Green Globe launches new international standard for sustainable tourism
ETW Staff – Mumbai
Green Globe Certification has announced its new international standard for sustainable tourism V1.7. The new standard has taken over six months to complete and is a significant update to all previous versions with 100 new indicators across six newly developed criteria.
Overall the new international standard for sustainable tourism V1.7 has simplified and clarified indicators aligning them with a variety of activities recognised by regional eco-labels. Greater detail and emphasis has been developed for indicators of health and safety, as well as bribery and corruption and disaster management and emergency response. Food and beverage has been split into separate criteria. Also a new criterion for local livelihoods has been included.
Bradley Cox, director of communications, Green Globe, said, “The Green Globe Standard is an industry accepted collection of compliance indicators applied to individual sustainability criteria which has been developed over the last twenty years. New additions to the standard include elements of ISO26000 providing guidance on social responsibility, as well as criteria and indicators relating to Green Meetings. This is helpful and a new challenge for our growing membership of congress centres looking to contribute to the sustainability of the MICE industry.”
To launch the new standard Green Globe worked with industry partners including Movenpick Hotels and Resorts, Intercontinental Hotel Group – Green Engaged and Club Mediterranee, to understand key factors for enhanced sustainability performance. In addition, Green Globe`s worldwide network of independent auditors has contributed experience in the application and assessment of the standard`s criteria and indicators.
