Holidaymakers believe they have been “greenwashed” by hotel and
travel groups claiming to be environmentally friendly.
A survey conducted by the world’s largest online travel guide
Greenty.com early this year found that 62 percent of travelers
believed that hotels overestimate their green credentials and only
30% say that hoteliers provide travellers with a fair green
assessment of their property.
Tourism and travel environmental sustainability expert Stewart
Moore from EC3 Global and EarthCheck says the time has come to
demystify the sustainability credentials of hotel and travel
groups.
“There have been a rising number of green claims from hoteliers
and tourism products in the past three years. Many of these claims
verge on the edge of greenwash. Consumers need a certified method
of knowing which hotels or tourism services are actively pursuing
green policies throughout their operations,” said Mr Moore.
EarthCheck has partnered with Greenty.com to demystify the
sustainability credentials of hotel and travel groups. EC3 Global
manages the EarthCheck certification and benchmarking program, used
by more than 1,300 organizations in over 70 countries, for
sustainable travel using the latest science and technology.
Through the new partnership, Greenty.com is now able to
highlight hotels that have been audited by EarthCheck. Founder of
greenty.com Serge Fabre said it is important for consumers to know
that a qualified third-party professional has validated the
effectiveness of sustainable practices at the hotel or tourism
business.
“Our research showed that 60 percent of travelers considered
eco-actions from tourism operators as a key element of their
booking decision and 31 percent are willing to pay more to say in a
green hotel,” said Mr Fabre.
“Today, everything and anything is green. ‘Green’ is a hip word
and there are so many green travel labels, some reliable and some
not, making the search for a green accommodation very difficult, if
not misleading. “It’s so important for environmental sustainability
claims to be demystified. That’s why we have partnered with
EarthCheck, so consumers are assured that the tourism operator has
been scientifically eco-assessed and their claims are true.”
Further media information:
Susan Sullivan, susan@infrontcommunications.com.au – + 61 412 365 122
Stewart Moore, CEO of EarthCheck and EC3Global – stewart.moore@ec3global.com – + 61 7 3238 1900
Sarah Mayer, Manager, Greenty.com – contact@greenty.com
About Greenty.com
Greenty.com is the most comprehensive online green travel guide.
Greenty.com is not a travel agency: its goal is to simplify the
search for green travel. Greenty.com has rated more than 3.000
hotels worldwide through its independent team of green travel
experts using an assessment grid of 21 green criteria. Besides, the
Greenty community of eco-consumers contributes reviews to help
enhance the search experience. www.greenty.com
An exclusive 15% discounted membership is offered to all of the
EarthCheck members who decides to register their eco hotel with
Greenty.com . For more information please send an email to
contact@greenty.com
About EC3 Global
EC3 Global is the world’s largest certifier of sustainable travel and tourism operators. With more than 1200 clients in over 70 countries, the company’s EarthCheck Program responds directly to the major
environmental problems facing the planet, including climate change, waste reduction and non-renewable resource management. It provides benchmarking, certification and performance improvement systems that result in average first year savings of 30 per cent for energy and waste stream, and 20 per cent savings for water consumption. www.earthcheck.org