GBTA Advocates for Unified Environmental Standards in Hospitality 

Letter to European Commission Emphasizes for Consistent Sustainability Measures in Business Travel 

In a move to advance sustainability in the hospitality sector, GBTA recently sent a letter to the European Commission’s Tourism Unit, DG MOVE. The letter advocated for the adoption of harmonized environmental standards for hotel accommodation, a crucial step towards achieving decarbonization goals in the business travel industry.  

The letter was submitted for the public consultation on first draft of the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for hotel accommodation. As part of this effort, GBTA urged the Commission to consider existing standards that the industry has developed and used for years. While these standards need to be updated and strengthened to align with a full Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, they provide a strong baseline and starting point.   

GBTA emphasized the importance of a universal framework for measuring and reporting the environmental impact of hotel stays. This framework is essential for tracking progress, communicating with investors, and meeting the growing demand from customers for transparent and comparable environmental data. 

Three years ago, GBTA launched its Sustainability Initiative to identify the biggest opportunity to accelerate climate action. The overwhelming response pointed to the need for harmonized standards to measure the environmental performance of corporate travel programs and suppliers, including hotels.  

GBTA continues to advocate for harmonized environmental standards in hotel accommodation as a crucial step towards a more sustainable future for business travel. By aligning with existing global standards and addressing scope misalignments, the European Commission can ensure that the hospitality sector can effectively measure and reduce its environmental impact, meeting the growing demand for sustainable travel options from corporate customers. 

You can read GBTA’s full letter here.