Leading sustainable tourism

The Azores are the first archipelago in the world certified as a sustainable tourist destination  by the international certifying entity  EarthCheck, under the criteria of the Global Council for Sustainable Tourism.

Sustainability Policy

We believe in the commitment between people and nature

It is the way to follow in the region, in order to increase, every day, the quality of life of all the azoreans. 

For more than two decades, initiatives that lead to the protection and preservation of the Azores have been privileged. This path led the destination to the continuous development of sustainability policies, such as:

A transparent commitment

with the sustainable development of the Azores

Although we are an internationally certified tourist destination, we know that this is a process of continuous improvement, where it is necessary to measure, analyze the impacts and identify the inherent risks, in order to adjust the processes and the way we operate. Only, through visionary, ambitious and collaborative work – integrating all the stakeholders of the destination – will be possible to achieve our ambitious goals: to become the most sustainable archipelago in the world!

Measure to manage

in the direction of sustainability!

We constantly monitor all actions and initiatives. This way can we progress, innovate and raise our sustainability standards, always seeking to do more and better.

Key performance areas:

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Energy efficiency

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Air quality and light and noise pollution

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Society and

culture

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Ecosystem and biodiversity

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Water

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Greenhouse gases

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Spatial planning

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Waste

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Wastewater and  sewage

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Transports

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Economy

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Substances harmful  to theenvironment

Sustainability Working Groups

9 islands - 9 Green Teams

Meet the process

Get to know the Earthcheck Certification phases

01
Registo

Iniciar o processo

02
Compromisso

Assumir uma missão

  • Estabelecer equipa
  • Envolver stakeholders
  • Desenvolver, adotar e promover uma Política de Sustentabilidade Ambiental e Social
03
Avaliação

Analisar a performance

  • Acesso a informação em tempo real
  • Identificação de pontos críticos
  • Priorização de iniciativas
  • Relatório de performance
04
Conquista

Atingir o bronze

  • Certificação Bronze (VER)
  • Celebração com os stakeholders
  • Partilha de resultados
05
Certificação

Gerir e comunicar o processo

  • Reforço de processos
  • Identificação e gestão de riscos
  • Desenvolvimento de plano de ação com
    objetivos
  • Criação de iniciativas apelativas
  • Desenvolvimento de plano de comunicação
  • Envolvimento de stakeholders externos
  • Demonstração de transparência
06
Auditoria

Verificar compromissos

  • Avaliação independente, experiente e credível para verificar compromissos estabelecidos.
07
Êxito

Cumprir a jornada

  • Celebração dos resultados atingidos
    1-4 anos | Certificação Prata
    5-9 anos | Certificação Ouro
    10-14 anos | Certificação Platina
    +15 anos | Certificação Master
08
Renovação

Atualizar o processo

  • Renovação a cada 12 meses

Meet local certified tourism companies