Everything about eco-friendly accommodation

Traveling differently is also choosing your accommodation! They tell you everything!

On the whole planet, initiatives to preserve the environment are increasing. A new ecological consciousness develops in both French and the rest of the world. The zero lifestyle wastes, organic farming, short circuits, there are many ways to get involved in saving our resources.

The leisure sector does not escape the trend and more and more travellers prefer to turn to sustainable tourism, especially in terms of accommodation. Here we explain everything there is to know about eco-friendly accommodations, for a vacation that combine useful and pleasant!

Why choose eco-friendly accommodation for holidays?

When we travel, we increase our carbon footprint, mainly when we move. Many travellers have already made the decision to limit their journeys by air or to stop them completely for the benefit of more ecological means of transport such as the train.

In the same way, it is quite possible to choose an eco-friendly accommodation for holidays. Thus, you reduce the environmental impact of your stay, both locally and globally. Take care of hosts engaged in sustainable tourism, who manage intelligent habitats, built in harmony with nature and respecting ecological standards.

For the global tourism organization, sustainable tourism is “a tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, meeting the needs of visitors, professionals, the environment and host communities.” You also choose to travel consciously and participate in the creation of the world of tomorrow.

What criteria define eco-friendly accommodation?

To find eco-friendly accommodation, learn about the hotel’s policy. Housing owners of this type clearly highlight the actions taken to protect the environment. Eco-friendly accommodation should meet several environmental criteria:

• Water management: resources and sanitation, efficient taps, reasoned watering;
• Ecological lighting;
• Waste sorting and recycling, volume reduction;
• Restoration from organic and local products;
• Materials used for construction and decoration;
• Integration of buildings into the landscape;
• Use of organic maintenance and hygiene products.

In addition, eco-responsible housing is also socially engaged, and implement certain measures such as:

• Respect for local cultures and traditions;
• Participation in local development projects;
• Job creation;
• Conditions of work respectful to employees;
• Work in collaboration with the local community.

How to easily identify eco-friendly accommodation?

To help you easily find eco-friendly accommodation, different labels have been created. To obtain them, accommodation must meet some of the criteria mentioned above. Here is an overview of the different eco-friendly labels.

The Green Key

A green key on a blue background, this is the logo of the label La Clef Verte. Founded in Denmark in 1994, this label quickly spread throughout the world, and in France from 1998. Called Green Key abroad, it is present in more than 60 countries on the five continents, for 3,200 classified establishments. It is the first international sustainable tourism label, and it includes both accommodations and restaurants. It rewards all types of accommodation, from hotels to tourist apartments to holiday centres and youth hostels.

In addition to the classic criteria, La Clef Verte rewards institutions that implement environmental awareness actions for their clients. Nature activities are also valued. The labelling process includes regular audits to check the owners' seriousness.

European School

Created by the European Commission in 1992, this ecolabel aims to identify products that have a lower impact on the environment than standard products of similar use. Today, it also rewards tourist accommodations that welcome their customers in an approach to preserving the environment.

Among the criteria, a minimum of 50% of the electricity used must come from renewable energy or the prohibition of individual packaging products. A pleasant stay in a preserved environment, this is the promise of the European ecolabel.

Ecogîte et Gîte Panda

Created by the Gîtes de France network, the Ecogîte label rewards lodgings engaged in sustainable tourism. Applicants are graded according to a grid that allows them to be awarded the certification but also a qualification level ranging from 1 to 4 ears. A minimum level of requirement is required, and some criteria are eliminated, such as air conditioning or electric joule heating.

The Gîte Panda label was developed in collaboration with the WWF organization, and mainly rewards lodgings in natural parks.

Green Globe

The Green Globe label is the world’s largest certification label for tourism-related organizations. It rewards hotels and resorts, but also conference centres, cruise ships or amusement parks. The charter has 44 criteria to be met and has been developed over thirty years of experience. It is updated twice a year and now includes protocols established by institutions to combat Covid-19.

These labels are the most common, but there are many more, both nationally and locally. Learn to your host region to find out if she didn’t develop her own label, like N attitude en Auvergne .

What are the different types of eco-friendly accommodations?

All tourism accommodations can become eco-friendly. More and more hosts choose to engage in an ecological approach to meet the growing expectations of customers in environmental conservation.

Some types of housing are by nature more focused on these new issues. This is the case of unusual accommodations that bloom in our countryside, such as yurts, trailers, tree huts or even tiny houses. Larger accommodation can also meet the sustainability criteria, such as ecolodges of course, but also hotels, resorts, campsites or guest houses.

How to find eco-friendly accommodation?

Most holiday accommodation reservations are made online. In the face of this phenomenon and the growing demand for eco-friendly accommodation, specialized platforms have emerged. They incorporate the same criteria as the labels and a specifications notebook more stringent than the classic booking sites like Booking or Airbnb. Here is an overview of the main eco-friendly platforms.

Vaovert

Mélanie Mambré, the founder of Vaovert, launched his concept after several international trips. By wishing to travel to France to reduce its impact on the environment, she realized the difficulty of finding ecolodges as she had experienced in Asia in particular.

It follows that the offer exists and the demand is growing, but that there is no link between the two. Its platform was born in 2018 and specifically classifies the eco-responsible engagement of accommodation with an algorithm that analyzes sustainability criteria. Each accommodation has a summary record of the ecopoints in 5 categories: habitat, energy, waste, healthy eating and sharing.

Green Go

A new platform launched in 2021, this start-up has the motto "Reconcilier voyage, environnement et humain". His philosophy is summarized in 4 words: authentic, French, fair and responsible. Accommodations must respect standards of charm, engage French employees, pay their taxes in France, and be environmentally friendly.

The site is fair, taking twice as many commissions on reservations as Booking or Airbnb. Housing is selected through a methodology that analyzes 80 criteria including 10 fundamentals (promotion of sustainable activities, waste reduction, nearby station...). The search is facilitated by an overview of the accommodation on a map of France.

We Go GreenR

The founders of this platform have committed themselves to an ecological transition to adopt a sustainable way of life on a daily basis. They realized the difficulty of maintaining these good habits during a holiday. That’s what pushed them to launch We Go GreenR in 2020.

The accommodation is classified according to a “Green Score” ranging from 1 to 5, showing the degree of ecological engagement of the hosts. The criteria are 8: sustainable habitat, water management, energy management, waste reduction, transport and mobility, food, eco-responsible actions, equipment and daily maintenance. We Go GreenR’s desire is to raise awareness of the widest possible audience by giving a cool and joyous image of ecology.

Ethik Hotels

Unlike previous ones, this platform has a collaborative operation. The founders of the site left the observation that they could not visit enough housing to create a database worthy of this name. They therefore decided to appeal to external and volunteer staff.

Everyone can add the address of a hotel in which he stayed if he meets the criteria defined on the site. The research is very visual and allows you to know at a glance the actions put in place by the establishment.

So, ready to engage in sustainable tourism? Book now eco-friendly accommodation for your next holidays!