Sustainability in Karlsruhe

We have been certified as a sustainable destination since October 19, 2023. But what would a destination be without you, the hosts? A partner network is one of the most important basic requirements for certification as a sustainable destination. After all, it is you who make sustainability in all its aspects tangible for our guests.

 
Be part of it: "Karlsruhe is the destination of the sustainable destination!"

As part of the certification as a sustainable destination, our partners have the opportunity to become a "Sustainable Destination Partner Business". The process is very simple:

1. we conclude an agreement and walk the path to a sustainable destination together

2. you already have a recognized certification in the field of environment or sustainability - you are automatically a partner of the sustainable destination

3. you want to become more sustainable? Take a free sustainability qualification (TourCert Qualified) in the form of a self-assessment that shows how sustainable your company is. You become a partner of the sustainable destination.

Your advantages:

• Through your commitment, you not only take credible responsibility for the environment and society, but above all for your company and your employees.
• They are seizing the opportunity to meet guests' growing expectations of sustainable offers.
• As an active partner company, you are our priority:
  • We can enter into an exchange with the TourCert community,
  • You will receive favorable training offers and
  • Of course, you also benefit from the marketing services.

In our free online training series Sustainability for Breakfast and Lunch & Learn, we would like to give you the opportunity to learn more about sustainability. Whether you are a hotelier, restaurateur or service provider, anyone can do sustainability! 

Review: Lunch & Learn

1. Session - Sustainable enjoyment: Trends, transportation routes, footprints and waste generation (26.04.2023)
   To the recording
2. Session - Sustainable shopping: From circular economy, regionality, seasonality, organic and fair trade (24.05.2023)
   To the recording
3. Session - Sustainable avoidance: Measuring and reducing food waste, added value through reuse (19.07.2023)
   To the recording
4. Session - Sustainable living: Healthy Nutrition & Planetary Health (20.09.2023)
   To the recording
5. Session - Sustainable design: Sustainable menus and menus (26.10.2023)
   To the recording
6. Session - Communicating sustainably: From nudging in the food sector and storytelling along the customer journey (15.11.2023)
   To the recording

Review: Sustainability for breakfast

1. Session - For the clever ones: Sustainability as a competitive advantage (23.03.2022)
   To the recording
2. Session - For the future: First steps on the road to climate neutrality (20.04.2022)
   To the recording
3. Session - For more mobility: Incentives for sustainable mobility (18.05.2022)
   To the recording
4. Session - For the working atmosphere: Employee loyalty through the values of sustainability (15.06.2022)
   To the recording
5. Session - For adventure: Bringing sustainability to life (13.07.2022)
   To the recording

Your contacts at KTG Karlsruhe Tourismus GmbH

As sustainability officers, we are not only responsible for coordinating the measures and tasks on the way to becoming a sustainable destination. We are also the contact persons for our team, but also for you, the (future) partner companies.

Whether you have suggestions, questions or feedback on our measures, we always have an open ear when it comes to sustainability.

We want to act across all sectors in the context of sustainability and connect networks in a meaningful way. KTG's Sustainability Council is an important partner in this regard. Consisting of

• Research and teaching(KIT)
• Energy suppliers(Stadtwerke Karlsruhe)
• tourist service providers(Restaurant erasmus, Germany's most sustainable restaurant, location "räume", Kulturküche Karlsruhe)
• Producers(The Product Factory)
• Associations(Tourismus GmbH Nördlicher Schwarzwald, Naturpark Schwarzwald Mitte/Nord)
• companies(dm Drogeriemarkt, Karlsruhe Energy and Climate Protection Agency) and
• Mobility providers(Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund)

KTG not only has specialist expertise at its disposal for the further development of a more sustainable city, but also a comprehensive network. In addition to its advisory function, the Sustainability Council has a clear position: sustainability must be aligned along the value chain, create added value and be thought of in interdisciplinary terms. In addition to a clear stance, the focus is on the importance of systemic interrelationships and the desire for a learning society.

You can find our sustainable mission statement here. 

Bringing sustainability to life and starting the certification process for sustainable destinations with joy was our main goal. We all agree: sustainability should be integrated into everyday life in a practical and tangible way, from the head to the heart. With our knowledge showers for our entire team, we picked up all employees digitally and live on site.

Each on-site visit also included a look behind the scenes at one or more sustainable businesses. From hotels and restaurants to unpackaged stores and the testing of sustainable tourism offers, everything was included. We dealt with these topics:

• Sustainability at work & in everyday life
• Waste avoidance & plastic-free
• Mobility & transport transition
• Sustainability self-test - change challenge
   

MY CHA CHA - My change challenge

With the MY CHA-CHA change challenge, we wanted to turn words into action. MY CHA-CHA was created as a course at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Under the title "Sustainability and transformation: a self-test", students acquire knowledge about sustainability and experience the impact of their actions in everyday life. We have transferred this format to KTG employees. In a four-week self-test in a wide range of areas - from changing their diet and going plastic-free in the bathroom to digital detox or increasing the number of steps they take each day - each KTG employee set their own four-week goal. The evaluation showed that the challenge gets people talking about sustainability. In the end, it was not limited to KTG employees. Some challenges have become part of everyday life. Change starts with each individual.

You can download our Sustainability Report 2022 here:

On the following pages you will find further information on the subject of sustainability.

• TourCert
• DEHOGA / Environmental check
• KEFF check