Climate-balanced: climate-positive & climate-neutral hotels

Emissions balance of our BIO HOTELS

Our BIO HOTELS have been subject to a CO2 balance since 2011.

Since 2019, this has been done in cooperation with the sustainability consulting company Focus Future GmbH & Co. KG. Their guidelines are based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard (GHG Protocol). The GHG Protocol is the most widespread and recognized international standard for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions from companies.

What's it all about? And why is that actually so important? We asked Marion Schuster from Focus Future: "The consequences of global warming are becoming more and more noticeable and the pressure on politics and companies is increasing. There is now global consensus that we urgently need to counteract man-made climate change. A success in reducing emissions cannot be achieved solely through the political framework or through a changed purchasing behavior of consumers, but depends to a large extent on the voluntary and consistent action of the economy in the industrialized countries.” Since this naturally also includes hotels, our BIO HOTELS come into play happy to take their responsibility.

How is the hotel's carbon footprint calculated?

The underlying principle is actually quite simple: First, the hotel must have its carbon footprint calculated. This means that all CO2e emissions from hotel operations are recorded on the basis of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and summarized in an emissions balance by our partner Focus Future - from electricity consumption to the purchase of goods and our employees' commutes. The result is the remaining CO2 emissions, i.e. the CO2 footprint of the respective company. This can then be compensated for.

 

Climate neutrality and climate positivity - what's the difference?

Did these terms confuse you too? Our expert Marion Schuster explains what this is all about: “The term “climate neutral” is generally used when the CO2e emissions produced are offset by a measure. Carbon neutrality means that all CO2e emissions caused by the operation during a year have been offset by the purchase of climate protection projects. You have neutralized your footprint. In turn, climate positivity means that the company has compensated for more than its own CO2 emissions. In other words, more tons of CO2e were offset than were generated ourselves.” Our BIO HOTELS have agreed that double the tons of CO2e caused must be offset in order to be a climate-positive BIO HOTEL. In total, the BIO HOTELS offset 10,954 tons of CO2e by purchasing climate certificates.

Which projects are supported?

Once the emissions balance has been completed and the CO2e footprint has been determined, the BIO HOTEL can, in a further step, achieve the status of climate positivity or climate neutrality by acquiring climate protection certificates from international projects to offset greenhouse gas emissions - or, in the case of climate-positive BIO HOTELS, beyond that . By supporting this concept, the climate-neutral and climate-positive BIO HOTELS make a contribution to climate protection and help to improve the economic, social and ecological situation in developing and emerging countries. In addition, they support the demanding realization of the sustainability goals of the United Nations. The following projects are supported by our BIO HOTELS:

• REDD project: Para nut concessions in Madre de Dios - Peru
• Jiangxi Province Le'an County Forest Farm Carbon Sink Project - China
• Guanaré Forest Plantations - Uruguay

"On the Green Fence" - a podcast of the Deutsche Welle 

At the beginning of May 2021, Neil King from the podcast "On the Green Fence" visited our BIO HOTEL Eggensberger in Füssen. Neil King talked with hotelier Andreas Eggensberger about the problems of mass tourism, the impact on the climate and how our BIO HOTELS as true pioneers of sustainable tourism prepare the way for climate-friendly hotel stays: by reducing energy consumption, exclusive use of renewable energy, reduced meat consumption and much more.  

„Offsetting ist only an option for us, after CO2 has been saved actively by increasing efficiency, by renouncing brown coal electricity or other measures.“ - Andreas Eggensberger, BIO HOTEL Eggensberger