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Explore Peru with purpose
See Peru through the eyes of the women who call it home on Intrepid’s brand-new Women’s Expedition.
With an expert local leader out front and a small group of like-minded travellers by your side, this trip gives you a unique insight into Peru’s culture and traditions.
Part of Intrepid’s Women’s expedition range, this eight-day adventure has been thoughtfully designed to support local women in tourism while delivering immersive experiences specifically for women travellers.
You’ll traverse the lesser-known Chinchero to Urquillos trail in the Peruvian Andes alongside an all-female crew, spend time in an Andean village learning about daily life, take part in a traditional textile workshop led by local women and experience a spiritual cleansing ritual guided by a female shaman.
Ask for specific numbers, not adjectives.
"90% of our energy comes from solar" is verifiable.
"We care about the environment" is not.
A transparent property should be able to share its energy, water, and waste data.
🌿Green or Greenwashed?
I bet you've booked (or considered booking) accommodation believing it's truly environmentally sustainable and that its green practices are real. Making a reservation at such places feels like a great decision, but... what if it's just a smokescreen and "good marketing"? How can you tell the difference?
The tourism and hospitality industry has one of the longest histories of environmental marketing, and unfortunately, also one of the longest histories of misleading it. Learning to tell the difference is not just a matter of consumer savvy — it's a contribution to holding businesses accountable for the claims they make about the world's most urgent challenge.
This guide draws on research from international organizations, peer-reviewed studies, and global sustainability bodies to give you the tools to travel with your eyes open.
🛁What Is Greenwashing — and Where Did It Begin?
Greenwashing is the practice of presenting a product, service, or organization as environmentally responsible through marketing, even when the underlying practices fall short of those claims. It can involve vague language, cherry-picked data, misleading imagery, or outright fabrication.
The term was invented in the hospitality industry itself. In 1986, American environmentalist Jay Westerveld wrote an essay about a hotel in Samoa that placed cards in rooms asking guests to reuse their towels "to save the environment." Westerveld observed that the hotel made no other meaningful effort to reduce waste — and that the real beneficiary of fewer towel washes was the hotel's own laundry bill, not the ocean.
Research published in the journal Sustainability (2024) notes that implementing genuine sustainability measures is expensive — requiring investment in renewable energy infrastructure, water systems, supply chain reform, and staff training. Greenwashing allows companies to claim the reputational benefit of being "green" without absorbing those costs.
Greenwashing is also used to repair reputations, attract environmentally conscious consumers willing to pay premium prices, and respond to investor pressure around ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting. A peer-reviewed systematic review published in MDPI Sustainability (January 2026) found that greenwashing in tourism ranges from vague labels to exaggerated CSR reports that don't match reality on the ground.
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⚠️ Consequences of Greenwashing
🚩 Consumer trust collapses. Research in the Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management found that greenwashing has measurably reduced trust in green hotel claims among U.S. consumers.
🚩 Environmental damage continues unchecked. Hotels that greenwash often engage in practices directly harmful to local ecosystems — pumping untreated wastewater into rivers, using diesel generators, or building large pools in water-scarce areas.
🚩 Legal liability is growing. The EU has enacted legislation banning misleading environmental claims on products, and regulatory bodies like the UK's Advertising Standards Authority are actively penalizing false green claims.
🚩 Market distortion. Properties that genuinely invest in sustainability are undercut by competitors who claim the same status without the cost.
🥬What Genuine Sustainability Actually Looks Like
Authentic sustainability in accommodation is not a towel card. It involves measurable, systemic, and independently verified practices across four key areas — the same four pillars recognized by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the international standard-setting body founded with support from UNEP (UN Environment Programme) and UNWTO (UN World Tourism Organization):
⚡️ Energy management with data
Real properties track and report energy consumption, invest in renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal), and can show measurable reductions over time — not just claim to "use less energy."
✅ Verified water conservation systems
According to UNWTO (2012) and UNEP (2024), tourism is among the most water-intensive industries. Genuine hotels install low-flow fixtures, greywater recycling systems, and track actual consumption with meters — especially in water-scarce destinations.
♻️ Waste reduction with measurable outcomes
UNEP has identified hotels and catering services as the second largest source of food waste globally. Authentic properties have composting programs, food waste tracking, and have eliminated single-use plastics with documented alternatives.
👩🏻🌾 Social and economic benefit to local communities
GSTC standards require hotels to demonstrate real contributions to local employment, supply chains (sourcing food and materials locally), and cultural heritage — not just use "local" as an aesthetic.
These are not decorative commitments. The GSTC Hotel Standard — the global benchmark for sustainable hospitality aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ISO 14001 environmental management framework — requires that certified properties be audited by an independent, accredited body every three years.
Frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the ISO 14001 system provide hotels with structured, internationally recognized tools to evaluate, disclose, and improve their environmental and social performance — and to make those disclosures verifiable by third parties.
🛎️How to Spot the Difference: A Traveler's Checklist
The most reliable signal of genuine sustainability is third-party verification. As the previous UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim has noted, the GSTC provides a reliable guide among what can otherwise be hundreds of competing labels. Here is what to look for before you book:
🏅 Look for recognized certifications. GSTC-accredited seals (such as Green Key, EarthCheck, or Rainforest Alliance Tourism) mean an independent auditor has verified the claims. A hotel's own "eco" badge means nothing.
📈 Ask for specific numbers, not adjectives. "90% of our energy comes from solar" is verifiable. "We care about the environment" is not. A transparent property should be able to share its energy, water, and waste data.
💧 Check if sustainability extends beyond the room. Does the hotel mention water systems, supply chain sourcing, local hiring, or carbon tracking? If the entire sustainability page covers only towel reuse and recycling bins, treat it with skepticism.
🌱 Look for consistency across the property's communication. Organizations with genuine sustainability as a core value demonstrate it consistently — in procurement, construction, staffing, and community relations — not only in their marketing.
🏁 Be wary of vague vocabulary. Words like "green," "eco," "nature-inspired," or "conscious" carry no legal or measurable meaning. Look for language that references specific standards, goals, or auditors.
✅ Cross-reference on the GSTC website. The GSTC maintains a public registry of certified properties and accredited certification bodies at gstc.org. If a hotel claims GSTC alignment, you can verify it directly.
Greenwashing thrives in environments where travelers accept claims without evidence. The single most effective shift a traveler can make is to ask one simple question: Who verified this? If the answer is the hotel itself, that is not verification — it is marketing. Genuine sustainability has an auditor's signature behind it.
Tired of news that feels like noise?
Every day, 4.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news fix. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture — all in a brief 5-minute email. No spin. No slant. Just clarity.
See you next time,
