EarthCheck, previously operating under the name EC3 Global, is a globally recognised group specialising in

benchmarking Benchmarking is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are Project management triangle, quality, time and cost. Benchmarking is ...

certification Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

, and advisory services. Its primary focus lies in the

environmental Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

and

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

dimensions of the

travel Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical Location (geography), locations. Travel can be done by Pedestrian, foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without Baggage, luggage, a ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

sector. Established over 30 years ago, EarthCheck collaborates with prominent

research institutions A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural sc ...

and

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

globally to address sustainability and climate change challenges in tourism destinations and businesses. The organisation traces its roots back to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

’s first National Centre for Studies in Travel & Tourism, established in 1987 at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

. In 1997, it evolved into a part of the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) through the support of the

Australian Federal Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national Executive (government), executive government of Australia, a federalism, federal Parliamentary system, parliamentary con ...

, 14 universities, and the Australian Tourism Industry. STCRC developed the EarthCheck Benchmarking Methodology for 30 sectors within the travel and visitor economy. In 2010, the

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

br>EarthCheck Research Institute (ERI)
was established with support from academia and industry. Subsequently, in 2011, Earthcheck Pty. Limited was launched as an independent, profit-for-purpose entity. Since then, both EarthCheck and ERI have continuously adapted to the dynamic needs of the travel and tourism sector, as well as broader

sustainability Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

initiatives. EarthCheck's principal certification program, EarthCheck Certified, is operational in over 70 countries, aiding members in achieving sustainable tourism outcomes. In 2018, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (

UNWTO The United Nations World Tourism Organization or UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which promotes responsible, sustainable and universally-accessible tourism. Its headquarters are in Madrid, Spain. Othe ...

) acknowledged the EarthCheck Building Planning and Design Standard (BPDS) for its innovative contributions to research and technology. EarthCheck's sustainability framework is built on three core pillars: extensive scientific expertise, a culture of efficiency and innovation, and established credibility. The organisation has maintained its focus on research, to support sustainable outcomes.

Certification programs

EarthCheck has

and programs for

businesses Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." A business entity is not necessari ...

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a refr ...

, destinations, governments, developers and building designers, terrestrial and

marine parks Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine current power * Marine debris * Marine energy * Marine habitats * M ...

, and events.

EarthCheck Certified

EarthCheck Certified is a programme designed for travel and tourism businesses focusing on

sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for Impacts of tourism, economic, social, and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs o ...

. It provides a clear and structured way for these businesses to measure and improve their environmental and social impact. The programme is relevant as the industry faces increasing pressure to operate sustainably and reduce its

ecological footprint The ecological footprint measures human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people and their economies. It tracks human demand on nature through an ecological accounting system. The accounts contrast the biolo ...

. By participating in EarthCheck Certified, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices, such as reducing

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

and conserving resources. The certification process is straightforward and rigorous, ensuring that businesses adhere t
holistic criteria
across the

triple bottom line The triple bottom line (or otherwise noted as TBL or 3BL) is an accounting framework with three parts: social, environmental (or ecological) and economic. Some organizations have adopted the TBL framework to evaluate their performance in a broader ...

Notable EarthCheck Certified businesses

Notable EarthCheck Certified businesses include: *

Sandals Resorts Sandals Resorts is a Jamaican operator of All-inclusive resort, all-inclusive couples resorts in the Caribbean. The company is a part of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), which also operates Beaches Resorts, Fowl Cay Resort, and several privat ...

* Alila Hotels & Resorts *

The Peninsula Hotels The Peninsula Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels operated by Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels. Founded by the Kadoorie family, the first hotel opened in 1928 and now stands as the oldest in Hong Kong. History Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Limi ...

Belmond Belmond may refer to: Places *Belmond, Iowa Organisations *Belmond Limited, a hotel and travel company Hotels *Belmond El Encanto *Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo *Belmond Hotel Cipriani *Belmond Hotel Monasterio * Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado * Belmond L ...

Langham Hospitality Group Langham Hotels International Limited, trading as Langham Hospitality Group, is a hotel operator with its headquarters in Hong Kong. Langham Hotels International Limited is wholly owned by Great Eagle Holdings, which was founded in 1963 and is l ...

* Iberostar *

Ovolo Ovolo is an Italian language, Italian word that means "little egg". The ovolo or echinus is a convex molding (decorative), decorative molding profile used in Ornament (architecture), architectural ornamentation. Its profile is a quarter to a half ...

Taj Hotels Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group. The company employed over 20,000 peop ...

* Xcaret *

Xel-Ha Xelha (, Spanish: Xelhá; Yucatec Maya: Xel-Há) is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, located on the eastern coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the present-day state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. ...

Venice-Simplon Orient Express The ''Venice Simplon-Orient-Express'' (VSOE) is a private luxury train service from London to Venice and other European cities. It is currently owned by Belmond. These VSOE services are not to be confused with a regularly scheduled train cal ...

EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations

The EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations programme is a global initiative to achieve sustainability outcomes for

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place (geography), place, set of Norm (social), norms, culture, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Ide ...

. It provides a comprehensive framework to

benchmark Benchmark may refer to: Business and economics * Benchmarking, evaluating performance within organizations * Benchmark price * Benchmark (crude oil), oil-specific practices Science and technology * Experimental benchmarking, the act of defining a ...

certify Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

, and enhance environmental,

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

, and

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

performance A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Performance has evolved glo ...

. The program is designed to empower local communities to take control of their sustainability goals, building upon local initiatives. It recognises the collective efforts of a destination in working towards sustainable outcomes. The program underpins a clear vision for a destination, focusing on strategic policy and

action plans An action plan is a detailed plan outlining Action (philosophy), actions needed to reach one or more goals. Alternatively, it can be defined as a "sequence of steps that must be taken, or activities that must be performed well, for a strategy to su ...

. The programme aligns with internationally relevant criteria, such as the

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

. It addresses environmental regeneration and improvement alongside conserving existing natural heritage assets.

EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations Standard and Key Performance Areas

The Standard
employs a performance-based approach supported by various benchmarking indicators and Key Performance Areas (KPAs), which include: #

Energy Efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to: * Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process ** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed ** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...

, Conservation, and Management #

Land Use Planning Land use planning or ''Land-use regulation'' is the process of regulating the Land use, use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient resource u ...

and Development #

Transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

# Solid Waste Management # Air Quality Protection,

Noise Control Noise control or noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution or to reduce the impact of that noise, whether outdoors or indoors. Overview The main areas of noise mitigation or abatement are: transportation noise control, a ...

, &

Light Pollution Light pollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting sources, during the ...

# Management of Environmentally Harmful Substances # Management of Freshwater Resources #

Cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and

Social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

# Wastewater Management,

Drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils can prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditions that harm root gro ...

, and

Streams A stream is a continuous body of surface water flowing within the bed and banks of a channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to by a variety of local or regional names. Long, large stream ...

Economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

Management #

Ecosystem Conservation An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by organisms in interaction with their environment. The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems are controlled by external ...

and Management The certification comprises two primary steps:

Benchmarking Benchmarking is the practice of comparing business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other companies. Dimensions typically measured are Project management triangle, quality, time and cost. Benchmarking is ...

and

Certification Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

. * Benchmarking: This step involves assessing the destination's performance against the criteria. * Certification: An independent third-party

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

verifies the destination's environmental and social performance against the Standard. Compliance with all criteria is mandatory for certification. The process to achieve EarthCheck Benchmarked Bronze status typically spans 8-10 months, establishing a baseline for future performance measurement. Further compliance, planning, consultation, communication, and reporting steps are required for final certification. Successful completion of an independent audit leads to EarthCheck Silver Certified status, typically within 10-13 months. Recertification occurs annually, with an independent audit conducted each year. Continuous compliance over multiple years leads to higher levels of certification: Gold Certified for 5 years, Platinum Certified for 10 years, and Master Certified for over 15 years. Unlike other sustainability certifications based on a scorecard approach, EarthCheck certification requires yearly compliance with all criteria. The latest Standard includes 119 qualitative benchmark criteria across 12 KPAs, and 265 criteria, including

quantitative Quantitative may refer to: * Quantitative research, scientific investigation of quantitative properties * Quantitative analysis (disambiguation) * Quantitative verse, a metrical system in poetry * Statistics, also known as quantitative analysis ...

data, are necessary for complete certification. This approach, encompassing both qualitative and quantitative criteria, highlights the defensibility of EarthCheck's certification.

Notable EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations

Notable EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations include: * Snaefellsnes Peninsula *

Westfjords The Westfjords or West Fjords (, ) is a large peninsula in northwestern Iceland and an administrative region, the least populous in the country. It lies on the Denmark Strait, facing the east coast of Greenland. It is connected to the rest of I ...

Huatulco Huatulco (; ''wah-TOOL-coh''), formally Bahías de Huatulco, centered on the town of La Crucecita, is a tourist development in Mexico. It is located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered on its ni ...

Järvsö Järvsö (), locally known as ''Jarse'' (), is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and a parish situated in Ljusdal Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 1,407 inhabitants in 2010. From Järvsö, people commute to Ljusdal, Färila, Bollnäs, a ...

Thredbo Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne. The village is built in the valley of the Th ...

* Municipio de Baião * Municipio de Melgaco *

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

* Regiao Autonoma de Madeira * Região Autónoma dos Açores *

Sierra Gorda The Sierra Gorda () is an Ecoregion, ecological region centered on the northern third of the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo and San Luis Po ...

* South Bank Corporation *

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Norrland and the t ...

References

{{Reflist Environment of Australia Sustainable tourism