Certifications initiative

There are a wide range of approaches to sustainability certifications, creating confusion for travellers, accommodation providers, and the wider industry. At the same time, European regulation is reshaping minimum requirements that sustainability labels must meet.

In its second iteration, our Certifications initiative is providing a mechanism that supports certification schemes, accommodation providers, and booking platforms in preparing for incoming regulation and tighter requirements for making sustainability claims to the consumer. Namely, the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT).

We do this by providing a transparent mechanism for certification schemes to declare their compliance with the regulation, and also offering industry-wide visibility into which schemes are compliant.

Certifications compliant with the updated criteria are suitable to be displayed and distributed to the consumer on industry platforms.

This transparency is beneficial for all stakeholders:

For partners and the wider industry: We are providing clarity into which schemes are suitable to be displayed to European consumers by Travalyst partners and the wider industry.

For certification schemes: We are supporting schemes navigating regulatory change by providing a guidance note and a standardised declaration form.

For accommodation providers: We offer clarity on which schemes declare compliance with governance and transparency requirements.

For travellers: We are continuing to enable better access to consistent, compliant and clear sustainability information, enabling more informed decisions at the point of booking.

EU regulation and sustainability certification

The EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT) establishes a mandatory minimum threshold for certification schemes in order to display their corresponding sustainability label to EU consumers from 27 September 2026. This threshold focuses on transparency, governance, and independent verification – fundamentals for consumer trust – and is expected to have a global impact.

To support the industry through this shift, our certifications initiative provides:

• A public, transparent list of certification schemes that declare compliance with the ECGT criteria, hosted on our website and soon on the Data Hub
• An open, accessible reference point for the industry
• Supportive guidance for schemes preparing for regulatory compliance

This initiative is free and accessible to accommodation schemes of any size that meet the Directive’s definition and requirements. More information in our FAQs below.

By adopting the ECGT criteria in a global context, we are helping to scale a consistent, minimum threshold for certification schemes across regions and markets, reducing fragmentation and improving comparability.

Certifications and the Data Hub

In time, our Data Hub will host the full list of certification schemes that declare compliance with the ECGT criteria. By integrating certifications into the Data Hub, we are supporting system-level transparency and a consistent global threshold for sustainability information.

Compliance Criteria

Eligible certification schemes are invited to declare they meet the following criteria, which are mandated by the ECGT:

• The certification scheme is open under transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory terms to all accommodation providers willing and able to comply with the scheme’s requirements;
• The certification scheme’s requirements are developed by the scheme owner in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders;
• The certification scheme sets out procedures for dealing with non-compliance with the scheme’s requirements and provides for the withdrawal or suspension of the use of the sustainability label by the accommodation provider in case of non-compliance with the scheme’s requirements; and
• The monitoring of the accommodation provider’s compliance with the scheme’s requirements is subject to an objective procedure and is carried out by a third party whose competence and independence from both the scheme owner and the accommodation provider are based on international, European Union or national standards and procedures.

We aim to support certification schemes in understanding and preparing for the ECGT by offering a clear criteria document, a standardised declaration form, and an accessible guidance note developed by expert legal counsel. This helps schemes of all sizes navigate regulatory change.

How to declare

Until the declaration process is fully integrated into the Data Hub, certification schemes can submit their self-assessment and declaration through this interim form:

Travalyst does not assess or review certification schemes. It provides the mechanism that enables schemes to declare compliance. Legal responsibility for compliance remains with certification schemes and the accommodation providers who use their labels.

For any questions or comments, please contact us at [email protected].

From the first iteration to the second

In its first iteration (2024), our Certifications initiative focused on reviewing accommodation sustainability certifications, standards, and schemes against a set of Travalyst-defined criteria designed to increase transparency globally (view the past criteria in our FAQs below).

Now, the second iteration builds on this foundation but shifts to full alignment with the legally mandated criteria of the ECGT. At Travalyst, we no longer assess schemes; instead, we publish a list of entities that self-declare compliance. This transition ensures that the initiative supports both regulatory alignment and system-level transparency for the entire industry.

Entities included on our first iteration list are not automatically included in our second iteration approach and must declare compliance.

The change in approach between iterations followed extensive consultation with stakeholders from across the certifications and travel and tourism industry. A full copy of the consultation process and stakeholder feedback is available here.

Resources

• Overview
• Declaration form
• Guidance note
• First iteration list
• Consultation process and stakeholder feedback
• Webinar recording

Contact

For any questions or comments related to our Certifications initiative, please contact us at [email protected].

FAQs

Definitions

Certification scheme

A third-party verification scheme that certifies a product, process or business against defined requirements, enabling a sustainability label.

Certification label

A symbol or logo placed on a product, service or business to show that it has been independently verified as meeting specific standards set by a certification scheme.

Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT)

The EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (ECGT), set to enter into application in the European Union on 27 September 2026, mandates all sustainability labels displayed to European consumers to be based on certification schemes that meet criteria set by the Directive:

(Recital 7) the displaying of sustainability labels which are not based on a certification scheme, or which have not been established by public authorities should be prohibited by including such practices in the list in Annex I to Directive 2005/29/EC.

It is important to note that this Directive has already been adopted by the Commission, and leaves no room at EU level for the industry to suggest changes to the criteria. It strengthens consumer rights by banning misleading claims and ensuring clearer, more transparent product information.

The Directive references and distinguishes between:

• Trader (i.e. accommodation provider making the claim)
• Certification scheme (and corresponding label)
• Third-party auditor