Overview
ISO/TS 13811:2015 - "Tourism and related services - Guidelines on developing environmental specifications for accommodation establishments" - is a technical specification that guides the development of environmental requirements for hotels, lodges and other accommodation establishments (excluding campsites). It provides principles and recommended criteria to reduce negative environmental impacts and strengthen positive contributions of tourism operations, while allowing adaptation to local ecological, cultural and economic conditions.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and applicability: Guidance for new and existing specifications for accommodation establishments; explicitly excludes campsites.
- Core principles: Emphasizes reducing negative impacts and increasing positive impacts on the environment; flexibility for micro and community-owned businesses where appropriate.
- Biodiversity and ecosystems: Avoid harvesting, selling or displaying wildlife except under regulated sustainable programs; minimize habitat disturbance; prevent introduction of invasive species; favour native species in landscaping; support protected areas.
- Resource conservation: Address water, energy and material consumption, with the objective of minimizing "additionality" (the extra resource use compared with a guest at home); adapt criteria to local resource availability and community access.
- Pollution prevention: Reduce greenhouse gases, air pollutants, sewage, solid waste and chemical contamination; manage grey water, compost organic waste, reuse waste heat and prioritise recycling and best disposal practices.
- Recommendations for specifications: Identification and quantification of environmental aspects and impacts; environmental practices to reduce harm and increase benefits; staff training; communication with guests and communities; stakeholder commitment; and use of environmental management systems (e.g., ISO 14001).
- Referenced standards: Links to related ISO documents such as ISO 14001, ISO 14046, ISO/TS 14067, ISO 18513 and ISO 9000 and alignment with Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria.
Practical applications and users
ISO/TS 13811:2015 is designed for:
- Hotel managers, owners and property developers integrating environmental criteria into operations and procurement.
- National standards bodies and tourism regulators drafting local or sector-specific environmental specifications.
- Sustainability consultants and auditors developing checklists, policies and training programs.
- Tourism certification schemes and accreditation bodies seeking harmonized environmental criteria.
- Community and small-scale accommodation operators adapting criteria to limited resources.
Practical uses include designing water- and energy-conservation programs, biodiversity protection plans, waste-management systems, staff training curricula, and procurement policies that prioritise sustainable, locally produced materials.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO/TS 13811:2015, environmental specifications, accommodation establishments, sustainable tourism, biodiversity, water conservation, pollution prevention.