Sunborn Saga Oy – Environmental Policy

Naantali Spa has been certified on its responsible operations

Naantali Spa has undergone an extensive responsibility programme. The programme first included Green Key certification. Then Visit Finland’s Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) programme was started. The programme is designed for tourism companies and destinations, and companies that fulfil the criteria are authorised to use the STF label to signal responsible operations to international travellers.

The route to more responsible tourism

As part of the STF process, Naantali Spa has received the international Green Key programme certificate of responsibility. The Green Key programme promotes sustainable tourism by motivating both staff and visitors to participate in ecological actions and by increasing the environmental awareness of tourists and the tourism industry.

“Responsible tourism is important both to us and our visitors, but it is also financially justified. We have been engaged in environmental work for a long time, and it is great to receive concrete recognition for it in the form of a certificate”, says hotel manager Eerika Rinne.

“The Green Key award is designed for the tourism industry. It effectively takes into account the characteristics of the field and is practical in its implementation. We have spent numerous hours hands-on to receive the award, e.g. by changing thousands of light bulbs and adjusting hundreds of taps. I see the participation of staff in responsible thinking, achieved through enthusiasm and education, as the most important accomplishment. The hotel has
designated an environmental coordinator who oversees an environmental team consisting of representatives of various departments. The team will make sure that responsibility will be implemented in the departments’ operations”, Ms Rinne explains.

A continuous process

Companies and destinations that have received the Sustainable Travel Finland label will receive a model of continuous development, the newest information on sustainable development in tourism, support for marketing and visibility through Visit Finland’s channels. “In order for Naantali Spa to get on the STF path, it first had to receive the international Green Key environmental certificate”, Ms Rinne says, describing the process.

Green Key certification indicates that the destination is a forerunner of environmental responsibility, since it exceeds the basic level set by law and regulations. A Green Key destination is committed to do more and more each year in order to reduce its environmental footprint. The goal of the practical measures is to reduce energy consumption, water consumption and waste production by, e.g. sorting and recycling.

A set of measuring instruments is in use, and consumption figures are monitored on a monthly basis, so any anomalies can be tackled immediately. Concrete measures taken include paying attention to the environmental friendliness of detergents, soft tissue papers and office paper. From now on, we will only use products with environmental labels.

“We have increased the proportion of local food and local producers as part of our food product, and in accordance with our updated food philosophy, we aim to use as many seasonal products from small local producers as possible. We also want to engage our staff, stakeholders, customers and suppliers in our environmental work by increasing awareness and information on our responsibility work”, Ms Rinne says, summing up the measures.