CERTIFICATIONS AND PLEDGES
CERTIFICATIONS AND PLEDGES
In the global shift toward sustainability, certifications and pledges serve as essential markers of commitment, enabling hospitality businesses to meet rigorous environmental, social, and operational benchmarks. This section highlights key certifications recognized in Hong Kong and internationally, offering a roadmap for hotels and service providers to enhance their sustainability practices while aligning with regional priorities and global goals.
Internationally acclaimed programs set comprehensive standards for eco-management, resource efficiency, and ethical operations. For Hong Kong’s unique urban context, locally tailored initiatives address critical environmental challenges while supporting compliance with municipal regulations. Building-specific certifications further ensure that new constructions and major renovations prioritize energy efficiency, water conservation, and occupant well-being.
By pursuing these certifications, hospitality businesses not future-proof their operations but also demonstrate leadership in a competitive, eco-conscious market. Whether adopting global frameworks or localized solutions, these programs provide actionable pathways to reduce environmental footprints, enhance guest experiences, and contribute to a greener future for Hong Kong and beyond.
The Hong Kong government has also set up fundings and subsidies for people to pursue sustainability qualifications and certifications, please click here to know more.
SECTION ONE: OPERATIONAL SEMANTICS
Operational certifications are ongoing adherence to sustainable practices, which are validated through
rigorous third-party auditing.
I
Provider: Green Key
Description: The Green Key certificate is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. This prestigious certificate represents a commitment by businesses that their tourism establishments adhere to the strict criteria stipulated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). A Green Key stands for an establishment’s promise to its guests that by opting to stay with such an establishment, they are helping to make a difference on an environmental and sustainability level. The high environmental standards expected of these establishments are maintained through rigorous documentation and frequent audits.
Note(s): This certificate is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
II
Provider: EarthCheck
Description: If you’re just starting your sustainability program or well on your way to reaching net zero, becoming EarthCheck Certified will help your travel and tourism business showcase its commitment to a sustainability pathway and enhance incredible tourism experiences for your customers year after year. Our rigorous science-backed, people-focused certification process has been embraced by the world’s most recognised travel and tourism brands. It helps them demonstrate their sustainability commitment long-term and attract higher-yielding customers
Note(s):
The certificates come in four levels that are “Silver certified”, “Gold certified”, “Platinum certified”, and “Master certified”
This certificate is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
III
Provider: Green Globe
Description: The Green Globe Certification is an internationally recognised sustainability program that evaluates and certifies businesses in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries for their commitment to environmentally friendly practices, social responsibility, and effective management systems through adherence to global standards and continuous improvement
Note(s): This certificate is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)
IV
Provider: CarbonCare InnoLab
CarbonCare® Label encourages and recognises the efforts of companies and organisations in their action to tackle climate change and achieve carbon reduction/neutrality status by Measuring, Reducing and Offsetting (MRO) their carbon footprints. There are six CarbonCare® Labels representing different levels of achievement in carbon reduction/neutrality, indicated with green labels in one, two, three, four and five leaf(s) respectively, recognizing the achievement of 5% (starting point), 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% of emission reductions in the application year against a defined base year. A gold CarbonCare® Champion Label indicates the achievement of carbon neutrality.
SECTION TWO: OPERATIONAL PLEDGES
Operational Pledges are voluntary commitments to sustainability goals; they lack enforcement or third-party
verification
I
Provider: The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC)
Description: The Wastewi$e Certificate is one of the certificates of the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) scheme. HKGOC aims to benchmark green organisations with substantial achievements in green management, to encourage participants to adopt environmental practices in different aspects and to recognise their efforts and commitments to the environment. It is a prestigious certification scheme with high credibility. It also encourages participants to strive for self-improvement in specific environmental aspects.
Note(s): There are three levels of certification, which are “Basic level”, “Good level”, and “Excellent Good level”
II
Provider: The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC)
The IAQwi$e Certificate is one of the certificates of the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) scheme. HKGOC aims to benchmark green organisations with substantial achievements in green management, to encourage participants to adopt environmental practices in different aspects and to recognise their efforts and commitments to the environment. It is a prestigious certification scheme with high credibility. It also encourages participants to strive for self-improvement in specific environmental aspects.
Note(s):There are three levels of certification, which are “Basic level”, “Good level”, and “Excellent Good level”
III
Provider: The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC)
Description: The Energywi$e Certificate is one of the certificates of the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) scheme. HKGOC aims to benchmark green organisations with substantial achievements in green management, to encourage participants to adopt environmental practices in different aspects and to recognise their efforts and commitments to the environment. It is a prestigious certification scheme with high credibility. It also encourages participants to strive for self-improvement in specific environmental aspects.
Note(s): There are three levels of certification, which are “Basic level”, “Good level”, and “Excellent Good level”
IV
Certificate in Carbon Reduction
Provider: The Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC)
Description: The Carbon Reduction Certificate is one of the certificates under the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification (HKGOC) scheme. HKGOC aims to benchmark green organisations with substantial achievements in green management, to encourage participants to adopt environmental practices in different aspects and to recognise their efforts and commitments to the environment. It is a prestigious certification scheme with high credibility. It also encourages participants to strive for self-improvement in specific environmental aspects.
V
Provider: Fair Trade Hong Kong
Description: Fair Trade is never something that is beyond our reach. It is, in fact, at times under our very noses. There are multiple ways through which corporations can promote and partake in Fair Trade - becoming our Corporate Partner is one of the easiest ways to. Corporate engagement is the key driver to the success of the Fair Trade movement in Hong Kong. By practising Fair Trade in our daily business operations, we are helping to alleviate poverty, reduce social inequality, contribute to sustainable development and ensure that the farmers and workers receive their fair share of income. With sustainable consumerism becoming increasingly popular, international corporations such as Marks & Spencer and Lush are sourcing Fair Trade materials for their products. In Hong Kong, listed companies are required to publish ESG reports to inform stakeholders about Fair Trade. As a well-established sustainable consumption label with the strictest requirements for certification, the Fair Trade label covers the environment, labour rights and gender equality.
SECTION THREE: PROPERTY-SPECIFIC CERTIFICATIONS
These certifications are related to sustainable building design and construction, which are tied to developers
instead of hotel operators
I
LEED certification for new buildings and major renovations
Provider: Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
Description: LEED for Building Design and Construction (LEED BD+C) provides a framework for building a holistic green building, giving you the chance to nail down every sustainability feature, maximising the benefits.
II
BEAM Plus certification of New Buildings
Provider: Hong Kong Green Building Council
Description: BEAM Plus New Buildings covers the demolition, planning, design, construction and commissioning of a new building project. It can also be applied to major renovations, alterations and additions. By adopting an affordable range of best practices, it seeks to reduce the environmental impacts of a new building while also improving environmental quality and user satisfaction.
Note(s): There are four ratings, which are “Provisional/Final Bronze”, “Provisional/Final Silver”, “Provisional/Final Gold”, and “Provisional/Final Platinum”
III
BEAM Plus certification of Existing Buildings
Provider: Hong Kong Green Building Council
Description: BEAM Plus Existing Buildings (EB) measures the actual performance of a building and evaluates its facility management practices. The assessment covers all aspects of management, operation and maintenance, and may be initiated at any time during a building’s operational life. To help achieve the target of the Hong Kong Government’s stated Energy Saving Plan by 2025, the new version of BEAM Plus Existing Buildings V2.0 contains major revisions to the assessment guidelines and offers greater flexibility in the scope of assessment. These changes have been implemented to encourage more participation by the 42,000 existing buildings in Hong Kong, thus improving their energy efficiency and enhancing their environmental management practices.
Note(s):
There are four ratings for the comprehensive scheme, which are “Bronze”, “Silver”, “Gold”, and “Platinum”
There are four ratings for the selective scheme, which are “Satisfactory”, “Good”, “Very Good”, and “Excellence”
IV
BEAM Plus certificate of Existing Buildings Global Version
Provider: Hong Kong Green Building Council
Description: For buildings outside Hong Kong, there is a BEAM Plus EB Global Version launched on 27 May 2024. The rating tool can be applied to buildings outside Hong Kong with special fee concessions. Please contact the Secretariat at Tel No. (852) 39948813 or (852) 3994 8868 to find out more. One of the standout features of BEAM Plus EB Global v1.0 is its streamlined point-based scoring system, coupled with simplified submittal requirements. This approach provides a convenient approach for existing building projects, allowing them to attain a green building rating efficiently.
V
China Green Building Evaluation Label
Provider: China Ministry of Housing and Urban
Description: The Green Building Evaluation Standard is the Green Building Label, which is also known as China's Three Star system. China’s Three Star system is issued by the China Ministry of Housing and Urban, recognising performance from low to high grade by one-, two- and three-star. Related assessment is performed by a local, provincial, or national committee, depending on the location of the building and the star level that the developer decides to achieve.
VI
Provider: Singapore Building and Construction Authority
Description: The Green Mark certification scheme was launched in January 2005. It is a green building rating system designed to evaluate a building’s environmental impact and performance. It provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the overall environmental performance of new and existing buildings to promote sustainable design and best practices in construction and operations in buildings.
VII
The Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme
Provider: Hong Kong Green Building Council
Description: Buildings in Hong Kong consume about 90% of the electricity and contribute around 60% of the carbon emissions. Most of the carbon emissions come from the electricity consumption within buildings. Electricity is the major form of energy supply for the majority of the buildings in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050 has set a pathway for decarbonising the electricity supply by 2050. The building sector should be playing a prominent role in decarbonising the demand side, which is to reduce the energy consumption within buildings. Building owners have been reducing their energy demand, in particular, electricity consumption, reporting their performance and applying for green finance for their improvement projects. However, the industry lacks clear definitions and benchmarking schemes to gauge the energy performance of buildings. They are puzzled about what targets they need to set for their buildings to align with the Paris agreement. The industry requires a benchmarking scheme to gauge the energy performance of their buildings, together with a target-setting tool that can facilitate them to set their targets to align with international carbon neutrality targets.
VIII
Provider: International WELL Building Institute
Description: The WELL Building Standard™ version 2 (WELL v2™) is a vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful and intentional spaces that enhance human health and well-being. WELL v2 includes a set of strategies—backed by the latest scientific research—that aim to advance human health through design interventions and operational protocols and policies and foster a culture of health and well-being. Built upon the pioneering foundation of the first version of the WELL Building Standard (WELL v1), WELL v2 draws expertise from a diverse community of WELL users, practitioners, public health professionals and building scientists around the world.
DISCLAIMER
GREEN Hospitality provides access to sustainability-related policies, laws, and regulations in Hong Kong for informational purposes only. While we strive to share valuable content, we do not guarantee the most updated versions of these materials. GREEN Hospitality assumes no responsibility for outcomes related to the use of these resources and disclaims all liability for
any reliance placed on them. Thank you for supporting sustainable practices!