Eco Travel Foundation
Climate Performance Programme
Rigour built into every assessment.
Clear boundaries. Recognised carbon accounting methods. Evidence review. Transparent estimates. Contextual benchmarking.
These are foundations of the assessment process—not extras reserved for certification. The formal certification pathway being developed would add independent scrutiny of that work against published programme requirements.
Carbon assessment and improvement support are available now. Formal certification is under development and is not currently offered.
The assessment foundation
What sits behind the result
A useful carbon result needs a traceable method and an honest explanation of its limitations. Each assessment brings together these foundations.
Defined boundary
Identify the property, reporting year, operations covered, included emissions sources and material exclusions.
Recognised accounting methods
Apply established greenhouse-gas accounting principles and appropriate emissions factors, with sources and assumptions documented.
Evidence review
Review operational records for coverage, reliability and consistency. Query material gaps or anomalies.
Transparent estimates
Identify sampling, calculations and estimates, explain their basis and limitations, and set priorities for stronger evidence.
Contextual benchmarking
Compare relevant peers with attention to operating circumstances, reporting boundaries and the limitations of the dataset.
Performance management
Turn findings into practical priorities and use annual reassessment to examine emissions, intensity and data quality over time.
The method does not become more rigorous simply because a property chooses certification. The intended certification route would independently check conformity with the common technical requirements.
Evidence
Practical does not mean casual.
We work with the records a property already holds: invoices, supplier statements, meter readings, service records, operational logs and occupancy information.
A polished spreadsheet is not a substitute for credible evidence. Equally, useful records should not be rejected simply because they arrive in an untidy format.
Where information is missing, the gap and its significance are examined. Documented estimates may be appropriate; unsupported assumptions must not be presented as measured facts.
The aim is to resolve material questions and strengthen the picture—not create paperwork for its own sake.
How gaps and estimates are handled
Actual activity quantities are preferred. Where these are unavailable, documented sampling or estimates may be used with their basis and limitations recorded. Material unresolved gaps may limit the findings and the claims a property can make.
Baseline assessments establish priorities for better information. Subsequent assessments review whether those priorities have been addressed.
Fair comparison
Context matters. Evidence still matters.
A remote safari lodge and a city hotel operate differently. A larger footprint does not automatically mean poor management, and a lower footprint does not automatically prove good management.
Benchmarks help identify questions worth investigating. Annual comparisons need consistent boundaries and an explanation of changes in occupancy, services, records and methods.
The first assessment establishes a baseline. Later assessments examine total emissions, emissions per occupied bed-night and the quality of the underlying data. Better records can reveal emissions previously missed. That is a stronger picture, even when the reported footprint rises.
We value transparency, engagement and practical progress. Participation or payment alone does not establish that requirements have been met.
How measurement and benchmarking workAssessment and future certification
A common technical foundation. An additional independent check.
Assessment and certification have different roles. The intended model uses the same technical assessment foundation, with certification adding independent audit and a formal decision.
Available now
Technical assessment
- Defined property boundary and reporting period.
- Carbon accounting, evidence review and documented limitations.
- Contextual benchmarking and practical action priorities.
- Annual progress tracking through reassessment.
- Findings presented as an assessment, without claiming independent audit or certification.
Under development
Formal certification
- The common technical assessment foundation.
- Third-party audit against final published programme requirements.
- Findings and any necessary corrective action.
- A formal certification decision.
- Rules for using and maintaining certified status.
Assessment-only participants are not intended to receive a weaker technical process. They have not undergone the additional independent certification audit.
The certification pathway remains subject to reconciliation of the draft documents, independent review, testing and approval. Its final requirements may introduce additional evidence or procedural obligations.
Responsibilities
Clear roles support credible work.
Eco Travel Foundation
Leads the programme, its requirements and accountability arrangements.
ETC Africa
Delivers technical carbon assessment, evidence review, benchmarking and practical improvement support.
Participating property
Provides records, explains its operations, responds to material questions and takes responsibility for accurate use of its assessment findings.
Independent auditor — future certification role
Would check conformity with final certification requirements separately from technical assessment delivery.
The developing certification arrangements include conflict-of-interest safeguards and a documented decision process. These arrangements are not yet operational.
Status and claims
Recognition with a defined meaning.
A carbon assessment describes findings for a specific property, boundary and reporting year. The proposed certification would recognise conformity with requirements for credible carbon measurement, disclosure, benchmarking and annual performance management within that stated boundary.
01
Member
Participation under the applicable membership arrangements. Membership alone does not establish a completed assessment.
02
Assessed
A completed carbon assessment for a stated boundary and reporting year.
03
Certified — future status
Conformity with the final scheme requirements, independently audited and formally granted. Not currently available.
Neither an assessment nor the proposed certification would, by itself, establish that a property is low-carbon, carbon-neutral or sustainable overall.
Local conservation and community contributions do not cancel operational or guest-flight emissions. Their outcomes require separate evidence.
Accountability beyond the calculation
Good numbers do not excuse poor conduct.
Accurate claims
Property communications should match the assessment’s scope, year and findings. Membership must not be presented as certification, and a property assessment must not be extended to unassessed operations.
Responsible participation
Carbon performance is not a free pass for illegal, harmful or misleading practices. The developing membership and ethics policy addresses responsible tourism conduct and animal welfare.
Careful data handling
Public assessment information and private supporting records are different. Access, disclosure and benchmark use need clear terms and appropriate safeguards.
Detailed membership, ethics, claims and data policies are being finalised. They will be published with their approval status and effective date.
Questions, concerns and corrections
Credibility includes being open to challenge.
If an assessment statement appears inaccurate, a programme claim seems misleading or you have concerns about participation, contact the Foundation through its existing contact channel.
Relevant evidence helps us understand the issue and determine what needs review.
A formal complaints and appeals procedure is being developed alongside the certification pathway. Its final handling and review arrangements will be published once approved.
Standards & accountability
Confidence in the work. Clarity about the status.
The assessment process provides the technical foundation today. Future certification is intended to add independent scrutiny and formal recognition against published requirements.