Environmental sustainability report by using the Green Key criteria
Kontio, Pauliina (2017)
Kontio, Pauliina
Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017112117573
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017112117573
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this bachelor’s thesis was to provide the case company information about their current environmental situation and recommendations how to improve it by using the Green Key criteria for hotels. Sustainability is becoming a common standard in today’s society and adapting services and actions towards it, creates environmental, social and economic benefits to those who understand to reach towards it. The goal set for the report was not only to provide the case company information where they are now, but also to give tools to improve their services in the future.
The report was carried out by using theoretical framework and already existing ecolabel as a base for the analysis. The theoretical section explores the definition of sustainability and its importance in tourism, and the ecolabels created to certify the companies in tourism industry. The frame selected for the empirical part and analysis was a well-known tourism ecolabel Green Key.
The empirical part consists of analyzing the case company and giving improvement ideas by using the thirteen criteria that the Green Key has set up for hotels. The data were collected by using qualitative methods: interviews from the staff members of the case company during the writer’s four-month internship and also by the writer’s own empirical research and observation during that time.
The results are showing that the case company is doing fairly well when it comes to environmental sustainability. Functional features of the hotel are mainly following Green Key’s criteria and they are still constantly being developed. The main problems found based on the analysis are the lack of communication between the environmental manager and employees, poor tracking of the environmental actions and lack of sufficient guest information.
The findings indicate that the case company needs to improve their communication and information flow between the management and employees, and also to keep their environmental actions and development updated in order to reach the level that the Green Key requires. This is not only benefiting the case company but also improves the information flow going to the market.
The report was carried out by using theoretical framework and already existing ecolabel as a base for the analysis. The theoretical section explores the definition of sustainability and its importance in tourism, and the ecolabels created to certify the companies in tourism industry. The frame selected for the empirical part and analysis was a well-known tourism ecolabel Green Key.
The empirical part consists of analyzing the case company and giving improvement ideas by using the thirteen criteria that the Green Key has set up for hotels. The data were collected by using qualitative methods: interviews from the staff members of the case company during the writer’s four-month internship and also by the writer’s own empirical research and observation during that time.
The results are showing that the case company is doing fairly well when it comes to environmental sustainability. Functional features of the hotel are mainly following Green Key’s criteria and they are still constantly being developed. The main problems found based on the analysis are the lack of communication between the environmental manager and employees, poor tracking of the environmental actions and lack of sufficient guest information.
The findings indicate that the case company needs to improve their communication and information flow between the management and employees, and also to keep their environmental actions and development updated in order to reach the level that the Green Key requires. This is not only benefiting the case company but also improves the information flow going to the market.