Benefits of Our Certificate

There are multiple sustainability certification programmes for the hospitality and tourism industry worldwide, each with its own scope, criteria and assessment process. On this page, you can discover the main expected benefits of participating in the Green Key programme.

Transparent certification process

Just as quality matters to your establishment, it is central to the Green Key programme. Our certification process combines publicly available criteria and procedures and independent third-party verification of conformity with the applicable criteria. The third-party verification is done through regular on-site audits conducted by trained Green Key auditors, and decision made by an external Certification Body. By publishing the applicable criteria and certification process on our website, we enable establishments and other interested parties to understand the requirements and how certification decisions are made.

Non-profit driven

Green Key is managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. The programme operates on a not-for-profit basis and aims to keep participation costs accessible, while supporting credible assessment and the continued development of the programme.

Dialogue-based programme with 30 years of experience

For more than 30 years, Green Key has brought together experience and perspectives from across its international network. Ongoing dialogue with national operators, establishments, auditors, tourism professionals and other relevant stakeholders are part of the development of the programme’s criteria, certification processes and resources. This enables Green Key to reflect a wide range of operating contexts while maintaining a common international framework.

An International Certificate with National Support

Green Key has 9000+ certified establishments in 90+ countries (as of August 2026). In 50+ countries, national Green Key operators are responsible for the management of the programme, which means that you receive support informed by the relevant national context and in a local language.

Find your national operator here.

Internationally Recognised by High-Profile Entities

Our programme has been recognised by UN Tourism (The World Tourism Organization) and UN Environment (UNEP), and the Green Key criteria are internationally recognised. In addition, Green Key is working in close cooperation with a range of partners from hotel chains, to booking platforms, international interest organisations, universities, etc. 

Promoting Your Success Story

At Green Key, we really appreciate your efforts to join our Green Key programme and improve practices in the areas covered by our criteria, and we are proud of each tourism establishment that becomes certified. Therefore, we are happy to promote your establishment by publishing good practice stories on our social media, website, and newsletter. You are also welcome to participate in the Green Key Good Practice Initiative which gives you the chance to share your projects addressing environmental, social, educational or operational priorities with our network. Moreover, Green Key cooperates with selected online travel agencies and booking platforms by sharing up-to-date information about certified establishments. Where an establishment is successfully matched in a participating platform’s database, its Green Key certification may be displayed in accordance with the platform’s applicable policies and presentation practices. View the current list of participating online travel agencies and booking platforms.