EcoLabel Luxembourg is a national ecolabel awarded to eco-friendly tourist accommodation establishments in Luxembourg. The purpose of the label is to promote accommodation establishments in Luxembourg that have adopted environment- and climate-friendly practices, and to develop sustainable tourism in Luxembourg.

Establishments interested in obtaining the label must apply to the Oekozenter Pafendal asbl, which coordinates the awarding of the label and provides support to certified establishments.

EcoLabel Luxembourg is awarded by the Ministry of the Economy's (Ministère de l'Economie) General Directorate for Tourism.

Who is concerned

Applications for the label are voluntary and may only be submitted by establishments offering overnight accommodation, such as:

• hotels; 
• guesthouses;
• campsites;
• youth hostels; and
• group accommodations.

EcoLabel Luxembourg allows certified establishments to significantly reduce their environmental and climate impacts. They are recognised for their particularly eco-friendly practices, including the adoption of a range of energy, water and waste saving measures designed to reduce environmental pollution.

The label also serves as a source of information for visitors so that they can make informed choices about their destinations.

Costs

To register for the compulsory audit, applicants must pay Oekozenter Pafendall asbl a one-off fee of EUR 74.

How to proceed

Contact with an Oekozenter Pafendall advisor

Tourist accommodation providers applying for EcoLabel Luxembourg certification can contact an Oekozenter Pafendall advisor for advice and guidance on putting together their application, and for detailed information on the certification process.

Self-assessment by the applicant establishment

Applicants must carry out a self-assessment of their establishment through the business platform on the EcoLabel website.

Support provided by Oekozenter Pafendall

Oekozenter advisors help applicants put together their applications, and suggest improvements they can make to achieve compliance with the assessment criteria.

This tailored support service is free.

Once the self-assessment has been carried out, the Oekozenter Pafendall advisor will forward the application to an independent, external inspector.

External inspection

An independent, external inspector will visit the applicant's establishment to perform an audit to determine whether it meets the certification criteria.

To obtain EcoLabel Luxembourg certification, applicant establishments must satisfy certain criteria, some of which are mandatory and other optional, depending on the type of establishment and the services it offers. These criteria have been established in consultation with federations in the sector, and are regularly updated.

The criteria cover the following topics:

• environmental management (staff training, customer information, mobility, monitoring of consumption); 
• energy (heating and air conditioning, energy management and heat regulation, lighting, insulation and eco-materials, use of renewable energy);
• water (reduction of water consumption, water protection and cleaning);
• waste (waste reduction and sorting);
• purchasing (responsible purchasing, sustainable catering).

The full list of criteria can be found on the EcoLabel Luxembourg website.

To obtain EcoLabel Luxembourg certification, establishments must meet all mandatory criteria and a certain number of the optional criteria.

Depending on the outcome of the audit, establishments can be awarded one of the following EcoLabel Luxembourg certification levels:

• gold;
• silver; or
  
• bronze.

Awarding of EcoLabel Luxembourg certification to tourist establishments

Following the successful completion of the audit, the establishment will be officially presented with the label certificate by the General Directorate for Tourism at an official ceremony.

All member establishments – which are ranked according to 3 certification levels (gold, silver or bronze) depending on the outcome of the audit – are listed on the Luxembourg tourist accommodation ecolabels website.

Validity period and renewal of the EcoLabel Luxembourg certificate

EcoLabel Luxembourg certification for tourist establishments is awarded for a renewable term of 3 years.

The certified establishment will be contacted by the Oekozenter Pafendall asbl before the end of the validity period, and may renew the label or return it.

Who to contact