Adopters versus Non-Adopters of the Green Key Ecolabel in the Dutch Accommodation Sector

Eelco Buunk,Edwin Van Der Werf

doi:10.3390/su11133563

Abstract

Accommodation providers such as hotels, campsites, and holiday villages can use ecolabels to show their green credentials to potential customers. Whereas there is extensive literature on ecolabel adoption in the Hotel and Bed and Breakfast (B & B) sector, no such research exists for other accommodation sectors. In this paper, we present the results of statistical analyses of survey data from firms in the Dutch accommodation sector (including hotels, campsites, and group accommodations) with and without the Green Key ecolabel, which is a third-party certified international label for the tourist and leisure sector. We obtain insights into the motivations for adopting (or not), analyze the characteristics of firms with and without the label, and get an indication of the perceived impact of ecolabel adoption on costs and profits. We find that previously found results for hotels and B & Bs do not always apply to other subsectors of the accommodation sector. We also find that obtaining the label required a limited investment for almost half of the sample, and resulted in cost reductions for more than half of the responding firms.

Highlights

Accommodation providers, such as hotels and campsites, impact the environment in various ways, including water and energy use, impact on the landscape, and disposal of waste and wastewater [1,2,3]
The tourism literature—often using small samples of firms that are not randomly selected—finds that ecolabel adoption tends to lead to lower costs
We extended this by including campsites and group accommodations

Summary

Introduction

Accommodation providers, such as hotels and campsites, impact the environment in various ways, including water and energy use, impact on the landscape, and disposal of waste and wastewater [1,2,3]. Since green goods are credence goods [9], consumers are not able to recognize environmental attributes when purchasing the product. Ecolabels can help reduce this information asymmetry. When a firm applies for a third-party certified ecolabel, a verifying body assesses the firm. If it passes the test, the firm receives a label that allows it to communicate to customers that it is green according to the standards set by the labeling organization [10,11]. If adopting firms turn from the provision of brown goods to green goods or if consumers switch from brown to green goods after observing an ecolabel, ecolabels may help reduce environmental impacts. Buckley ([4], pp. 187–192) provides a great description of the rise and development of ecolabels in tourism

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Conclusion