Successfully passed reassessment for extending the Eco-Label certification

It has been four years since the “Eco-Label” project began at the Schick Hotels. This year, we were facing the reassessment for renewing this certification. While we still needed considerable support from an external consulting firm four years ago, this year we were able to handle most of the points ourselves. In so doing, we were even more intensively engaged with this topic – much more so, in fact.

Austrian Ecolable certificate

Project: extending the Eco-Label certification

Since 2013, all five Schick Hotels have proudly held the Austrian Eco-Label for tourism companies. The assessment for extending this certification for another four years brought with it new guidelines, amongst other things. We had to check every one of the 227 “must have” and “ought to have” points scrupulously for each individual hotel as well as rework the environmental concepts. Meanwhile, we have successfully passed the assessments and were awarded the Eco-Label in the form of an official certificate from the Austrian Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.

Back in 2013, we were able to determine during the preparation phase that we already fulfilled very many of the required criteria, since over the course of reconstruction work and while collaborating with our supplier we always consciously emphasized quality and sustainability.

This ranges from purchasing Fair Trade and organic products or foods from local vendors, to professional energy consulting, all the way to deliberately getting involved with the use and dosage of cleaning agents.

A sign for the environment

In recent years, many points from the environmental program we took on ourselves were “checked off.” However – nobody’s perfect – additional possibilities for improvement could be found everywhere. These could either be implemented straightaway or incorporated into the new action program for consideration in future investments.

All Schick Hotels are Fairtrade-partners

I’d like to list a few points that we changed thanks to our work towards the 2017 Eco-Label:

• Purchasing 100% free-range eggs
• Expansion of purchasing organic products
• Replaced light bulbs with LED lamps
• Changing of façade lighting to LED over the course of reconstruction and façade renovations
• Installation of flow controllers in the taps
• Ordering print forms from a printer with Eco-Label certification
• Reducing print forms via the use of recyclable USB sticks
• Recycling of shower gel bottles for a good purpose (nonprofit organization e.motion/Lichtblickhof)
• Sponsoring of the Arche Noah foundation for crop diversity

Sponsor of Arche Noah

Arche Noah

A new “must have” point for the Eco-Label is what sparked the idea to become a sponsor of the Arche Noah foundation: “The company must make a contribution towards preserving the biodiversity of ecosystems or landscapes.” For 25 years, this foundation has advocated for the preservation of old cultivated and useful plants. As a company that already pays considerable attention to purchasing high-quality foods, it soon became clear to us that we should support Arche Noah.

Austrian Eco-Label for Tourism Companies

The Austrian Eco-Label for Tourism Companies is a seal of approval for high ecological standards, quality and social action. Since 1990, it has stood for high quality of living and environmental quality. It is valid for four years, is verified via an independent expert report and bestowed only on companies that fulfill demands in addition to comprehensive environmental criteria, such as general fitness for purpose or quality. The guidelines are continuously updated so that a high quality standard can be sustainably guaranteed.

The assessment pertains to the following areas:
general environmental management – energy – water – waste – air/noise – office/purchasing – cleaning – construction & living – food – traffic