Make your business sustainable
Save money, reduce your impact and win more customers with our practical sustainability tips and case studies.
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Being sustainable not only reduces your impact on the environment, but helps you to improve your customer experience, support your local economy and stand out from your competitors.
If you’re already a sustainable business, explore our Keep it Real toolkit for tips on marketing or consider applying for a certification scheme.
Top Resources
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Using sustainability to promote your business
Learn how to tell people about your green credentials and use your business’s sustainability to attract more clients and make more money.
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Reduce food waste and save money
Resources from WRAP, including step-by-step guides to get started, tips on recycling, guidance on engaging staff and real-life case studies.
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Make your hotel or restaurant eco-friendly
Learn how to save money and attract more customers with a few simple steps, case studies and best practice ideas.
How to be more sustainable
You don’t have to make major changes to be more sustainable. Installing water-saving devices to toilets, asking local suppliers to use less packaging and monitoring your food waste are small things that can add up to make a big difference.
Alex Hare
Reduce food waste and save money
WRAP have lots of resources to help hospitality businesses cut food waste, including step-by-step guides to get started, tips on recycling, guidance on engaging staff and real-life case studies.
Make your hotel or restaurant eco-friendly
Learn how to save money and attract more customers with a few simple steps, case studies and best practice ideas.
How to grow your business responsibly
Learn how going green can save your hotel or B&B money, with practical resources to help cut your running costs and boost your profits.
Top tips for business sustainability
Top 10 tips for being more sustainable from the National Coastal Tourism Academy.
Good journey
Sign up to Good journey to promote car-free travel to your business.
Small business guidance from Gov.uk
Official guidance for small businesses on how to measure and report your greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable accommodation design guide
A design guide for sustainable accommodation from the National Forest Company.
Plan it with purpose
A free sustainability discovery tool from Enterprise Nation that helps businesses implement sustainable best practices.
Smart meter and energy tips for small businesses
Find money and energy saving tips from Smart Energy GB and how to request a smart meter.
Calculating carbon footprint and resource usage
Save money on your hotel’s energy bills
Learn how to save cash on your utility bills by measuring your hotel’s energy consumption with a simple toolkit used by 20,000 hotels worldwide.
Hotel energy calculator
A free online tool that can help hoteliers measure their carbon footprint and reduce energy usage.
ClimateHero
Designed specifically for service businesses, this free online tool can help you calculate your carbon footprint in 5 minutes.
GHG emissions calculation tool
A free Excel-based tool from Greenhouse Gas Protocol and WRI that can help you estimate your greenhouse gas emissions.
Emission possible
A beginner’s guide from the WWF on reporting carbon emissions, including sector-specific recommendations.
Con-Serve
A dynamic data management platform, allowing you to measure the consumption of electricity, heat, water, waste and outsourced laundry.
Carbon calculation tool for hotels
A Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative tool developed by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, used by more than 24,000 hotels.
Water calculation tool for accommodation
A Hotel Water Measurement Initiative tool developed by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
Foodsteps
An all-in-one platform for measuring and reducing your carbon footprint of food, from farm to fork.
How to achieve net-zero carbon emissions
Reduce your carbon emissions
Guidance for small businesses on how to check your carbon footprint and cut carbon emissions from Zero Carbon Business UK.
UK business climate hub
Guidance on reducing emissions and setting a sustainability strategy for your business to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Small business sustainability hub
Articles and information from FSB to help small businesses reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Net Zero Now
An online platform to help businesses achieve net zero as soon as possible, with dedicated advice for pubs, bar and restaurants.
Net Zero Hub
Create a net-zero activity plan with Inspired Energy.
Funding for sustainable development
Electric charging point grants for accommodation businesses
Accommodation businesses can apply for £350 grant to install an electric vehicle charging point.
Other grants for electric vehicle charging infrastructure
Guidance on all Government grants for the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Clean Growth Financing from Lloyds
Lloyds bank provides discounted lending for green purposes, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to investment in low carbon vehicles.
Low Carbon Across the South and East grant programme
SMEs in the South and East of England can apply for grants of up to £10,000 as well as training workshops and fully funded events.
Marketing your sustainability
Promoting your sustainability ethos in your marketing - and to customers on site - can help you stand out from your competitors and show that you take sustainability seriously.
Using sustainability to promote your business
Learn how to tell people about your green credentials and use your business’s sustainability to attract more clients and make more money.
Get certification from Green Tourism
Promote your business by signing up to the Green Tourism certification programme for eco-friendly business.
Get certification from Green Key
A Green Key award eco-label demonstrates that your business adheres to criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education.
Get certification from a GSTC recognised body
Learn how a certificate proving your business is sustainable can help your travel or tourism business.
Get certification from Planetmark
A certification programme for any type of business seeking to reduce their carbon emissions.
Travelife: for tour operators and travel agents
Travellife is a training, management and certification initiative for tour operators and travel agents committed to reaching sustainability.
Good Business Charter
Accreditation for businesses with responsible business practices and fewer than 50 employees, from the FSB.
Get certification from Quality in Tourism
REST is a a quality grading scheme for tourism and hospitality businesses, measuring the responsibility, ethics and sustainability of their practices.
Apply for a sustainability award
Apply for a Queen’s Award
Submit an application to the Queen’s Awards for Sustainable Development.
WTM World Responsible Tourism Awards
Apply for the WTM World Responsible Tourism Awards for a chance of global recognition in categories such as reducing plastic waste.
Gary Summers
VisitEngland Awards for Excellence
Enter the Ethical, Responsible & Sustainable Tourism Award category in your local awards for the chance of national recognition.
Other sustainability resources
Find further information on sustainability initiatives, join networks and expand your knowledge.
UNWTO information on sustainability in tourism
Research and information on global sustainability initiatives.
International Ecotourism Society (TIES)
Join the International Ecotourism Society to access resources, training opportunities and their member network.
Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency
Join Tourism Declares and publish your commitment to develop an action plan, share your progress and cut carbon emissions.
Considerate Hoteliers
Join the Considerate Hoteliers community and receive a membership certificate, access to toolkits and more.
Tourism for sustainable development goals
Find out how tourism businesses worldwide have committed to being more sustainable on this sharing platform from the UNTWO.
Sustainability training courses
Sustainable tourism management
Obtain certificates in sustainable tourism management through courses provided by the International Ecotourism Society.
Sustainability business recovery webinar
We look at some of the challenges we face as an industry and whether this is our opportunity to reset the dial for a more sustainable future.
