CERTIFIED ecological sustainability

The Austrian Ecolabel
& EU Ecolabel

In Austria, we have a saying: Trust is good, but checking is better – kind of like "better safe than sorry". At Henriette City Hotel, we believe trust AND checking are good. Back in 2005, founder Jacek Pastuszyn had Henriette's predecessor certified with the Austrian Ecolabel – making it one of the first hotels in Vienna to do so. And it is then that our efforts to run our hotel in an eco-friendly way with our grandchildren and future generations in mind were officially recognised and confirmed.

Seal of approval for the environment and quality

Austrian Ecolabel

The Ecolabel is awarded by the Ministry of the Environment on behalf of the Republic of Austria and is therefore the official state award for environmentally friendly companies.

The criteria comprise all environment-relevant aspects: from waste management to energy saving measures, from sustainable foods to eco-friendly ways of travelling to our hotel.

We have held the Ecolabel since 2005 and must be re-certified every four years. The next inspection will be in 2025 – our 20th Ecolabel anniversary!*

^{*In case you were wondering how this could work out to "every four years": the term does not exactly correspond to a calendar year, but rather refers to the date of issue of the certification certificate.}

European Ecolabel

EU Ecolabel

In addition to the Austrian Ecolabel, our hotel has also held the official EU Ecolabel since 2014.

The EU Ecolabel is recognised in all member states of the European Union, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. It takes into account the life cycle of a product or service with a focus on environmental impacts such as resource consumption.

Here, too, we undergo regular inspections that take place together with the Austrian Ecolabel.

Criteria and information

How do you become an Ecolabel hotel?

First things first: What's going on with that logo?

The Austrian Ecolabel logo is actually quite special. But that's not all that surprising, considering it was created by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It represents the earth, water, air and nature. Talk about a distinctive design!

Getting started: Step 1 – the requirements

Certification is based on a comprehensive catalogue of criteria with MUST have and SHOULD have criteria. As the name suggests, the first set of criteria is mandatory and the second set is optional, although here, too, a certain number of points must be fulfilled. So right off the bat, we underwent an initial check to see whether and how we meet the criteria.

The criteria for hotels consists of 10 major areas:

Management and communication
Energy and environmental protection
Water, waste and recycling management
Air / noise
Office / printing
Cleaning / chemicals / hygiene
Building and living / amenities
Food and beverage / kitchen
Traffic / mobility
Outdoor area / open spaces / biodiversity

What we do and how we do it: Step 2 – putting it into practice

Whether and how we meet criteria must of course be well documented. Luckily there is Ecolabel online software that Henriette’s office team use to record all our data.

Getting down to business: Step 3 – the application

After all the hard work of gathering the data required, the day we submit our application is considered a little holiday and reason to celebrate at the Hotel Henriette. :-) The online software is also used to submit our application.

Now it's getting serious: Step 4 – the inspection

After the application is submitted, an independent inspector checks if the criteria are fulfilled on-site. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about this inspection because the things we do for the environment are anyways part of everyday life at Hotel Henriette.

Success!: Step 5 – the award

Unfortunately, we don't have a photo from the awarding of our certificate in 2005, but you can certainly imagine the proud and happy smiles on Jacek and Georg Pastuszyn's faces! After successful inspection, the Ministry of the Environment ceremoniously awards the hotel the Ecolabel certificate – usually directly from the minister him or herself. It's a little less ceremonious now: as old hands, we simply receive our updated certificate for Henriette Stadthotel after each successful re-certification. ;-)

Is this all free?

No. We pay a fee for this proof of our commitment. In addition to the one-time cost of submitting the application, there is also an annual fee.

What are Henriette Stadthotel Vienna's license numbers?

Austrian Ecolabel: UW-Nr. 652

EU Ecolabel: AT/051/029