The Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for Hotel accommodation services

The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) for Hotel accommodation services

The tourism sector accounts for around ten percent of the global GDP (World Bank 2019) and it is responsible for roughly eight percent of all global greenhouse emissions. Thus, “greening” the tourism sector must be a central component of the overarching sustainability transformation. A key component of this transformation is the development of reliable and standardised methods to measure, compare and improve the environmental impact of products and services in the tourism sector (in this project: hotel accommodation services) ─ and to communicate the environmental impact to consumers. 

As part of the project "The Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) for Hotel accommodation services", the already established method of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is being further developed for the hotel industry. To this end, specific "Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR)" tailored to the hotel industry will be developed by 2026. These so-called "Category Rules" are already available for more than 20 product categories. The PEF method looks at the entire life cycle of a product or service. In contrast to the CO₂ footprint, for example, many other impact categories are taken into account in addition to climate change (e.g. eutrophication, land use, ozone depletion, …). The project was initiated by the European Commission and contributes to the "Transition Pathway for Tourism" adopted by the Commission. The PEFCRs are being developed by the Technical Secretariat (TS), a multi-stakeholder body made up of representatives from associations and individual companies in the sector (hotels and hotel chains), technical experts, NGO representatives and representatives of the European Commission. In addition, two public consultations of the draft PEFCR will take place.

Many labels and certifications have been developed in the past and more are being added, leading to confusion for both businesses and consumers. Therefore, the PEF is the Commission's response to the demand for credibility through harmonisation and industry-wide recognition and the achievement of comparability. The PEF category rules enable hotels to assess and communicate their environmental impact on the basis of reliable data and thus avoid greenwashing. This is particularly relevant in the context of the European Commission's "Green Claims Directive". 

adelphi leads the project, coordinates and moderates the work of the technical secretariat, organises the public consultations and is responsible for the overall communication of the project. Moreover, HOTREC, the European umbrella organisation for the hotel, restaurant and tourism sector, as well as maki Consulting GmbH and Studio Fieschi are part of the project consortium.