Sustainability is an increasingly present issue of great importance for everyone’s future, and tourism businesses are not indifferent to this subject which requires the participation of both parties.

Throughout this article, we provide you with some sustainability tips.

1. Donation of surplus food

The preparation of meals in restaurants and hotels often result in surpluses that cannot be reused for the following days. The donation of these products/meals to charities is a good practice to be adopted.
In the case of bakeries, the bread and cakes can be given the same destination, supporting families in social need.
In another perspective, several hotels are joining online sales platforms (e.g. Too Good To Go) that enable the sale of surplus food in magic box format at affordable prices for consumers, which can range from brunch, lunch and dinner magic boxes.
To make a purchase, the consumer simply goes to the website or downloads the app, makes the payment online and collects the magic box from the shop.

2. Use organic food

Another way to be sustainable is to use organic food that is grown without the use of chemicals, which ensures a higher concentration of nutrients and a cascade of naturally genuine aromatic flavours.

On one hand, organic food ensures a better quality of life for consumers, because they are highly nutritious and give a quality bond to the establishments which trade it. On the other hand, in the confection of meals, results in a high content of excellence and, in addition, is a way to promote good practices that ensure the well-being of ecosystems.

3. Go for electric vehicles

Electric vehicles are starting to be the road protagonists in small and large work trips, leisure journeys, holidays to tourist destinations and also agents in tourism-related activities.

According to data collected by the Associação Automóvel de Portugal in July 2022, there was a growth in the number of electric light passenger vehicles of 48.9% and in light goods vehicles registered of 168.8%.

More than a trend, this is a paradigm shift that will become real (there is an EU target to end the marketing of combustion cars by 2035).

A good practice to be adopted by companies is the acquisition of electric vehicles (whenever possible), especially for the transportation of goods or people, thus reducing GHG emissions. Several hotels and restaurants all over the world have even installed charging points “at the door”, allowing their customers to “fill up” their vehicles while they are in their spaces.

An Electric Vehicle battery can have a useful life of up to 30 years, and there are already mechanisms that allow recycling of its materials once it reaches this period. It is important to clarify that the content of lithium-ion batteries is less toxic than that of other batteries, which facilitates their recycling. However, lithium is a highly reactive element, so it is important that this is done safely and efficiently.

Currently, most batteries for recycling are sent to Belgium or Germany, where the infrastructure exists to properly recycle the lithium present in the batteries. When properly done, the recycling process allows 95% of the raw material to be removed, so that it can be reused in other electrical and electronic devices, as well as returning batteries for Electric Vehicles.

People are part of the tourist experience and product offered by companies operating in tourism. Therefore, involving the tourist in solutions that promote sustainability (political, social, environmental, and economic) is a way to contribute to reducing the carbon footprint.

Source: Association of Users of Electric Vehicles