A Guide to Sustainable Travel Certifications—and How They Can Make You a Better Traveler

28.11.2024 - 14:31 / cntraveler.com

Sustainable travel can mean a lot of things, whether it's lowering your carbon footprint, protecting local wildlife and conserving natural resources, or making a positive impact on the communities you visit.

More and more travelers are prioritizing factors like these when planning trips: A recent Virtuoso survey found that nearly 60% of tourists are willing to pay more for hotels, operators, and travel experiences that support sustainable practices if they know how their contributions are being used. But with a market flooded by language like “certified green” and “climate positive,” how can travelers discern which brands are truly committed to responsible practices?

This is where third-party certifications and credible eco-travel collectives come in. They can offer an essential foundation for travelers looking to make more informed choices. However, not all labels carry equal weight, and they are all awarded based on different criteria and through various methodologies. Put simply: Not every sustainable travel certification is the same.

International certifications like Green Globe and Biosphere Sustainable validate that businesses meet stringent environmental and social standards aligned with frameworks like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Membership-based entities such as Beyond Green offer an alternative pathway, steering eco-minded travelers towards hotels that have undergone rigorous third-party audits and demonstrate measurable, continuous, and positive impact in the destinations where they operate.

Travalyst, a non-profit founded by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex (and honoree on Condé Nast Traveler's Bright Ideas in Travel 2024), is also working to make the sustainability certifications space easier to navigate, aiming to increase access to consistent sustainability data and support the certifications industry on its journey towards regulatory compliance. In August 2024, following an independent review process, Travalyst released a list of 49 certifications, standards, and schemes that meet its initial criteria.

Governments, too, are stepping in to drive greater transparency across the travel industry. Starting in 2025, the European Union’s new Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will require hotels, airlines, and other travel-related businesses of a certain size operating within the EU to publish environmental and social impact reports. While these public reports won’t necessarily be consumer-facing, they build on the work of third-party eco-certifications and reputable eco-collectives by introducing consistent, measurable benchmarks for sustainability across the industry and beyond.

Beyond Green certifies high-end hotels like The Leela Palace Udaipur (pictured