The Austrian Ecolabel is a voluntary certification system that provides an eco-label for sustainable tourism businesses and products. It aims to offer guidance to consumers and motivate businesses to develop more environmentally friendly options. There are over 50 mandatory criteria and 100 optional criteria across various categories that tourism businesses must meet to receive the label, such as standards for energy use, water and waste management, food and cleaning supplies. Receiving the eco-label helps tourism businesses act as catalysts for sustainable development in their local regions by supporting areas like mobility, local food and jobs, culture, and resource supply chains through their cooperative networks.

1. El Eco-Label Austríaco para el Turismo:
Una oportunidad para
la calidad de producto sostenible.
25.2.2016
Dr Regina Preslmair
Ministry of Environment

2. Products (1990)
Tourism
• Hotels, Restaurants, Camping
(1996)
• Travel Offers (2008)
• Green Meetings & Events (2010)
Education
• Schools (2002)
• Educational Institutions (2007)
The “Green Universe” of the Austrian Ecolabel

3. More than 60 Tourism Eco-labels worldwide

4. The System
• Umweltzeichen = voluntary system
• Criteria documents as basis of the award
• Third party verification by independent auditor
• 4 years revision period
• Contract and award
• Application and annual fee

5.  Offers consumers orientation
 Motivates producers and traders to
develop and offer less
environmental-polluting products
Objectives

6. Tourism Criteria
Over 50 mandatory- criteria
Over 100 optional- criteria
Traffic,
Outdoors
Mandatory-criteria voluntary-criteria
Water, Waste, Air,
Noise, Office
Energy
Management
25
13
17
16
1
1519
2
14
6
13
Building,
Living
10
Food, Kitchen
7
14
Cleaning, use of
Chemicals

7. 2. Energy
7. Cleaning
Chemistry
9. Food,
Cuisine
8. Building &
Living
10. Mobility
1. Environmental-
management
4. Waste
What can tourism Enterprises really do?
3. Water
5. Air, Noise
6. Office
11.Garden

8. Resources for Sustainable Tourism Development

9. Principles of Sustainable Tourism Development
• Local identity
• Long term orientation
• Naturalness
• Dematerialization
• Variety
• Cooperation
• Proximity
© Mödlingerhütte

10. Stakeholders of Sustainable Tourism Development
• Private enterprises
• Local population
• NGOs
• Governmental institutions
© BMLFUW

11. Tourism Intensity in Alpine municipalities

12. Sustainable Ways: Pilgrimage as prototype of sustainable
Tourism:
• Most important aspect: environmentally friendly mobility
• Tendency to more sustainable lodgings- small and regional:
- Example: EU Project Stars+20 on Camino de Santiago
lodging houses
• Chance for regional food providers etc.
• Challenge through quantity of pilgrims in Spain- different
situation in Austria

13. Waste
disposal
service
Fisher
man
Carpe
nter
Baker
Grocery
Restau
rant
Taxi
driver
Public
transp
ort
Farme
r Energy
pro
vider
Cleaning
services
Schools
Mason
Office
supplier
Garde
ner
SustainableSustainable
HotelHotel
Sustainable Hotel as catalyst

14. Sustainable Tourism Enterprises
as catalyst and motor for regional development
• Mobility
• Regional Food
• Regional Jobs
• Regional Culture
• Standards and Quality
• Spatial development
• Cooperation
• Supply of Resources
/Waste disposal
© Forsthofalm

15. The Challenge for Rural Areas:
Resilience through diversity
• How can communities develop
the capacity to survive and rely
on their own resources?
• How can businesses
successfully exploit market
opportunities based upon
sustainable resource
management?

16. Waste
disposal
service
Fisher
man
Carpen
ter
Baker
Grocery
Restau
rant
Taxi
driver
Public
transp
ort
Farmer Energy
provid
er
Cleaning
services
Schools
Mason
Office
supplier
Garden
er
SustainSustain
ableable
HotelHotel
The Sustainable regional Network

17. For further information visitFor further information visit
www.umweltzeichen.at