Making sustainability claims you can actually defend

The one-line test for every claim

Before any wording goes on a card, a website or a menu, ask: can someone at the front desk show a document that supports this sentence? If the answer is no, the sentence is not ready.

Claims fail for three common reasons: they are too broad ("eco-friendly"), they are unmeasured ("less plastic"), or they sit on a product whose own paperwork says otherwise.

A useful habit is to read every draft sentence aloud to the person who runs the property day to day, usually the general manager or the operations head. If they hesitate, or say 'well, mostly', the claim is not ready. That conversation takes two minutes and catches most problems before they reach print.

Words to retire, words to use

Replace general adjectives with facts you hold. A few examples of the swap:

Instead of "green amenities", say "shampoo, conditioner and body wash are refilled from wall dispensers".
Instead of "biodegradable", say what the pack is made from and how it should be disposed of, if you have that information from the supplier.
Instead of "natural", list what the supplier's ingredient declaration actually shows, or leave the word out.
Instead of "plastic-free", say "paper wrap instead of plastic film on soap" if that is true.

Keep a short list of banned words on the marketing desk. A one-page style rule saves long debates later, and new staff then learn the standard on day one.

Build a simple claims file

Keep one folder, paper or digital, with a row for each claim: the exact wording, where it appears, the supporting document, who checked it and when it must be reviewed. Typical supporting documents are a supplier specification sheet, an ingredient list, a packaging declaration, or your own count of bottles issued.

Ask suppliers in writing for the documents behind any word they give you. If a supplier cannot provide it, do not repeat the word.

Use your own numbers, labelled as yours

The strongest claim is a measurement from your own hotel. For example, "Since March, our 60 rooms have used refill dispensers on floors two to five" is easy to verify. A figure such as "we saved X bottles" is only safe if you counted the baseline and the current period the same way. Describe the method in a footnote.

Do not borrow figures from a trade article or a supplier brochure and present them as yours.

If your numbers change, update the claim. A figure that was true last year and is repeated unchanged this year is a quiet way to mislead, even when nobody means to.

Be careful with certificates and logos

A logo implies that someone independent checked something. Make sure you know what the logo covers (a product, a site, a process), that it is current and that it belongs to the item you are describing. A certificate held by a factory does not automatically apply to every product it makes. Read more on this in our guide to sustainability and the related article on certifications.

Three claims, rewritten

Here is how a weak claim becomes a defensible one. "Our bathrooms are eco-friendly" becomes "Shower products are dispensed from refillable wall units on floors two to five." "We use recyclable packaging" becomes "Outer cartons are plain corrugated board with no plastic coating; please recycle with paper." "Plastic-free soap" becomes "Soap bars are wrapped in paper."

Notice that each rewritten line names a place, a material or a quantity, and each can be checked by walking into a room or opening a carton. If you cannot walk someone to the evidence in five minutes, rewrite the sentence until you can.

Review on a calendar

Set a twice-yearly check. Packaging changes, suppliers change formulas, and rules change. Local advertising and consumer regulations differ by country and state, so confirm the current position with your legal adviser rather than relying on this article.

When you are comparing suppliers, ask for documents up front; you can request samples alongside the paperwork.

It also helps to assign one owner for claims across the hotel, so the spa, the restaurant and the rooms division do not each make their own promises. One owner can keep the file consistent, answer a guest or auditor quickly, and retire wording that no longer holds.

When a guest challenges a claim, thank them, check the file and correct the wording if needed. A prompt, honest correction usually builds more trust than the original sentence did.

Questions on this topic

Is it safe to say our amenities are recyclable?

Only if the materials are accepted by the collection system where your guests actually dispose of them. Say what the pack is made of and how to dispose of it, rather than a general promise.

Do we need a lawyer to review claims?

For public marketing, a quick review is wise because advertising rules differ by country. At minimum, keep the supporting evidence on file.

What if a supplier gives us a claim without proof?

Ask for the document in writing. If it does not arrive, leave the claim out of your own materials.

Keep reading

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