The Wahanda Blog

As published on WOW Travel: Eco-spas have become one of the hottest concepts in the wellness industry, says Lopo Champalimaud, CEO of www.wahanda.com.

With an ever-increasing sense of environmental awareness, more consumers are beginning to search for “greener” spa options, and as a result more spas are being constructed or rebranded as eco-spas. We know, of course, that this trend is not just limited to spas – retreats, yoga centres, gyms, and salons have become “eco-friendly” to be more environmentally responsible.

Few would deny that environmental sustainability will be one of the most important trends of our time. As an industry focused on wellbeing, therefore, we are well placed to demonstrate how we can promote a more sustainable lifestyle.

However, with the proliferation of eco-branded wellness businesses, an increasing number of people are confused about such points as:

• What is an eco-spa?
• Is it different from a natural spa?
• Is using natural or organic products enough to be green?
• Can green spas be luxurious at the same time?
• Does a green spa need to be carbon neutral, or just recycle?
• Are non-eco spas environmentally friendly?
• Shouldn’t all spas, regardless of whether they are “eco-spas”, actively to engage in protecting the environment?

These are issues that we as an industry need to answer to ensure that the confusion and lack of clarity does not undermine the real advances many businesses are taking to be more responsible.

Worryingly, however, consumers are increasingly expressing a “green trust gap”. According to the newly-released 2009 BBMG Conscious Consumer Report 25 per cent of American consumers admit they have “no way of knowing” if a product is green even though 77 per cent believe they can make a positive difference by purchasing products from socially or environmentally responsible companies. If the wellness industry is properly to support its stated actions, we need actively to address this trust gap.

Fortunately, there has been some important early work. Most of the major spa associations, including iSPA, BISA, and Spa Business Association are working on developing guidelines. The Green Spa Network has taken a more definite step forward with an accreditation scheme for spas based on a checklist of different areas. All of these advances are helpful in beginning to outline the areas businesses need to consider when evaluating and communicating their green or eco credentials. There are still more steps that need to be taken to provide a definitive, consistent, comparable and clear message. Some immediate questions that jump to mind are: Who is judging if someone is compliant? What happens if someone does not pass one of the areas? Do the same standards apply internationally? These are just some of the areas that need further consideration and ironing out.

The reality is that there is no single policy document on what it means to be an eco-spa. Titanic Spa is among those who have taken the initiative to provide a clear summary of an eco-spa on their homepage - but is this enough? I believe part of the problem is that an “eco/not eco” classification is simply too binary. When it comes to responsibility for the environment, things are not black and white; being “eco” is an ongoing and sometimes customized process, which involves continual improvement. Additionally, the current usage of “eco spa” suggests that those businesses that do not carry this label are by default not being environmentally responsible. Therefore, as a first step, instead of focusing on simple labels, I think that spas (and hotels) should voluntarily breakdown their eco credentials across eight key areas and present them clearly as a table so that consumers can make an informed decision like this:

What is your spa doing in these areas?

• Water usage
• Laundry
• Lighting, Insulation & Power Usage
• Products & Suppliers used
• Construction & Furnishings
• Waste disposal
• Staff Training
• Landscaping

The key is that this is not a check-list. A spa does not just say “yes” or “no”, it says what it is doing or not doing and providing that information to consumers so that they can make an informed decision.

Of course, this is only a very first step. Ultimately, I would like to see this breakdown evolve to the point that there is a single standard amongst industry bodies and that they work to rank spas based on the criteria above so that ultimately spas would have an eco rating. Not a binary stamp of approval but a rating stating just how ecologically friendly you are across these key areas.

Regardless of whether a business wants to be labeled an eco-spa or not, the spa industry should be a catalyst for environmental awareness and best practice for both businesses who want to learn how to be more green, and for consumers who want to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. We should be leading consumers in how they can live in a more environmentally sustainable way and promoting our wellbeing in all aspects of our lives. We can all play a part and we owe it to consumers to provide more transparency in terms of our efforts in this area. This is an important cause for all of us and the wellness and hospitality industries have a significant role to play in shaping the future.