Our sustainability editor Juliet Kinsman has put together the ultimate cheat sheet to judge hotels and travel operators – and tell if they’re really green. We’re sharing these considerations so that you, too, can assess if a hotel or travel business is truly eco-friendly, so we are all less susceptible to greenwashing and can start travelling better.

1. Learn how to measure impact

Ultimately, businesses need to measure positive and negative impact with a clear aim to keep doing better. Is the hotel or operator you’re considering demonstrating that their teams actively track this? It can be challenging to quantify impact, but companies must be action-oriented. Action needs to be tangible – we need to know how they’re supporting initiatives to tackle issues such as poverty and gender equality, as well as supporting marginalised people, marine conservation and environmental protection. This might mean messages laced with statistics, or showing that there is a clear company-wide directive around a specific goal.

2. Prioritise decarbonisation – not carbon offsetting

Carbon accountancy is a priority, but there should be an emphasis on reducing the cause of emissions – not just offsetting through third parties. Smaller-scale guesthouses and independent travel agents are likely to have smaller footprints than bigger companies. But kudos to the likes of Intrepid Travel, which sets excellent carbon-measurement benchmarks. The company is signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative, which means the team tracks and reduces emissions across operations, from trips they arrange to ensure offices globally run on renewables.

Talk of real innovations around greenhouse gas reduction is also worth attention — such as hotels introducing triple-glazing minimal energy waste through heating and cooling. The best brag is for a business to say they carry out significant carbon-sequestration efforts — such as Alladale’s vast reforestation in Scotland — rather than simply outsourcing to carbon-credit projects.

  • 3. Book locally-owned businesses and hotels with sustainability experts
  • 4. Favour companies with official accreditation
  • 5. Consider social impact
  • 6. Nature positive
  • 7. Reduce waste
  • 8. Pay attention to philanthropy
  • 9. Walking their talk?
  • 10. Ask more questions

Read the full article at cntraveler.com