The Alpina Gstaad, EarthCheck Certified
As the tourism industry continues to grow faster than the global economy (3.9% for Travel & Tourism versus 3.2% for global GDP – World Travel & Tourism Council), it has triggered demand for a more structured approach to corporate social responsibility.
EarthCheck Founder and CEO, Stewart Moore said the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer powerful aspiration for improving social, environmental and economic sustainability.
“The EarthCheck’s suite of accreditation programs provide rigorous guidelines for organisations to assess and align their social, environmental and economic impacts with the SDGs using qualitative and quantitative benchmarking,” Mr Moore said.
“Our programs (EarthCheck Certified, EarthCheck Evaluate, EarthCheck Eco, EarthCheck Design and EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations) are mapped to the SDGs, underpinned by Agenda 21 principles and internationally recognised for their robust sustainability performance criteria.”
“We have options for both small and large operators, providing the travel and tourism industry with a framework to credibly measure, report, monitor and improve operational practices for a sustainable outcome,” Mr Stewart Moore said.
The Datai Langkawai, EarthCheck ECO Certified
The EarthCheck Certified program is designed to empower enterprises to take ownership of sustainability goals and build on local initiatives. The program will also provide management with a centralised and consistent platform for compliance and reporting to a number of sector based international standards including:
- the GSTC criteria;
- ISO14001;
- ISO50001;
- ISO26000;
- ISO9001;
- ISO13811;
- ISO14064;
- the IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories;
- the WBCSD Greenhouse Gas Protocol,
- the SDG’s,
- the GRI; and
- the CDP.
EarthCheck Certified is also an approved program of:
- Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China (CNCA);
- Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bundesamt für Wirtschaft und Ausfuhrkontrolle – BAFA) in Germany;
- Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy) as an approved program for the EU Energy Efficiency Directive; and
- The City of Sydney
“We have always believed that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Reporting gives our members the ability to monitor and evaluate their impact including local community interaction, natural habitat protection and operational savings through more efficient use of resources,” Mr Stewart Moore said.
“The data must be transparent, based on scientific principles and verified by independent third parties, and we challenge our members to continually improve.”
Alila Fort Bishangarh – EarthCheck Certified
“When organisations manage and improve compliance in areas such as environmental emissions, energy efficiency and waste management; they are able to save costs, support local economies, conserve natural resources and cultural heritage; and help to improve the quality of life for locals and visitors alike,” Mr Moore said.
Westfjords, Iceland – EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations Certified
“We have 15 Master Certified members that have been in the EarthCheck Certified program for more than 15 years with the majority in the Caribbean. Extreme weather events are one of the major global risks facing communities around the globe and as the Caribbean is in the centre of the “hurricane belt”, businesses are prone to high humidity, light winds, and warm sea surface temperatures which combine to form violent storms.”
“Tourism operators worldwide have a significant role to play to tackle challenges such as climate change, waste reduction and non-renewable resource management. Sustainable tourism has the ability to generate shared value and through the EarthCheck benchmarking and certification programs, our members are able to measure, monitor and manage their environmental footprint as well as learning how to deliver strong economic and social returns to the local community,” Mr Moore said.
Banyan Tree Yangshuo – EarthCheck Design Certified
EarthCheck’s deep science and patented methodology and software platform was created for the world’s travel and tourism industry by the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism (STCRC) over a 10 year period. The STCRC grew to be the largest dedicated tourism research organisation in the world. Today, EarthCheck continues its thirty-year journey to support the development of a dynamic, internationally competitive, and sustainable tourism industry. In consultation with a broad cross section of stakeholders, EarthCheck identifies opportunities and challenges that are likely to impact on the global tourism industry over the next five to ten years with a strong focus on scientific research, thought leadership and the development of tools and products to improve business practices and inform policy development.
