STTN Third-party Environmental Sustainability Certification
STTN’s third-party sustainability certifications demonstrate trustworthiness, reinforce and strengthen each member’s efforts, and are a reliable source of credibility for their organization.
The first step in creating a sustainable program is developing an environmental plan (For Travel Suppliers) or a sustainable sourcing policy (For Travel Buyers). Whether you are a buyer or seller, planning typically begins with measuring carbon emissions by gathering data on your business activities, fleet, energy and fuel use, and business travel information.
While inconsistent standards often complicate certification, the certifying organizations vetted by STTN are all structured using gold-standard carbon accounting frameworks and standards.
Aside from offering their own emission reporting audit and certification plan, few companies provide an option for the environmental reporting requirement of certification. Unlike others, STTN believes that the Travel & Transportation industry sectors are so unique that a single certification solution should not be mandated for certification to the STTN Criteria.
Therefore, STTN provides its members with the option of “grandfathering” an environmental reporting audit/certification that another third-party provider has conducted to fulfill the environmental reporting requirements of the STTN sustainability certification.
For example, for those operating in destination-related service areas, the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria may be used as a framework for the environmental reporting of Hotel Companies and Tour Operators. GSTC does NOT certify directly. However, the GSTC Criteria is used by many Certification Bodies that have gained accreditation and can audit and certify by using their own GSTC-Recognized standard or the GSTC Criteria.
STTN reviews all non-STTN environmental certifications and will notify the member if the certification is acceptable to STTN. “Acceptance” means only that the submitted certification meets minimum standards and complies with the relevant disclosures and frameworks such as GRI, ISO, Science Based Targets, or the SDGs.
