

EarthCheck’s Weekly Tips is our e-newsletter providing you with sustainable tips and information around a selected issue each week. We also communicate any sustainable initiatives from our members.

If you are an EarthCheck member and would like to receive EarthCheck’s Weekly Tips, please send an email to relationshipmgt@earthcheck.org or your dedicated Relationship Manager.

Learn more about our initiatives by visiting the link below

Science-backed sustainability solutions for tourism,
delivered by the experts.

EarthCheck Logo

Acknowledgement
of Country

There are more than 476 million Indigenous Peoples, found in all regions of the world, from the Arctic to the tropical forests. They make up more than 6 per cent of our global population.

 

In the spirit of reconciliation, EarthCheck acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout the world and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous Peoples today.

 

EarthCheck acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples are guardians of the forests and biodiversity hotspots we all depend on. Research shows that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples, with secure rights, experience lower deforestation rates, store more carbon, hold more biodiversity, and benefit more people than other lands — including protected areas.

 

We recognise and support the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the most comprehensive international instrument on the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Declaration is a positive document that maps out a path for Indigenous Peoples to be free from discrimination and secure in their identities and life choices.

EarthCheck Logo

EarthCheck Certified: Aligned globally

EarthCheck science and products were developed by the Australian Government Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre (STCRC) over ten years. Our science is reviewed annually to ensure that it meets international standards relative to greenhouse gas protocols, responsible tourism, and certification.

EarthCheck products and services are built on the Agenda 21 principles for Sustainable Development endorsed by 182 Heads of State at the United Nations Rio De Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 and aligned to the SDGs.

EarthCheck Certified provides a framework for organisations to achieve the desired outcomes for sustainable development as set out in the final report of the World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.

EarthCheck Certified complies with the Mohonk Agreement (2000), which outlines the guidelines and principles for an international sustainable tourism certification program. It is also a Recognised program of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

EarthCheck Certified is a verification standard accepted by CDP. It is also an approved program of the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA), London & Partners, the Mexican Secretary of Tourism (SECTUR) and the City of Sydney.

EarthCheck Certified is an approved program for meeting the EU Energy Directive for the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle – BAFA) in Germany and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) in the Netherlands.

EarthCheck partners with international research organisations to maintain the currency of EarthCheck science and our benchmarking systems.

The EarthCheck brand signifies scientific excellence, better environmental, economic, and social performance, improved community interactions, and savings through more efficient use of resources. It provides recognition and promotional support to a global consumer market.