The Visit Ecolabels common basic standards
21 key requirements for Tourism Ecolabels

The Visit Ecolabel:

1. Aims to contribute to sustainable tourism development in Europe and - as far as possible - to verify those products with advanced performance in terms of environmental qualities.
2. Aims to contribute to maintaining and enhancing service quality in tourism in Europe
3. Recognises other ecolabels meeting the Visit standards
4. Has considered product life cycle issues when setting product environmental criteria
5. Requires attainable levels and give consideration to relative environmental impacts ("per unit"), measurement capability and accuracy.
6. Is based on sound scientific, engineering, management and social principles. The criteria are derived from data that support to claim of environmental preferability (high environmental benefit and/or efficiency).
7. Took into account during the process for establishing the criteria relevant to local, regional and global environmental issues, available technology, and economic and social issues avoiding compromising service quality.
8. Reviews the criteria and product functional requirements within a predefined period.
9. Declares that compliance with environmental and other relevant legislation is a pre-condition for the applicant to be awarded and to maintain the label.
10. Selected product environmental criteria which are expressed in terms of impacts on the environment and natural resources or emissions to the environment. Such performance criteria shall be expressed in absolute (numbers) or relative (%) figures and measures units (e.g. kWh, litre, volume, weight per product, room, bed, overnight stay, m²) and may also recommend the exclusion / non-use of special materials or substances.
11. Requires criteria in the following environmental fields as far as relevant in its area of operation and as far as relevant for the specific product group: purchasing, transport and mobility, energy, water, waste, chemical substances, air, noise, nature/landscape.
12. For accommodation shall have the following management criteria which complement other Environmental Management Systems: Environmental commitment, Environmental co-ordinator, communication and training: guests, staff, public; Monitoring regularly energy, water, waste consumption/overnight.
13. Is able to demonstrate transparency through the following stages of its development and operation: product categories, product environmental criteria, period of validity of criteria, testing and verification methods, certification and award procedures, compliance verification procedure, complaints procedure.
14. Legally protects the Ecolabel (i.e. the certification mark/logotype) in order to prevent unauthorised use and to maintain public confidence in the programme.
15. Is voluntary in nature
16. Is open to all potential applicants of the predefined product group in the area of operation. All applicants who fulfil the product environmental criteria and the other program requirements are entitled to be granted a license and authorised to use the label.
17. Guarantees that all the elements in the product environmental criteria and product function characteristics are verifiable by the ecolabelling body.
18. Has a verification procedure which guarantees a high level of reliability. This includes on site visits at least every three years (accommodation: once per certification period).
19. Has general rules guiding the overall operation of the programme. These general rules control the general conditions for the awarding of the licence and the use of the label.
20. Issues awards on business performance against criteria which apply to the site for a predefined period of not more than three years.
21. Maintains a publicly available list of products which have been awarded the label