“Corporate sustainability and the ESG pillars: a new virtuous and profitable way for the management of open-air accommodation facilities”. This is the title of the conference chosen by Faita Federcamping (the Italian association of the camping industry) which brought together many representatives of the outdoor tourism sector at Hospitality – Il Salone dell’Accoglienza, in Riva del Garda, Trento. Talking about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) sustainability too often means focusing on aspects related to the environment, neglecting those related to social issues and corporate governance. Furthermore, it is always difficult to measure the activities and progress made by companies in this field. Faita has therefore developed a protocol that allows the ESG performance of members to be assessed with an objective score.
“Overtourism” and the impact on the territories of activities directed and connected to the tourism sector have been talked about for at least a decade. The matter has become urgently topical due to the abrupt climate change affecting the entire planet. In this context, the research, application, and dissemination of environmental and economic sustainability criteria become indispensable priorities for open-air companies.
The position of Faita Federcamping
According to Alberto Granzotto, President of Faita Federcamping, a scientific approach is needed to address the ESG issue. “There are dozens, if not hundreds, of labels and certifications, which seem more like a form of green washing than a real approach to sustainability,” he said. “We started a journey by identifying a series of indicators that we customized for the sector, adding a specific one linked to accessibility”.
Outdoor tourism represents over 16 percent of national tourist flows. Medium-sized accommodation facilities (those with revenues exceeding €10 million) are managing it carefully and in a prepared manner, but when it comes to companies with lower turnover levels and more familiar governance, there is less attention and knowledge. The method developed by Faita aims to be an aid tool for these realities.
“Being a virtuous company,” added Granzotto, “also means being efficient with monitoring and control of its production cycle to help the company grow also from a financial point of view. The social part is the most important one: developing a sustainable company also means supporting your collaborators and creating better working conditions“.
The definition of the protocol
Manfredi Vale, Sustainability Leader and Area Manager of IMQ eAmbiente, had the task of explaining how the pilot project was constructed which led to the definition of the company evaluation protocol which could be submitted to all members. In this phase, 10 structures between Veneto and Lombardy were involved and gave their support. The objective was to create a rating system, understand how to define lines of action, and facilitate access to credit. After having developed a calibrated questionnaire on outdoor tourism, they went through a self-assessment process.
Initially, 6 criteria were used: legal and governance, energy, circularity, land/air/water, well-being/happiness/health, and education/mobility aspects. No lack of compliance was recorded in any structure, and instead best practices emerged, such as self-generation of energy and water recovery. Among the 10 structures that took part in this phase, a direct correlation was noted between the number of stars/turnover and the score: the structures with fewer stars/turnover corresponded to a lower ESG score.
The verification phase of the results, also through local audits, was then followed by the definition of the ESG protocol. The average score was 66.2%, with peaks reaching 85% and a lower limit of 49%. The best results came, perhaps even a little surprisingly, from the wellness area (average score 74%), followed by governance and energy(both 73%). However, education/mobility (63%), circularity (63%), and land/air/water (46%) can be improved.
After this very first phase it was decided to add a seventh criterion, identified in collaboration with Village for All and Legambiente, referring to accessibility and inclusion. The new indicators concern communication, connection and orientation, housing units, restaurants, swimming pools/beaches/play areas, and common toilets and aids. Finally, the original 6 criteria have been slightly revised.
“The work is articulated and complex and we are in a dynamic phase,” commented Granzotto. “This is why discussion with colleagues is important. The activity of the regional federations is fundamental to raise the awareness in the local territory. We need to create a climate conducive to further development. It is a complex topic that we cannot address alone, but united, together with the institutions, it can be done“.
Faita Trentino’s analysis
An analysis carried out by Faita Trentino on 21 accommodation facilities out of a total of 70 was added to the work of preparing a common methodology for the attribution of a measurable and comparable ESG score. “From the declarations it emerges that sustainability has positive economic repercussions throughout the territory, that 80% of companies invest in energy efficiency and saving, and that 90% of entrepreneurs are worried about climate change: they feel the need to find alternative solutions in terms of services and leisure proposals offered to guests,” underlined Sara Battistella, scientific representative of Insi Formazione. “Since a company can only be truly sustainable if it is able to systematize the environment, society, and governance, greater attention to human capital and its training is essential”.
“The 70 open-air companies in Trentino are at the forefront of the sector for environmental protection and sustainability,” said Fabio Poletti, President of Faita Trentino. “For the over 2,200,000 visitors, the quality of the natural context and the territory itself represent the main motivation for choice. This is a study we believe in a lot. ESG is a topic of today, but above all of tomorrow. There is still too little talk about it, but we want to be the forerunners by encouraging colleagues to understand where we are at“.
From banks to practice
It is also interesting to understand what the banking system’s point of view is. “The path is clear,” said Lorenzo Kasperkovitz, Head of External Relations and Sustainability Service at Cassa Centrale Banca – Credito Cooperativo Italiano. “We started following the sustainability path 5 years ago, and this was preparatory training for the approach with customers. When it comes to credit, the SME does not have the structure necessary to produce the amount of data necessary to finance a sustainable investment. We therefore want to support companies in this journey. We have specific credit policies and the indication to facilitate investments that go in the direction of sustainability with subsidized rates, and even if we have ESG scores we do not yet use them automatically“.
From a practical point of view, the contribution to the discussion came from Sigmar Cavazza, owner of the Fornella Camping & Wellness Family Resort, who explained how his structure was able to obtain recognition for Sustainability & Environmental Awareness at the CMT in Stuttgart.
“I think we won this award because we have a process that involves constant improvement,” Cavazza said. “We received it for the ‘E’ of the acronym ESG, thanks to the help of Ecocamping. Staff training, information & awareness of both staff and guests, and data collection & analysis were the truly challenging part of the challenge, because these are the aspects that allow us to continue to evolve“.
Mauro Santinato, CEO of Teamwork, spoke about how the Eco Mood Hotel project is being carried out in Rimini, highlighting however how economic sustainability is not always compatible with governance, or rather with economic aspects, because costs increase by 30% to 40%.
Focus on quality
Alberto Granzotto summarized the current situation thus: “The sector is in profound evolution and for some time the Federation has been committed to supporting companies in a path that combines environmental sustainability objectives with a high-quality offer. We can do this concretely thanks to collaboration with competent and qualified partners“.
The work was closed by Roberto Failoni, Councilor for Tourism of the Province of Trento. “Companies in the open-air sector are very attentive to sustainability and have understood the importance of helping the environment and involving tourists, who are increasingly sensitive to this issue,” he said. “Today is very important to make people understand how best to act to obtain results that are increasingly closer to environmental sustainability objectives. Trentino is at the forefront, but we must continue to raise the quality bar to achieve ever better results“.
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