Ecolabel tourismOWG2006 FinalReport March06ec.europa.eu/.../archives/ecolabel/pdf/marketing/tourism_owg_2006.pdfThis report describes each single activity foreseen in the project plan

Service contract for the promotion and implementation of the EU-

Ecolabel for tourist accommodation services in the area of the

Olympic Winter Games of Torino 2006

FINAL REPORT

March 2006

Final Report – March 06 Page 2 of 32

LIST OF CONTENTS

1 FOREWORD........................................................................................................................................................... 3 2 PROJECT ACTIVITIES........................................................................................................................................ 4

2.1 STEP 1 - IDENTIFICATION AND ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT OF INTERESTED PARTIES OF THE TOURIST SECTOR, IN RAISING AWARENESS OF THE EUROPEAN ECOLABEL........................................................................ 4 2.2 STEP 2 - IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL APPLICANTS FOR INVOLVEMENT IN PILOT PROJECTS FOR THE EU ECOLABEL. .................................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 STEP 3 - ASSISTING SELECTED TOURIST ACCOMMODATION BUSINESSES IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 2.4 STEP 4 - DISSEMINATION AND COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS. ........................................................... 14 2.5 STEP 5 - FEASIBILITY STUDY TO EVALUATE THE POSSIBILITY TO APPLY THE EU ECOLABEL CRITERIA IN THE OLYMPIC VILLAGES.................................................................................................................... 17 2.5.1. MAIN ASPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU ECOLABEL.............................................................................. 20

3 MAIN ISSUES, COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS REGARDING CRITERIA ....................................... 23 4 THE EU ECOLABEL AND LARGE SCALE EVENTS................................................................................... 31


1 FOREWORD

This report was drafted based on the “Service contract for the promotion and implementation of the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation services in the area of the Olympic Winter Games of Torino 2006”, entrusted to TOROC by the European Commission, Directorate ENV/G “Sustainable Development and Integration”. This report describes each single activity foreseen in the project plan and related final results. Activities were carried out from October 2004 to March 2006. The structure of chapter 2 of the document follows the scheme adopted for proposal submission by TOROC. Each paragraph presents the activities planned in the original proposal followed by those subsequently implemented, in order to facilitate perusal of the report. Chapter 3 provides a more technical analysis of the main problems ascertained in the application of criteria during the work performed with the structures taking part in the project, as well as some suggestions for future reviews of criteria. Chapter 4 provides an initial overview of the development potential of the European Ecolabel in the sector of large-scale events, based on the experience made by the XX Olympic Winter Games. The technical reports produced during project activities (project presentations, gap analysis and improvement plans for tourist facilities) are attached to the present report in the Italian language – see Annex 1. The presentation documents drafted during communication activities are attached at Annex 2. Project activities also include a “feasibility study evaluating the possibility of applying EU Ecolabel criteria in the Olympic Villages”. The detailed report on this phase was issued in April 2005.

CREDITS

Activities and reporting were carried out by:

Ugo Pretato, Barbara Cavanna Environment Department TOROC – Organising Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006 With the cooperation of: Raffaella Bersani Macroscopio S.p.A.


2 PROJECT ACTIVITIES

2.1 Step 1 - Identification and active involvement of interested parties of the tourist sector, in raising awareness of the European Ecolabel.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED TOROC will identify and involve in the project all relevant interested parties of the local tourist sector, in particular: - The local tourist federations and associations (such as Federalberghi, the Torino Chamber of Commerce, the local

tourist promotion agencies ….)

- Hotels owner, but also camp sites, hostels and B&B managers and/or owners

- Other interested parties, such as environmental and consumer NGOs.

The involvement of the tourist federations and associations will be facilitated by the close relations that TOROC has already established with them, in view of organisation of the Games. Some of these subjects are represented in TOROC’s Board of Directors, and are therefore integrated in the Games organisation process. Similarly, the involvement of hotel owners will be ensured by the relations established by TOROC’S Accommodation Department. Moreover, a potential source of applicants could be the participants in the RESHOT project. At present, 30 hotels in the Olympic area (Torino and Alpine skiing resorts) have joined the initiative and 20 energy audits have been carried out in those facilities. We expect that a sizeable portion of them might be interested in the EU Flower application.

Finally, the involvement of NGOs will be guaranteed by TOROC’s Environmental Advisory Assembly. As set out in its Articles of Association, TOROC’s board of directors is flanked by the Environmental Advisory Assembly, providing the most representative environmental organisations and institutions with an opportunity to compare notes, verify the environmental compatibility of actions and promote programmes that enhance and protect the Olympic territory. Members of the Assembly include WWF, Legambiente, Friends of the Earth, Italian Touring Club, and CODACONS (a Consumer Association).

In order to inform and involve all interested parties indicated above, a series of meetings will be held on the project, knowledge of the European Eco-label and its competitive advantages. Moreover, in collaboration with tourist associations, a targeted promotional campaign will be launched to involve all hotels owners and other accommodation facility managers through information materials (brochure) and seminars describing in detail the EU Eco-label and its advantages, as well as the application process. Step 1 will be carried out in close cooperation with the following subjects:

- The Competent Italian Body; - The Italian National Agency for the Protection of the Environment and technical services (APAT); - The Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA Piemonte) - The Province of Torino.

All these subjects have institutional roles or specific commitments in the promotion of the EU Flower at national and local level. All of them are showing considerable interest in this project and will assure their support, as stated in the letters enclosed with the proposal. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT Activities were carried out in collaboration with Macroscopio. In particular, the involvement of institutional authorities was obtained by means of a direct meeting with APAT (Italian Environmental Protection Agency), held on October 19, 2004 during a seminar in Orta on the promotion of the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation services. On November 8, 2004 a meeting was held with ARPA Piemonte (Regional Environmental Agency), the Piemonte Region and the Province of Torino, to illustrate project objectives and activities and identify possible synergies with other institutional activities. On March 1, 2005, the project was presented to the TOROC Environmental Advisory Assembly in the presence of local representatives of major Italian environmental associations. All of them showed great interest in and appreciation of the initiative.


The Torino Chamber of Commerce, trade associations (such as Federalberghi), the Mountain Communities, local tourist associations (ATL) and local municipalities were contacted directly by means of a letter providing information on the initiative and calling for their support. However response to this appeal was disappointing. The project was also illustrated during the final meeting of ResHot, an initiative financed by the European Commission under the Altener Programme, addressing energy improvement of accommodation structures, which is co-funded by TOROC. The meeting was held in the presence of the Italian partners (City of Torino and Province of Torino) and all the accommodation structures who participated in ResHot. Some of them showed interest in the EU Ecolabel and joined the TOROC initiative. The involvement of hotel and other accommodation facility owners was achieved in different ways: a letter of presentation sent by TOROC to all the existing accommodation structures in

the area of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games (hotels, B&B, farmhouses, mountain huts); two seminars, held on November 30, 2004 in Pinerolo and Oulx (two municipalities

hosting the Olympic competitions), addressed to accommodation facility owners. The above mentioned ResHot meeting.

In general, the response of hotel owners to these initiatives was fairly good and made it possible to reach the target number of participants. The seminars in Pinerolo and Oulx were attended by about thirty participants in all.

2.2 Step 2 - Identification of potential applicants for involvement in pilot projects for the EU Ecolabel.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED

After the information seminars, an indicative number of 8-10 hotel owners and other facility managers will be identified for the start of pilot projects targeting EU Ecolabel award.

Selection will be based on the following parameters:

- Interest shown for the EU Ecolabel (seminar attendance, knowledge of the label etc.)

- Possibility of applying EU Ecolabel criteria to the accommodation facility (product group definition compliance, environmental issues etc.)

- Reproduction potential and transferability to similar facilities.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT As a follow-up to the previous phase, in the period January-February 2005 fourteen tourist accommodation structures expressed their interest in participating in the pilot projects. They were all visited by TOROC and Macroscopio, in order to evaluate their real interest in the potential application of the EU Ecolabel. Subsequently, they were inserted in the final list as shown in the table below. In September 2005, a further two accommodation facilities (Il Bosco delle Terrecotte and Casa per ferie Conte Rosso) expressed their interest in joining the project and showed strong commitment to obtaining the EU Ecolabel. TOROC decided to take them on board, so the final list of participants included sixteen accommodation structures.


Hotels Location Website

Casa Alpina “Chalet della luna” Clavière (TO) none

Hotel Chaberton Cesana Torinese (TO) www.hotelchaberton.com

Hotel Glis S. Mauro Torinese (TO) www.hotelglis.it

Hotel Gallia Pianezza (TO) www.galliahotel.it

Hotel Galant Venaria (TO) www.hotelgalant.it

Hotel Debili Sauze (TO) www.hotelholidaydebili.it

Hotel Italia Coassolo Torinese (TO) www.hotelitaliasaber.it

Residence Miramonti Torino www.carinn.it/en/miramonti/

Hotel Alexandra Torino www.hotel-alexandra.it

Villaggio Crumière Villar Pellice (TO) www.agess.it

Hotel Napoleon Susa (TO) www.hotelnapoleon.it

Agriturismo Cascina Martina Dogliani (CN) www.geocities.com/cascinamartina

Hotel Il Mulino Mattie (TO) www.mulinomattie.it

Casa per ferie "Il castagneto" Villar Pellice (TO) www.ghironda.com/vpellice/pages/93

0779.htm

B&B Il Bosco delle Terrecotte Barge (CN) www.ilboscodelleterrecotte.it

Casa per ferie “Conte Rosso” Avigliana (TO) www.coopfrassati.com/frassati/casa/

casa.html

Thirteen structures are located within the Olympic territory. Both the metropolitan area (five structures in Torino, San Mauro, Venaria, Pianezza) and the mountain area (eight participants in Avigliana, Susa, Sauze d’Oulx, Cesana, Claviere, Mattie, Villar Pellice) are well represented in the group. The three remaining facilities (Hotel Italia, Agriturismo Cascina Martina, B&B Il bosco delle terrecotte) are located respectively in the Lanzo Valley (30 km from Torino near Caselle Airport), in the “Langhe” area (about 60 km to the south of Torino) and in the Po Valley (20 km to the south of Pinerolo). However, these structures also belong to the extended accommodation area for the Olympic Winter Games.


The geographic location of each facility within the Olympic System is shown in the following map (not to scale).

The following types of participants were included: nine hotels, 1 residence/hotel, 1 farmhouse (Cascina Martina), 1 B&B and four accommodation structures for families and young people (Chalet della Luna, Il Mulino, Il Castagneto and Conte Rosso.) The size of the facilities is generally small. Most of the structures are micro-enterprises with less than 10 employees, while three of them (Glis, Gallia and Galant) are small enterprises with less than 50 employees. B&B Il Bosco delle Terrecotte is not an enterprise, but in accordance with Italian legislation, it is a family-run hospitality business; therefore it has no employees. On the whole, initial involvement of the accommodation facilities in this project was good and higher than expected. This result was due to the following main reasons: 1. the opportunity of inclusion in the environmental communication for the Olympic Winter Games and hence the possibility of obtaining special visibility before and during the event; 2. the possibility of obtaining a no-cost analysis of compliance with EU Ecolabel criteria, without necessarily committing themselves to apply for the flower.

Bosco Terrecotte

Conte Rosso

Chalet della luna

Hotel Chaberton

Hotel Glis

Hotel Gallia

Hotel Galant

Hotel Debili Hotel Italia

Residence Miramonti Hotel Alexandra

Villaggio Crumiere Casa per ferie Il Castagneto

Hotel Napoleon

Agriturismo Cascina Martina

Hotel Il Mulino

Bosco Terrecotte

Conte Rosso


In principle, all participants expressed their willingness to complete the project and apply for the EU Ecolabel, depending on the costs they would have to incur for achieving compliance. Most of the hotel owners seemed aware that use of the EU Ecolabel could strengthen their market position and contribute to attracting those guests who are attentive to the environmental performance of accommodation services. That is why TOROC’s project was met with higher interest from facilities located in mountain and natural areas, where the “environmental value” of the territory is already included in the service offered to tourists. For the same reason, the project was not attractive for the large, up-market city hotels in Torino. These facilities seemed scarcely interested in the EU Ecolabel as a marketing tool. Special remarks should be made for “bed and breakfast” concerns. A number of B&B owners participated in the project seminars organised by TOROC and showed potential interest in the EU Ecolabel; however, they decided not to join the project because of the high number of criteria required for Ecolabel compliance. In particular, they were concerned about the criteria concerning the collection of data on energy and water consumption, chemicals and waste, was all elements considered too time consuming for a B&B, which is managed by the owner himself. The only B&B that decided to participate in the project (Bosco delle Terrecotte) in point of fact encountered some difficulties due to the time spent collecting documents and reports from technicians, as required to demonstrate compliance with a large number of criteria. After gap analysis and the delivery of the improvement plans, the initial enthusiasm and commitment to applying for the EU Ecolabel declared by all the facilities partly waned. Some facilities withdrew from the project for several reasons, mainly related to the costs and time required to comply with the criteria. However, the final number of new EU Ecolabel awards – even though lower than expected - is significant when compared with the present situation in Italy and Europe. Details of the activities carried out with each facility participating in the project, as well as the reasons for success in achieving the EU Ecolabel or opting out of the process are described in the following section.

2.3 Step 3 - Assisting selected tourist accommodation businesses in the application process

ACTIVITIES PLANNED The following activities will be conducted:

1. Assessment of facility compliance with the EU Ecolabel criteria. Gap analysis will be conducted for each facility by means of evaluation of documents and site audit; the results will be included in a report.

2. Subsequently, an improvement plan will be defined for each facility, covering all the activities and adjustments required for compliance with EU Ecolabel criteria. The plan will include a timeline, responsibilities and costs.

3. TOROC will collaborate in the evaluation of improvement plan implementation through regular audits.

4. Once the improvement plan has been completed, TOROC will collaborate with the hotel facilities to prepare all documents required to apply for the EU Ecolabel award.

5. At the end of the pilot project, an information document will be prepared on the project, main results and issues. The document will also act as a guideline for other hotels/accommodation facilities wishing to apply for the EU Ecolabel.


ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

Starting in January 2005, TOROC and Macroscopio carried out field visits to all the structures involved in the project, to assess their compliance with EU Ecolabel criteria and decide whether any actions were required to achieve said compliance.

The facilities wishing to complete the project and apply for the EU Ecolabel were required to do so no later than November 2005. This was necessary to ensure that the assessment phase (visit by APAT, follow-up actions, administrative issues, meeting of the Competent Body) would be completed before the start of the Olympic Winter Games.

TOROC and Macroscopio assisted the structures wishing to apply for the Ecolabel in the preparation of technical documents and in contacts with the Italian Competent Body.

TOROC and Macroscopio also participated in the assessment phase conducted by APAT (Italian Environmental Agency) and provided support for the implementation of corrective actions emerging from the visits.

As a main output of the initiative, the total number of new EU Ecolabels awarded is five, or about 30% of participants. However, many facilities withdrew from the project shortly before submitting their application to the Competent Body, thus other applications might be forthcoming during 2006, that is after the Olympics.

Moreover, we should also consider the application of the EU Ecolabel to the Olympic Media Village “Università” (see § 2.5), even if it is a particular case study.

The overall situation is summarised in the following table.

Hotels Activities carried out Main Results

Casa Alpina “Chalet della luna”

Gap analysis and preparation of documents for Ecolabel application

Good compliance with criteria, but Ecolabel application was not submitted to the

Competent Body

Hotel Chaberton Gap analysis and preparation of

documents for Ecolabel application


Competent Body

Hotel Glis Gap analysis, preparation of documents, Ecolabel application, assessment by APAT

and follow-up

Hotel Gallia Kick-off meeting only

-

Hotel Galant Kick-off meeting only -

Hotel Debili Kick-off meeting only -

Hotel Italia Gap analysis and preparation of



Competent Body

Residence Miramonti Gap analysis Satisfactory compliance with criteria, but the owner decided to withdraw from the project

Hotel Alexandra Gap analysis Satisfactory compliance with criteria, but the owner decided to withdraw from the project

Villaggio Crumière Gap analysis and preparation of



Competent Body


Hotels Activities carried out Main Results

Hotel Napoleon Gap analysis and preparation of documents for Ecolabel request


Competent Body

Agriturismo Cascina Martina

Gap analysis, preparation of documents, Ecolabel application, assessment by APAT

and follow-up

Hotel Il Mulino

Gap analysis, preparation of documents, Ecolabel request, assessment by APAT

and follow-up

Casa per ferie “Il castagneto”

Gap analysis Non compliance with some Ecolabel criteria,

the owner decided to withdraw from the project

B&B Il Bosco delle Terrecotte


and follow-up

Casa per Ferie Conte Rosso


and follow-up

A brief description of the work done with each structure is enclosed herewith, while all details are included in the gap analysis/improvement plans reports in annex 1. Furthermore, the main issues that emerged on technical aspects of the ecological criteria as well as comments and suggestions for future improvement of the scheme are reported in § 3. CASA ALPINA CHALET DELLA LUNA The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed good compliance with environmental criteria, with few corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility. However, during the preparation of the documents for application to the Competent Body, the facility owner decided to stop activities. He view was that the actions necessary to submit documents and technical reports demonstrating compliance with the criteria (most of them involving external technical experts and suppliers), were too time consuming when compared with the human resources available in his staff. HOTEL CHABERTON The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed good compliance with environmental criteria, with few corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility (e.g. elimination of disposable products within the rooms). The hotel showed a high performance in the optional criteria, with a score well above the required minimum. However, during preparation of documents for submission to the Competent Body, the facility owners decided to stop activities, for two main reasons: - no agreement between the associates about the decision to eliminate disposable products; - not enough confidence in employees’ commitment to the respect of procedures set up to

comply with the related criteria of the EU Ecolabel.


HOTEL GLIS, HOTEL GALLIA, HOTEL GALANT These three facilities are grouped together because they come under the same ownership. Hotel Glis was the first participant to complete full project activities and was awarded the EU Ecolabel in May 2005. The gap analysis highlighted good general compliance with structural criteria, since the hotel was recently constructed; however a number of actions were necessary for compliance with management criteria and for obtaining the required score for the optional ones. Award of the Flower was due mainly to the strong commitment demonstrated by the Managing Director, who provided significant resources to fill the gaps that emerged from compliance analysis, and implemented required corrective actions in a short time. Activities on the other two facilities should have started in September 2005, the aim being to extend the EU Ecolabel to at least one of them. Unfortunately the Managing Director, who was in charge of all the hotels, handed in his resignation in late September. The owner decided to suspend the project until he found a new Managing Director and could assess benefits accruing to Hotel Glis from the Flower award. HOTEL DEBILI Since inception of the project, Hotel Debili appeared the most doubtful participant as to the opportunity of obtaining the EU Ecolabel. This feeling was confirmed after the kick-off meeting and the preliminary site visit. After those events, the hotel owner did not respond to several of TOROC’s requests to proceed with the gap analysis, so in October it was decided to exclude the facility from the project. HOTEL ITALIA The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed good compliance with environmental criteria, with few corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility. However, during the preparation of the documents for submission to the Competent Body, the facility owner decided to stop activities. The reason was the concurrent start of a large-scale refurbishment project and enlargement of the hotel, with significant financial outlay and a short lead time. The owner decided to give priority to this project and postpone decision on the EU Ecolabel application to the middle of 2006. RESIDENCE MIRAMONTI The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed fairly good compliance with environmental criteria, with some corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility. The facility owner was not willing to eliminate disposable products from the rooms, being sure that customers would have perceived a lower quality in the service provided by the facility. For this reason the Residence Miramonti did not proceed with the project.


HOTEL ALEXANDRA The situation is very similar to that of the previous facility. The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed good compliance with environmental criteria, with some corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility. The facility owner was not willing to eliminate disposable products from the rooms, being convinced that customers would have perceived a lower quality in the service provided by the hotel. For this reason Hotel Alexandra did not proceed with the project. VILLAGGIO CRUMIERE The case of the Villaggio Crumiere represents a very disappointing story. The facility is owned by AGESS, a local public agency whose mission is the promotion of sustainable development in the territory where it is located (the Pellice Valley). In this framework, AGESS showed great interest in the opportunity offered by the EU Ecolabel, strong commitment during the gap analysis and real willingness to apply for the Flower. Unfortunately, when the application dossier was practically ready, during the period September-October 2005, the agency underwent serious financial problems, which have not as yet been solved. In the meanwhile the Villaggio Crumière has been closed, with no reliable information available on its possible re-opening this year. HOTEL NAPOLEON The gap analysis was carried out successfully and the results showed fairly good compliance with environmental criteria, with some corrective actions to be implemented, mainly related to the management aspects of the facility. However, during the preparation of documents for submission to the Competent Body, the facility owner decided to stop activities, mainly for the following reasons: - no clear willingness to eliminate disposable products in the rooms; - time required to provide documents and technical report demonstrating compliance with

criteria, when compared with resources available. AGRITURISMO CASCINA MARTINA The small farmhouse Cascina Martina participated in the project with great enthusiasm. The owners, a couple without any employees, were already aware of the existence of the EU Ecolabel and had taken part in promotion seminars held in 2004 with the support of the Cuneo Provincial Administration. Having been informed about the present project, they were very happy to join it, because they were seeking support in order to verify compliance with ecological criteria and prepare application documents. The gap analysis showed no relevant actions to comply with criteria because in general the service provided by the farmhouse was already focused on environmentally friendly features. The Flower was successfully awarded in June 2005.


HOTEL IL MULINO Among the whole group of participants, this accommodation structure for families and young people was perhaps the most suitable for EU Ecolabel award. Hotel Mulino, located within the area hosting the XX Winter Olympics in the lower Susa Valley, includes nature walks and horse-riding, therefore it can offer its customers – mainly young people and school groups – a wide range of environmental education activities. The commitment shown by the owner in seeking award of the EU Ecolabel was high and activities required to achieve compliance with criteria were not particularly difficult, but the process was completed with a certain delay because of other tasks facing the facility during the request preparation period. At all events, the application was submitted in November 2005 and APAT assessment took place in December, with a positive outcome. The EU Ecolabel was officially awarded in early February, just before the beginning of the Olympics. CASA PER FERIE IL CASTAGNETO The gap analysis was performed successfully, but results highlighted the need for considerable structural investments in order to comply with the environmental criteria. The main problems found were related to the heating boilers, which did not satisfy criterion 4 on energy efficiency, and window insulation, which was insufficient when compared to the requirements of criterion 6 of the Commission Decision. Although very keen on obtaining the EU Ecolabel, the owner decided not to proceed with the project, because of the high costs required for complying with the criteria. B&B IL BOSCO DELLE TERRECOTTE The experience with this B&B, owned and managed by a couple, is a success story proving that the EU Ecolabel can be obtained in a short time and with few resources, on condition that structural ecological criteria are met. The owners asked for TOROC’s support in August 2005, after having found out about the EU Ecolabel initiative linked to the XX Olympic Winter Games. The gap analysis showed no relevant actions to comply with criteria because in general terms the service provided by the B&B was already focused on environmentally friendly features, such as for example the use of bio-organic food products and solar panels for hot water production. The application was submitted in November 2005 and APAT assessment took place in December, with positive outcome. The EU Ecolabel was officially awarded in early February, just before the beginning of the Olympics. CASA PER FERIE CONTE ROSSO This facility has a story very similar to the previous one. Conte Rosso is a holiday house managed by the Municipality Administration of Avigliana (lower Susa Valley), located in the town historic centre dating from the Middle Ages. Avigliana is a tourist resort with an institutional policy focused on the principles of sustainable development, so the mayor and town administration showed strong desire to participate in the project, after being informed of it.


The administration awarded management of the holiday house to a NGO active in social issues, putting in the contract as a mandatory requirement compliance with the EU Ecolabel criteria for accommodation services, then asked to be included in TOROC’s initiative in August 2005. The gap analysis was performed successfully and results showed good compliance with environmental criteria, with just a few corrective actions which were implemented very quickly thanks to cooperation between TOROC, the NGO in charge of management and the municipality administration itself. The Flower was successfully awarded in December 2005.

2.4 Step 4 - Dissemination and communication of results. ACTIVITIES PLANNED

TOROC will disseminate and communicate main results concerning pilot projects. Main activities will be:

1. organisation of seminars in the area of the Olympic Games;

2. participation in national and international conferences to disseminate the project’s results;

3. communication materials (brochure) prepared and distributed before and during the Games.

Moreover, TOROC will explore the possibility of giving the hotel facilities which obtain the EU Ecolabel significant visibility in the organisation of accommodation for the Olympic Family and other delegates in the Torino area during the Games.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

The outcome of the project for the promotion and implementation of the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation has been included as a main issue in TOROC’s strategic plan for environmental communication. Planned activities have been divided in three periods:

1) Pre-Games; 2) Games time; 3) After the Games.

Pre-Games activities. Information and main results on the project have been included in the official documents of TOROC’s Environment Department: the EMAS Environmental Statement 2005 and the Sustainability Report 2004-05. The official website of the XX Olympic Winter Games includes a page describing the project, with information on the tourist facilities awarded the Flower and links to the facilities’ websites and other official websites addressing the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation services. On 18 May, during the Eco-efficiency biennial in Torino, a presentation of the EU Ecolabel project was given by TOROC within a seminar on sustainable tourism. Another presentation was planned in November 2005 in the framework of a National Conference on EMAS and Ecolabel, organised by the Italian Competent Body. Unfortunately the event was cancelled.


In January 2006, cooperation between TOROC and the European Commission on EU Ecolabel promotion was a major topic of the Press Conference held in Brussels with the participation of the Commissioner for the Environment, the President of TOROC, the President of the Regione Piemonte and an athlete member of the IOC. The initiative was always mentioned in other miscellaneous communications and press releases issued by TOROC over the past few months: for instance interviews with TVs and other media, meetings and seminars on environmental issues in the territory. Games time activities Activities during the Olympic (10-26 February) and Paralympic Winter Games (10-19 March) were concentrated at three main locations: - the competition venues; - the Main Media Centres and the Media Village “Università”, which was awarded the EU

Ecolabel; - the Ethical Village located in the downtown area of Torino. TOROC prepared a brochure containing the following items: - general information on the project; - a description and picture of the hotel facilities which completed the process and obtained

the EU Ecolabel (the five tourist accommodation facilities and the Media Village Università); - a description and picture of the other two mountain refuges (Rifugio Toesca and Rifugio

Arlaud) which are located within the area hosting the Games and obtained the EU Ecolabel, independently from the TOROC project;

- a list of other accommodation facilities awarded the EU Ecolabel in the Regione Piemonte; - contacts, information and links to official EU Ecolabel websites. The brochures were printed in 20,000 copies and distributed as follows: - delivery of some copies to the accommodation facilities awarded the Flower; - delivery of some copies to the national and international authorities which supported the

project (The European Commission, APAT, ARPA Piemonte, Piemonte Region, Province of Torino);

- dissemination to spectators of the XX Olympic Winter Games, through the environmental info-point present at all the competition venues;

- dissemination to international journalists, through the environmental office located in the Main Media Centres of Torino and Sestriere;

- delivery to the journalists hosted in the Media Village “Università”, as part of the customer kit provided;

- dissemination to citizens and tourists visiting the Ethical Village in Torino. The Ethical Village was an area dedicated to promote Olympic Values and Social & Environmental issues during the Games. Located in the downtown area of Torino, close to Medal Plaza, the Village consisted of some temporary stands, a school, a cinema and the University atrium. It was managed by TOROC and a group of NGOs active in the field of social issues. Moreover, on 16 February, the Village was dedicated to the "environment" with a focus on Kyoto celebrations and climate change issues. On this date the distribution of environmental communication materials was intensified. Seen overall, this plan allowed promotion of the EU Ecolabel and of TOROC/EC cooperation among a large number of subjects participating in the Games.


Post Games activities After the end of the Games, communication activities on the project will be ongoing for some months, depending also on the dissolution plan of the Organising Committee. At the end of March 2006, two major activities were implemented as explained below. On March 1, project results were presented during “EMAS-Ecolabel Day”, a conference organised in Rome by the Italian Competent Body and the Ministry for the Environment, focusing on the most successful stories of application of the EC voluntary policy tools in Italy. During this event, TOROC received the Ecolabel award 2006, for its particular commitment to the improvement of environmental performance, with special reference to implementation of the EU Ecolabel in the Media Village Università. On March 11, project results were presented during an ‘ad hoc’ event within the ITB Berlin, one of the most important tourism and exhibition venue fairs in the world. On that occasion, a quiz game on environmental issues, with specific focus on the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation, was held with people from the audience. The Casa per Ferie Conte Rosso, as well as another two hotel facilities located in the Municipality of Avigliana, provided free weekends for two persons to quiz winners. During the next few months, project outcome will be illustrated in at least one National Conference on sustainable tourism or other environment related issues, if a suitable event is available. In September 2006, the Italian Olympic Committee is planning to organise an International Conference on the Torino 2006 Olympic Legacy, which could be a further occasion to illustrate this project, which is part of the environmental legacy of the Games. Other initiatives will be discussed with the local authorities in charge of the promotion of the voluntary environmental policy tools on the territory. In this perspective, the Regional Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA Piemonte) might well be a good partner for organising seminars and/or meetings for hotel owners and tourist associations, where the accommodation facilities participating in the project could transmit their experience to other potential applicants. Finally, another brochure focusing on the use of the EU Ecolabel in the organisation of large scale events has been created by TOROC and delivered in electronic format to the Commission (see also § 4). In general, large scale events require a large amount of goods and services during the whole organisation process. The EU Ecolabel is a powerful tool to develop a green procurement policy and reduce the indirect environmental impact of this type of event. The brochure includes examples related to the XX Olympic Winter Games green procurement programme. The brochure could be printed and used to promote the EU Ecolabel in future sporting and other large scale events.


2.5 Step 5 - Feasibility study to evaluate the possibility to apply the EU Ecolabel criteria in the Olympic Villages.

ACTIVITIES PLANNED

TOROC will produce a feasibility study to verify the possibility of applying the EU Ecolabel in the Olympic Villages that will be built and used during the Olympic Games (Jan-Apr 2006). The study will evaluate whether to apply EU Ecolabel criteria to one or more Olympic Villages and obtain the award just before the beginning of the Games (presumably December 2005).

The three Olympic Villages, located in Torino, Bardonecchia and Sestriere were designed and built by the Agenzia Torino 2006, a public body created by Italian National Law 285/2000, with the specific task of providing the permanent sport venues and the road infrastructure necessary for the Olympics and financed by public money.

TOROC will assume management of these facilities during the course of 2005 until the end of the Games, subsequently they will be returned to public ownership.

TOROC provided the Agenzia Torino 2006 with “Sustainability Guidelines on design, construction and operation of the Olympic and Media Villages”. Most of the requirements included in the guidelines were acknowledged in the tender process for the Olympic Villages, so the use of environmentally friendly materials and installations is widely foreseen in all the projects.

This scenario represents a good starting point for the feasibility of the EU Flower application, since most of the structural criteria should be met.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT TOROC identified the Media Village “Università” in Torino as the reference Olympic Village for the feasibility study. The “Università” structure, located in a former industrial area belonging to the “Italgas” Company, was completed by October 2005. After the Olympic Winter Games the Village will become a University student residence, maintaining its role as an accommodation structure. The figure below shows the project lay-out.


The feasibility study on the EU Ecolabel application was completed in March 2005 and the overall report was delivered to the Commission in April 2005, annexed to the project interim report. The main results of the analysis are summarized as follows. The Commission Decision 2003/287/EC defines the “tourist accommodation service” as “provision, for a fee, of sheltered overnight accommodation in appropriately equipped rooms, including at least a bed, offered as a main service for tourists, travellers and lodgers. The provision of overnight sheltered accommodation may include the provision of food, fitness activities and/or green areas”. Concerning the Media Village Università, the service will provide overnight accommodation in rooms, but also food and other activities such as conference centres and media offices. Fees will be paid directly by the lodgers (journalists during the Games and students afterwards). With reference to the application of environmental criteria, both mandatory and optional, the criteria can be divided into “structural” criteria concerning building characteristics and “management” criteria concerning operation of the accommodation services. When the feasibility study was made, it was not possible to assess management criteria, due to absence of said service. As to structural criteria, compliance with the EU Ecolabel was evaluated based on information taken from the project plan of the Media Village. Although some information was not available (e.g. energy efficient light bulbs), assessment proved that the Village complied with most of the structural criteria of the Commission Decision 2003/287/EC.

In general, the following results emerged:

Mandatory criteria

Not applicable

General Compliance –

to be addressed in more detail

No compliance

/ no info To be

implemented

1. Electricity from renewable resources X 2. Coal and heavy oils X 3. Electricity for heating X 4. Boiler efficiency X 5. Air conditioning X 6. Window insulation X 7. Switching off heating or air conditioning X 8. Switching off lights X 9. Energy efficient light bulbs X 10. Sauna timer control X 11. Water source X 12. Water flow from taps and showers X 13. Water saving in the bathroom and toilets X 14. Waste bins in toilets X 15. Urinal flushing X 16. Leaks X 17. Changing towels and sheets X 18. Watering plants and gardens X 19. Waste water treatment X 20. Waste water plan X 21. Disinfectants X 22. Staff training on detergent and disinfectant

use

X

23. Waste separation by guests X 24. Hazardous waste X 25. Waste separation X 26. Waste transportation X 27. Disposable products X


Mandatory criteria

Not applicable

General Compliance –

to be addressed in more detail

No compliance

/ no info To be

implemented

28. No smoking in common areas X 29. Public transportation X 30. General maintenance and servicing X 31. Maintenance and servicing of boilers X 32. Policy setting and action program X 33. Staff training X 34. Information to guests X 35. Energy and water consumption data X 36. Other data collection X 37. Information appearing on the Ecolabel X

Optional criteria Points

Not applicable

To be verified

To be implemented

38. Photovoltaic and wind generation of electricity X 39. Heating from renewable energy sources X 40. Boiler energy efficiency 1 41. Boiler NOx emissions X 42. District heating X 43. Combined heat and power X 44. Heat pump X 45. Heat recovery X 46. Thermoregulation 1,5 47. Insulation of existing buildings 2 48. Air conditioning X 49. Automatic switching-off of air conditioning X 50. Bioclimatic architecture 2 51. Energy efficient refrigerators, dishwashers, washing

machines, and office equipment

X

52. Refrigerator positioning X 53. Automatic switching off of lights in guest rooms 1 54. Automatic switching off of outside lights 1 55. Use of rainwater and recycled water X 56. Water flow from taps and shower heads X 57. WC flushing X 58. Dishwasher water consumption X 59. Washing machine water consumption X 60. Tap water temperature and flow X 61. Shower timers X 62. Detergents X 63. Indoor paints and varnishes X 64. Dosage of swimming pool disinfectant X 65. Mechanical cleaning X 66. Organic gardens X 67. Composting X 68. Disposable drink cans X 69. Breakfast packaging X 70. Fat/oil disposal X 71. Used textiles and furniture X 72. Environmental communication and education X 73. No smoking in rooms 1 74. Bicycles X 75. Refillable bottles X 76. Paper products X 77. Durable goods X 78. Organic food X 79. Local food products X 80. EMAS registration or ISO certification of the tourist

accommodation

X

81. EMAS registration or ISO certification of suppliers X 82. Environmental questionnaire X


Optional criteria Points

Not applicable

To be verified

To be implemented

83. Energy and water meters X 84. Additional environmental actions X

TOTAL 8,5

The general compliance of the Village to EU Ecolabel criteria regarding design and structural aspects was of significant importance in the final decision to proceed with activities and implement the remaining criteria.

In fact, adaptation of the facility to the structural criteria – if required - would have been extremely tricky, because of the difficulty of changing equipment or installations and the related high costs.

Once verified that the only criteria to be implemented were related to the features of the service provided in the Village, TOROC decided to apply for the Flower and include this goal in the environmental programme, established within the EMAS framework.

Observance of the EU Ecolabel criteria was included as a mandatory element in the contract between TOROC and the main sub-contractors selected for the management of the Media Village Università. During the autumn of 2005, TOROC and the contractors worked on criteria implementation and the application to the Competent Body, which was submitted early in December.

The Media Village was opened 27 January and the APAT visit for EU Ecolabel assessment took place on the 31st, with a positive outcome. The Flower was officially awarded on February 9, just before the beginning of the Games.

The Media Village was open only during February 2006. During post-Games activities, TOROC will transfer management to the EDISU agency (Local Body for University Services), which is responsible for post-Olympic use of the facility, as accommodation for students. This transfer should be completed by June 2006.

The maintenance of the EU Ecolabel in the post-Games period will depend on EDISU willingness and commitment. The Agency will have to implement once again all criteria related to the service provided, since all contractors, products and organisational models will be different. However, during discussions held in the last few months, EDISU seemed interested in maintaining the EU Ecolabel tool. Further meetings on this issue will be held after the Games.

2.5.1. Main aspects of implementation of the EU Ecolabel

Work performed to implement the EU Ecolabel project in the Media Village addressed mainly operational and management issues rather than purely technical ones.

The final objective was achieved by winning two fundamental challenges, one linked to the organisational complexity of the structure, and the other to the time factor.

Indeed Media Village was under joint management by various bodies, each responsible for specific activities:

- TOROC was responsible for the structure during the Olympic period,

- ATC (the Housing Agency of the City of Torino) as Village constructing agency and manager of technical plant during the Games,

- Jumbo Grandi Eventi (Olympic sponsor) responsible for the hospitality and accommodation services provided by the Village;


- Miscellaneous sub-contractors, tasked by Jumbo with the implementation of individual services impacting on EU Ecolabel criteria (e.g. catering, housekeeping and HR management).

The time available to dedicate to the project was a limiting factor throughout activity. Handover of the Village to TOROC was completed only at the end of 2005, thus with hardly a month for setting up the service and opening the structure to the journalists, fixed for the date of 27 January, with no delay admissible. Thus the greater part of the work of application of criteria was performed on paper, involving the various players engaged in Village management and collecting the documentation needed to support criteria conformity. All this took place against the general background of overall organisation of the Olympic event, whose mandatory deadlines for the working group in some cases led to delays in the timeline of the Ecolabel project.

What is more, technical implementation of the criteria turned out to be relatively simple. Experience acquired during assistance to the hospitality/accommodation structures taking part in the project made it possible to identify and solve technical issues referring to the single criteria as and when they arose.

In the complex of mandatory criteria no particularly critical areas were identified. The main issue of controversy with APAT verifiers addressed management aspects associated with criteria 35 and 36, which required the periodic collection of data and their submission to the Competent Body. Since the Village was in operation for one month only, agreement was reached to limit activity to definition of collection procedures only, leaving compilation and submission of said data to the post-Olympic management body.

As regards optional criteria, in the light of the minimum required points score of 19.5 (covering all three additional services foreseen in the Commission Decision), a final score of 27 points was obtained, as shown in the following table.

Optional criteria Points Notes 46 – Thermoregulation 1.5 47 - Insulation of existing buildings 2 50 - Bio climatic architecture 2 52 - Refrigerator positioning 1 53 - Automatic switching off of lights in guest rooms 1 54 - Automatic switching off of outside lights 1 56 - Water flow from taps and shower heads 1.5 6 litres/min. 60 - Tap water temperature and flow 1 62 – Detergents 1 Multipurpose detergents 66 - Organic gardens 1 70 - Fat/oil disposal 2 72 - Environmental communication and education

1.5 Delivery of brochures about nature parks in Torino

73 - No smoking in rooms 1 77 - Durable goods

1 Office printers and copying machines

78 - Organic food 1 79 - Local food products 1 80 - EMAS registration or ISO certification of the facility 3 TOROC is EMAS registered 81 - EMAS registration or ISO certification of suppliers

1 The housekeeping supplier was ISO 14001 certified

82 - Environmental questionnaire 1 84 - Additional environmental actions

1.5 Offsetting of the carbon dioxide emissions of the Village (HECTOR project)

TOTAL 27


In the event the post-Olympic management body should decide to maintain the EU Ecolabel for the Village, it will become necessary to define new application of management criteria.

As regards mandatory criteria, there will be a need to focus attention on stringent application of criteria addressing:

- HR training: requiring that all staff be trained in the actions of environmental protection nature adopted by management (criteria 16, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 33);

- The availability for guests’ use of information material on Ecolabel award (criteria 29 and 34);

- Implementation of management procedures of a general environmental nature (criteria 30, 31, 32, 35 and 36).

As regards optional criteria, the structure will be able to count on an initial award of some 10 points, thanks to its structural characteristics which will remain unchanged. To maintain its right to the Ecolabel, the management agency will thus be required to guarantee respect of criteria totalling at least a further 9.5 points.


3 MAIN ISSUES, COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS REGARDING CRITERIA

Hereunder are highlighted some comments on the activities carried out with the accommodation facilities, regarding EU Ecolabel perception in general and more specifically the issues emerging during application of each criterion.

Some comments and suggestions must be analysed in the framework of the Italian context, in which some background aspects (e.g. environmental regulations, the territory, the availability of public services …) can differ significantly from those in other European countries. At all events, most suggestions can be valuable at a more general level.

Globally, the gap analyses showed that most of the structures have a high standard of quality and generally good compliance with environmental criteria, mainly the “structural” ones. Improvement plans thus focused mainly on management issues (training, environmental policy and programmes, environmental aspects, monitoring etc) rather than on criteria regarding facility per se (window insulation, water flow etc.).

For most of the structures, activity concerning the preparation of documents to submit the request was seen as being too time consuming: even with external support from TOROC and Macroscopio (which prepared most of the documents) they finally decided not to submit the request for the EU Ecolabel. Reasons for this decision were as follows:

The EU Ecolabel is not yet recognisable and well-known in the tourism sector; therefore the effort to obtain the label is not seen to be offset by a possible future use in marketing activities.

Difficulties in preparing and/or managing all documents needed for the application (requests from technicians, producers etc).

Costs of compliance with some criteria (i.e. substitution of disposable products).

The main issues which emerged are described hereunder in greater detail, in order to assess and evaluate them for new dissemination projects and future criteria update.

Regarding the EU Ecolabel diffusion:

1. It emerged there is only limited knowledge of the EU Ecolabel tool and its main characteristics and possible advantages.

Regarding the EU Ecolabel criteria for tourist accommodation:

1. The high number of criteria has the effect of producing a large quantity of documents for submission, seen as a time consuming activity.

2. Some criteria, both mandatory and optional, are connected with a management approach instead of an environmental performance approach (i.e. maintenance of equipment, training etc).

3. The optional criteria score system is contradictory: in fact the absence of a service or system should make it possible to obtain a score, more than the use of a service or system with high environmental performance; for example, absence of an air conditioning system should be evaluated as high performing, obtaining points in the same way as a high efficiency air conditioning system.


4. The request for documents could be streamlined: authorisations and documents concerning compliance with laws could be analysed eventually on site, moreover the request for documents signed by a technician to evaluate compliance with some criteria, such as criteria 49 and 53 would seem to be redundant.

A proposal is therefore put forward for more detailed analysis for each single criterion in relation to the experience encountered with the seventeen structures (including Media Village) which took part in the project.

In the case of mandatory criteria, objective of this analysis is to express a synthetic judgement on ease of application, bearing in mind that failure to apply these criteria makes it impossible to obtain the EU Ecolabel award. From results obtained it becomes clear that the great majority of criteria do not present any particular technical difficulty (green assessment), some require greater attention above all as a result of difficulties in interpretation (yellow assessment), whereas only in one case (number 27) were significant problems encountered (red assessment).

The respect of criteria on disposable products is indeed the main, indeed at times the only reason, which induced some accommodation structures to withdraw from the project. It should be noted that application of this criteria does not present any particular technical difficulty, but rather creates in accommodation management problems of a “psychological” nature, linked as specified in more detail hereunder, to the perception on the part of guests of the quality of services offered.

Mandatory criteria Compliance Comments 1. Electricity from renewable

resources ☺

Always complied with by purchasing RECS certificates, which are rather cheap (1 €/MWh). Very difficult to find direct use of renewable electricity, due to the features of the Italian market.

2. Coal and heavy oils ☺ Usually not applicable.

3. Electricity for heating ☺ Usually not applicable, otherwise see criterion 1

4. Boiler efficiency

No clear indications provided when boiler is not included in the directive 92/42.

5. Air conditioning ☺ Usually not applicable.

6. Window insulation ☺ Usually complied with by means of double glazing.

7. Switching off of heating or air conditioning ☺

Usually complied with by providing guests with information rather than by an automatic system.

8. Switching off of lights ☺ See criterion 7

9. Energy efficient light bulbs ☺ The application forms should be simplified

10. Sauna timer control ☺ Usually not applicable.

11. Water source

☺

Usually not applicable, moreover it seems very confusing (for instance, it’s not clear what is meant by a “local water protection plan study” and which agency has to implement it).

12. Water flow from taps and showers ☺ Usually verified by an empirical test.

13. Water saving in the bathroom and toilets ☺

In certain cases, information in the bathroom seems too redundant.


Mandatory criteria Compliance Comments 14. Waste bins in toilets

☺ Usually easily complied with. It could be integrated in criterion n. 25

15. Urinal flushing ☺ Usually not applicable.

16. Leaks ☺

Usually easily complied with. It could be integrated in criteria 33-34

17. Changing towels and sheets

☺

Usually easy to comply with, even if sometimes local regulations in Italy require more frequent changes, depending on the hotel category.

18. Watering plants and gardens ☺ Usually very easily complied with.

19. Waste water treatment

Sometimes small structures (farm houses or mountain hotels) are not connected to public sewage networks, but have their own treatment systems (cesspools). In this case national legislation is not so clear.

20. Waste water plan ☺ In Italy, public waste water plans are very rare.

21. Disinfectants ☺

Usually easily complied with. It could be integrated with the following criterion 22.

22. Staff training on detergent and disinfectant use ☺

Usually easily complied with. Need to record training activities.

23. Waste separation by guests ☺

Not difficult to comply with, sometimes already applied.

24. Hazardous waste ☺

In general, hotels do not produce significant amounts of hazardous waste.

25. Waste separation ☺

Usually waste matter is separated and collected by public utility services.

26. Waste transportation ☺ Usually waste is transported by public utility services.

27. Disposable products

When local regulations do not require the use of them, the hotel owners often raise objections to the elimination of disposable products. In many cases this criterion compromises the EU Ecolabel request.

28. No smoking in common areas ☺

Always complied with. Italian legislation forbids smoking in common areas.

29. Public transportation

☺

Usually complied with. B&B and farmhouses are often located in places where no public transportation is available.

30. General maintenance and servicing

Usually no equipment is submitted to general maintenance by external qualified technicians. This criterion does not appear related to any environmental aspect, but rather to safety and security issues.

31. Maintenance and servicing of boilers ☺

Usually applied. No clear indications when boiler is not included in Directive 92/42. Criteria 30 and 31 could be combined.

32. Policy setting and action program ☺

Usually easily complied with.

33. Staff training

☺ Usually easily complied with.

34. Information to guests

☺ Usually easily complied with.


Mandatory criteria Compliance Comments 35. Energy and water consumption

data ☺ Usually easily complied with.

36. Other data collection

The figures concerning the volume of waste produced are often a rough estimate.

37. Information appearing on the Eco-label ☺

Usually easily complied with.

The main comments on the mandatory criteria are summarized as follows.

1. The application of criterion 27 regarding “disposable products” is critical for hotels in particular, as a result of the habit of providing one portion or one use toiletries, in particular shampoo and soap. The substitution of one portion products with dispenser products, albeit economically convenient, is often perceived as a poorer quality service from the customer’s point of view and it would therefore be necessary to set up an information and awareness campaign targeting customers themselves.

Moreover, for other one-use toiletries such as shower caps, toothbrushes or cleaning sponges, it is often difficult not to provide these items to guests, since they expect to find these products in their room. Therefore their absence could well be seen as poor quality service on the part of the hotel, especially in the case of top quality hotels.

Application of this criterion would require an awareness and educational campaign in more general terms concerning customers.

2. For boilers not included in European Directive 92/42 (criterion 4), there are no clear indications concerning efficiency, due to the difficulty of obtaining information from producers (mainly for old boilers).

3. Usually criterion 30 is not applied, since no specific maintenance is implemented; only cleaning or repairs in the event of breakdown.

4. Compliance with criterion 1 regarding electricity from renewable sources is mainly achieved by the purchase of RECS certificates, due to the difficulty existing in accessing the open market. Even if the cost is usually low, hotel owners often perceive this solution as a pure expense without any positive compensatory effect on the environment.

In the case of optional criteria, the objective of analysis was slightly different. The structure which intends applying for the EU Ecolabel must achieve a certain total number of points, thus failure to respect one criteria does not automatically preclude the possibility of achieving the final result.

Synthetic judgement on these criteria is therefore based on frequency of application – hence on points required to obtain the EU Ecolabel – noted in the accommodation structures taking part in the project. The assessment scale ranges from red (never applied) to yellow (1 – 4 cases), to green (4 – 9), up to blue, identifying criteria applied by the majority of participants (more than 9 cases). These latter criteria may be viewed as initial capital for each accommodation structure intending to follow the path towards award of the EU Ecolabel, since respect of the relative conditions may be guaranteed with very low organisational effort.


Optional criteria Application Comments 38. Photovoltaic and wind generation

of electricity None of the hotels involved in the project uses electricity from renewable sources.

39. Heating from renewable energy sources

Only one facility has a heating system based on biomass sources.

40. Boiler energy efficiency

Only one of the hotels respects the criterion. The standard required is very high.

41. Boiler NOx emissions

Only one of the hotels respects the criterion. The standard required is very high

42. District heating

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. This technology is not yet widespread in the accommodation sector

43. Combined heat and power

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. This technology is not yet widespread in the accommodation sector

44. Heat pump

Only two hotels satisfy the criterion.

45. Heat recovery

None of the hotels involved in the project respects the criterion. Technology not widespread.

46. Thermoregulation

☺

Often applied. A good number of facilities has thermoregulation systems in the bedrooms. The required certification from a technician describing the technology would seem to be unnecessary.

47. Insulation of existing buildings

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. Need of more objective formulation to verify meeting of the criterion.

48. Air conditioning

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion.

49. Automatic switching-off of air conditioning Only one of the facilities satisfies the criterion.

50. Bio climatic architecture

Only one of the facilities satisfies the criterion. The structures restored or built according to bio climatic criteria are still very rare in Italy. Moreover, there is a need for more objective formulation.

51. Energy efficient refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and office equipment

Few hotels satisfy this criterion. The only cases regard the energy star label on office equipment. Moreover, it is not always applicable: it applies only to domestic appliances, not to industrial machines such as are often used in bigger hotels.

52. Refrigerator positioning ☺ ☺

Very easy to comply with. This is one of the most used criteria.

53. Automatic switching off of lights in guest rooms

Few hotels satisfy this criterion. It is hardly applicable at all in small hotels, B&B and farm houses.

54. Automatic switching off of outside lights ☺

More applied than the previous one. A high number of hotels have light sensitive systems. Less applicable in small hotels, B&B and farm houses.

55. Use of rainwater and recycled water

Never applied, but some facilities with green areas included it in the action programme (criterion 32).

56. Water flow from taps and shower heads

Few hotels satisfy this criterion. The request is rather restrictive and needs a technical report to prove compliance.


Optional criteria Application Comments 57. WC flushing

Few hotels satisfy this criterion. The request is rather restrictive and needs a technical report to prove compliance.

58. Dishwasher water consumption None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. It is difficult to comply with, mainly for industrial equipment.

59. Washing machine water consumption

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. It is difficult to comply with, mainly for industrial equipment.

60. Tap water temperature and flow

☺

A high number of hotels chose it. It is quite simple to respect if the facilities have mixer taps in the bathrooms.

61. Shower timers

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. Shower timers are not popular as well as the location required in the criterion (kitchen and outside).

62. Detergents Few facilities satisfy this criterion. It is quite difficult to find industrial detergents with ISO type I ecolabels.

63. Indoor paints and varnishes

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. It is quite difficult to find paints and varnishes with ISO type I ecolabels.

64. Dosage of swimming pool disinfectant

None of the facilities satisfies the criterion. None of them has a pool.

65. Mechanical cleaning

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. They would prefer to buy detergents with ISO type I ecolabels.

66. Organic gardens ☺

A good number of facilities chose it. Quite simple to apply especially for B&B and farm houses.

67. Composting

☺

A good number of facilities chose it. Composting is widespread in B&B and farm houses which produce compost by recycling their organic waste.

68. Disposable drink cans

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. When the cans are used it is difficult to change behaviour.

69. Breakfast packaging

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. Mainly in the case of high quality hotels, Italian legislation requires health & safety standards which do not make it possible to avoid single use portions (e.g. the HACCP regulations).

70. Fat/oil disposal

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. Fat/oil separation is not as yet popular in Italy.

71. Used textiles and furniture ☺

A good number of facilities chose this criterion. It is quite simple to comply with it.

72. Environmental communication and education ☺ ☺

Very easy to comply with. It is one of the most used criteria

73. No smoking in rooms ☺ ☺

Very easy to comply with. It is one of the most used criteria.

74. Bicycles

☺

A good number of facilities chose this criterion. It is very easy to apply it in facilities located in the countryside.

75. Refillable bottles

☺

A good number of facilities chose this criterion. In Italy the spread of use of refillable bottle systems is on the increase.


Optional criteria Application Comments 76. Paper products

Only one facility applied it. Even if paper products with ISO type I labels are available in Italy, hotel owners do not easily change their products or suppliers.

77. Durable goods

Only one facility applied it. Most of them did not need to buy new durable products during the project.

78. Organic food ☺

A large number of facilities apply this criterion, mainly small hotels, B&B and farm houses.

79. Local food products ☺

A large number of facilities apply this criterion, mainly small hotels, B&B and farm houses.

80. EMAS registration or ISO certification of tourist accommodation

The Media Village alone applied this criterion, due to the EMAS registration of TOROC. Environmental Management Systems are not widespread in the Italian accommodation sector.

81. EMAS registration or ISO certification of suppliers

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. Very difficult to find certified suppliers, mainly in the case of small facilities. In general, no willingness to change suppliers.

82. Environmental questionnaire

☺ ☺

Very easy to comply with. It is one of the most used criteria. The questionnaire is often seen by hotel owners as a tool to improve the quality of service.

83. Energy and water meters

None of the facilities applied the criterion. This equipment is not easily available on the market.

84. Additional environmental actions

Few facilities satisfy this criterion. It is not easy to find other environmental actions not included in the previous criteria. The score system should be more objective.

The main comments on optional criteria may be summarized as follows.

1. It is not easy to apply criteria concerning the category “energy”, since very few hotels can install energy efficiency equipment or are able to access district heating.

2. Criteria concerning insulation and bioclimatic architecture are difficult to apply since they would need a report from an “ad hoc” technician or architect, usually difficult to find.

3. Criterion 47 (heat insulation of buildings) should be set out in more detail to guarantee ease of application; calculations to identify the degree of insulation of buildings foresees collection of technical data which all too often the structure does not have in its possession.

4. The use of industrial electrical appliances (e.g. industrial washing machines) is widespread in hotels; therefore some criteria, such as 51, 59 and 77, are not applicable to this equipment since they refer to domestic appliances.

5. The application of criteria 58 and 59 concerning water consumption for dishwashers and washing machines is difficult to apply since for industrial equipment information concerning water consumption is not available; in particular for industrial dishwashers technical sheets do not express performance in terms of number of standard place settings but in terms of capacity (in litres).

6. Regarding criterion 69, Italian legislation and especially local ASL (Health & Safety Agencies) require the serving of single dose packages at breakfast.


7. Furthermore, it is very difficult to find industrial products, such as detergents and cleaners but also bed linen and towels, with the EU Ecolabel or other ISO type I ecolabels (reference criteria 62 and 77). Likewise, it is difficult to apply criterion 81 for suppliers, due to the difficulty of changing service providers or suppliers and passing to others who are certified or registered.

8. Especially for B&B and farmhouses, it is sometimes impossible to separate data concerning energy consumption in their own living quarters from the accommodation structure; furthermore it is very difficult to install a specific energy or water meter on a machine or outlet.

Overall examination of frequency of application of optional criteria in structures taking part in the project shows poorly uniform distribution. In general terms, all structures totalled points valid for obtaining the EU Ecolabel based on a limited number of criteria, often utilising the same ones, that is those easiest to apply. The fact that some criteria were never even taken into consideration, or considered only sporadically, may represent a useful form of feedback when the present system comes up for review.

Another element giving food for thought – and which in part explains the above observation – is represented by the points attribution system. Criteria differing as to difficulty of application very often give an entitlement to the same number of points, thus leading the structure to opt for the simplest because at all events it makes it possible to achieve the final objective. In general terms, a hotel owner is not going to purchase a new, high energy efficiency boiler (criterion 40) when he can prepare with far less utilisation of resources an environmental questionnaire for distribution to his guests (criterion 82). Both actions provide the same benefit (1 point) as far as award of the EU Ecolabel is concerned.

It would therefore seem advisable – when reviewing the award system – to introduce a points system allowing a greater score to the more onerous actions, thus leading applicants to opt for them with more frequency. What is more, the more unpopular interventions in the present version of criteria are those which would introduce more consistent improvement in the environmental performance of the accommodation structure, since they mainly target energy efficiency and hence reduction of polluting emissions.


4 THE EU ECOLABEL AND LARGE SCALE EVENTS The significant success obtained by this project in terms both of quantity, with six new structures awarded with the Flower, and quality, with innovative application to the Olympic Village for journalists, may be seen as a starting point for a far vaster strategy of promotion and dissemination of the EU Ecolabel in the organisation of great events throughout the European Union.

Large scale events are not only related to the sports sector (Olympics or other Sports Championships) but also include many other types of event such as international conferences, forums, fairs and exhibitions, concerts and festivals, pilgrimages and other religious events.

One common feature of all these events is the long lead time required. Events with a running period of just a few days often require many years of planning activity; to this end, an Organising Committee, either public or private, is normally created to manage the entire process.

Whatever its type, the organisation of a big event is a source of environmental impacts, mainly in the territory where the event takes place, but also at regional and global level. One of the major environmental aspects is related to the great amount of goods and services required for the different organisational steps, therefore the consideration of environmental criteria in the selection of products and suppliers can determine a significant reduction in the global impact of the event itself.

Dissemination of the EU Ecolabel tool in great events must thus perforce pass through the introduction of Green Procurement procedures by the organisers and other players involved. Categories of goods and services at the present time covered by EU Ecolabel criteria are indeed to a large extent present among the requirements of great events and hence the Flower may represent a concrete tool to guarantee a high level of environmental compatibility for these events.

Depending on the juridical nature of the bodies in charge of the large events organisation (private or public) the links between the EU Ecolabel and the procurement systems will be slightly different. In the first case the eco-labelled products – if available on the market - can be expressly requested in the technical specifications and directly purchased without encountering any legal problems. In case of public procurement schemes, the EU Ecolabel criteria can be included in the call for tender requirements along with other aspects, thus the eco-labelled products meeting these requirements can be advantaged in the selection procedure.

The integration of the EU Ecolabel in great events would bring advantages not only to the events themselves, but would guarantee positive return also in the dissemination of the Ecolabel on the market. As regards direct benefits, large scale events with consistent green procurement strategies could increase significantly the demand for eco-labelled products and thus become a driving force for new applicants. As to indirect benefits, it is certain that major events would be a significant platform to showcase good environmental practices to the general public and in this specific case to raise awareness on the EU Ecolabel for consumers and all the other stakeholders.

TOROC was the first body organising a large scale event to promote and utilise the EU Ecolabel in its activities, attempting to exploit benefits in the framework of the environmental sustainability of the event and at the same time act in synergy with the European Commission and increase awareness of the European Flower in the public eye, by exploiting the high visibility of the Olympic Games.


Apart from the dissemination project for territorial accommodation structures and application to Media Village, TOROC introduced environmental quality criteria for goods and services right from the start of organisation of the XX Olympic Winter Games, also by purchasing products bearing the EU Ecolabel. During the years 2004 and 2005, for example, about 50% of copy paper used in the Committee’s offices was recycled product and bore the EU Ecolabel, and in the same way all official publications of the Committee’s Environmental Department were printed on Ecolabel paper. Moreover, in the terms of reference for choice of providers of cleaning and catering services at competition venues, there was a specific requirement to utilise paper tissue bearing the EU Ecolabel, failure to do so leading to exclusion of the firms from the contract award procedure. These positive examples show that the EU Ecolabel can indeed obtain success during large scale events, if suitably promoted by all the principal players involved in various aspects of management: the European Commission, event organisers, institutions operating in the territory where these events take place, the productive sector and others.

The European Commission in particular could well take on a leading role in this process by fostering for example the following actions:

- Assessment of the development of new categories of products also in relation to those most sought after in the organisation of large scale events;

- Mapping large scale events planned to take place in Europe in the near future and setting up contacts with organisers and local authorities;

- Promoting the EU Ecolabel among event organisers, also through funding of pilot projects and the development of guidelines for the application of the EU Ecolabel in purchasing procedures for goods and services;

- Recognising at public level the commitment of organisers willing to apply the EU Ecolabel in concrete terms and who contribute to dissemination of details of it at market level;

- Ensuring availability and distribution during large scale events of information material for the public as well as other forms of communication.

Ecolabel tourismOWG2006 FinalReport March06ec.europa.eu/.../archives/ecolabel/pdf/marketing/tourism_owg_2006.pdfThis report describes each single activity foreseen in the project plan

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