Environmental Certification

The Vakinn environmental certification is, like the Vakinn quality certification, based on a corresponding system,  Qualmark in New Zealand. Stefán Gíslason M.Sc. and director of Environice oversaw the adaptation of the system to Icelandic conditions.

Surveys among international visitors to Iceland have for decades shown that Iceland´s main attraction is the country´s magnificent nature. It is our treasure which we must safeguard and keep intact for future generations. Linking environmental and social responsibility to quality, as is done in the Vakinn certification, is therefore of utmost importance. With growing public awareness of environmental and social issues customers are placing increasing demands on companies to show responsibility and contribute to social and environmental causes. Customers vote with their feet and direct their business increasingly to companies that are doing well on this front.

 Please note that it is not possible to apply for environmental certification only.

   Environmental certifications should be highly desirable for responsible companies and can be of considerable value in marketing. 

The Vakinn environmental certification is complimented by various guidelines and supporting materials such as the checklist On the way to Sustainable Tourism. This checklist must be completed and is reviewed by the auditor as well as the action plan created on the basis of the checklist.  Several easy to use forms for monitoring the use of hot water, electricity and fuel and the amount of waste are also available. Please note that these forms are mainly intended for smaller companies.

The main focus of the environmental certification is: 

  1. Strategy and procedures
  2. Classification of waste
  3. Green accounting (measuring and monitoring)
  4. Social responsibility 
  5. Reduction and offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions