Version 2.2.
Sustonica Criteria for Vacation Rentals
The Sustonica Criteria were created to offer a common understanding of “sustainable vacation rentals” and set the minimum bar for all vacation rental homes to strive towards.
Our approach addresses the fundamental drivers of climate change, rather than solely mitigating its impacts. Moreover, we incorporate a social responsibility component, underscoring our commitment to broader sustainability initiatives.
The criteria are based on the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are taking into account the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria, which offer guidance on international sustainability standards for the tourism industry. The criteria also takes into account the Travalyst framework for accommodation. It uses the ISO methodology PDCA cycle as a continuous loop of planning, doing, checking and acting.
The criteria categories are as follow:
- energy conservation
- promoting destination and community
- waste reduction
- water conservation
- swimming pool / hot tub environmental impact (if applicable)
All categories have equal weight.
Weighing the criteria within categories is as follow:
- For energy: from the biggest average CO2e reduction potential to the least.
- For water: annual litres saving
- For community & destination: in city apartments accessibility & respect of the neighbours, the rest all have equal weight
- For waste: By order of importance: reducing water pollution, reducing the need for single-use plastic items and the ability to recycle.
- For pools: Firstly energy reduction, secondly pollution reduction
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