68 businesses in the city have the ‘Hospitality for Climate’ quality badge after undergoing energy audits.

68 establishments in the city, including hospitality and hotel businesses, are part of the ‘Hospitality for the Climate’ project promoted by ECODES (Ecology and Development Foundation), which aims to promote the adoption of good environmental practices for sustainability in the sector that the Avilés City Council has joined.

These businesses have undergone an energy efficiency, environmental, and sustainability audit in order to obtain one of the distinctive seals or certificates ‘Small Business Quality Management’ and ‘Hospitality #PorElClima’, distinctions that will be valid as long as they are adhered to and the conditions of adherence are maintained.

To carry out the audits, the Avilés City Council awarded a contract, after public tender, to the company Novotec Consultores SA of the Applus+ Group for 20,623.72 euros. This company was responsible for incorporating the 20 latest establishments that have joined the project that aims to make Avilés a quality destination.

This contract is co-financed with funds from the «Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan – funded by the European Union – NextGeneration EU as part of the grants called by the State Secretary of Commerce for the strengthening of commercial activity in tourist areas and is identified.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism has granted the Avilés City Council a grant of 1,543,021 euros for the improvement of the competitiveness of the commercial sector, through a project that includes 18 initiatives to boost commerce and tourism in the city, with a budget of 1,928,777 euros. In addition to this commitment to the sustainability of the sector, there are other initiatives ranging from applications for improving food safety, refrigerated Click & Collect lockers, the creation of a multi-platform technological application for online sales, to the implementation of reverse vending machines.

Representatives from Novotec and the Councilor for Commerce and Tourism, Raquel Ruiz, held a meeting this morning at the Hotel Don Pedro, one of the centers participating in the ‘Hospitality for the Climate’ initiative, to explain the development and objectives of this project. This meeting also served to highlight the commitment of the hospitality and commercial sector to sustainability and the fight against climate change, within the framework of the Avilés Tourism Plan funded by Next Generation funds.

During the day, Raquel Ruiz and María Sánchez de Posada, project coordinator at Novotec, emphasized the importance of this initiative and the achievements made so far. In their intervention, they underscored the fundamental role of hospitality and commerce in the transition to a more sustainable economic model. Also participating in the presentation was the manager of Hotel Don Pedro, Julio Álvarez Rodríguez, who pointed out that sustainability is already a reality in which everyone must be involved and highlighted the initiative as very positive in positioning the hotels and hospitality establishments of Avilés at the forefront in the country.

Throughout the project, a process of identifying and attracting establishments interested in improving their environmental impact has been carried out. Through technical visits and questionnaires, aspects such as energy efficiency, waste management, and the implementation of circular economy measures have been analyzed. As a result, more than 50 specific actions aimed at water and energy savings, sustainable mobility, and responsible consumption have been proposed.

As explained by Novotec, among the benefits for establishments involved in the project are:

1. Identify energy saving and efficiency measures

2. Progress in implementing measures to calculate and reduce carbon footprint

3. Identify best practices and measures related to reducing water consumption

4. Evaluate the current waste management to implement improvement measures in segregation and identify reuse and/or waste reduction practices that allow progress in circular economy strategies

5. Evaluate and identify other initiatives to improve the sustainability of establishments involving customers and other stakeholders, such as measures related to sustainable mobility.

Specifically, in the action plan of Hotel Don Pedro that are underway:

• Measures related to responsible consumption, reduction of food waste, and reduction of waste generation

• Separation of all fractions of household waste (packaging, paper/cardboard, glass, and residual fraction) as well as hazardous waste such as luminaires, electronic waste

• Appliances with systems to reduce water consumption

• Purchase of 100% renewable energy

• Measures to reduce energy consumption such as presence detectors

Commitment to Sustainability

The Avilés City Council and the Applus+ Group reaffirm their commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement of the tourism and commercial sector, promoting projects such as «Hospitality for the Climate,» which contribute to the construction of a more resilient and environmentally responsible city. They also encourage new establishments to join this initiative to continue advancing in reducing the carbon footprint of the sector.