Greengage grows ECOsmart sustainability certification overseas

Greengage Solutions is extending the international reach of its ECOsmart sustainability certification, with a growing network of certified hotels and venues now operating across the UK, mainland Europe, the United States and Asia. The company has also confirmed that the first Australian properties are moving through the assessment process, signalling a wider global rollout.

The programme’s expansion marks a significant step in the evolution of ECOsmart, which began as a UK-centric framework and is now being adopted by venues and accommodation providers serving business events in multiple regions. For event organisers and corporate buyers under increasing pressure to demonstrate environmental performance, the growth of a recognisable, standards-based label across markets is likely to be of particular interest.

Background and industry context

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Environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria have become a key consideration for business travel, meetings and events. Corporates are seeking consistent ways to evaluate the sustainability of the venues they select, while venues themselves are under scrutiny to substantiate claims with measurable actions and third-party validation.

Certification schemes have gained traction as a means of providing comparable benchmarks, but the landscape remains fragmented. Many initiatives are local or regional, and standards vary in scope and methodology. In this context, the extension of a single certification framework across multiple continents can help reduce complexity for global event planners trying to align venue choices with internal sustainability policies.

ECOsmart sits within this ecosystem of assessment programmes aimed at hotels, conference centres and other meeting spaces that want to demonstrate environmental responsibility. The framework typically looks at areas such as energy use, water and waste management, procurement practices, community engagement and the transparency of sustainability reporting.

Key developments in ECOsmart’s global rollout

Greengage reports that its ECOsmart certification now covers a geographically diverse portfolio of properties serving the meetings and events sector. Certified venues are active in:

the United Kingdom, where the framework was first established and piloted;
European markets, where cross-border corporate travel and pan-regional conferences drive demand for comparable sustainability credentials;
the United States, where both domestic events and international meetings are increasingly subject to ESG requirements; and
select Asian destinations, reflecting the region’s growing importance for international business events.

In addition, the company has begun to work with venues in Australia, which are currently progressing towards certification. While timelines and specific locations have not been detailed, the move indicates that Greengage is positioning ECOsmart as a globally relevant standard rather than one tied to a single region or travel corridor.

The expansion means that multinational organisations, association planners and event agencies can more easily identify ECOsmart-certified venues across several markets, potentially simplifying sourcing and enabling more consistent sustainability reporting on venue selection.

Industry impact and implications for venue operators

For hotels and venues, the broadening footprint of ECOsmart may carry both competitive and operational implications. Properties that pursue certification can demonstrate alignment with widely recognised sustainability criteria, which may support bids for contracts that include ESG weighting in their tender processes.

The framework’s emphasis on documented practices may also encourage venues to formalise existing environmental initiatives and track performance indicators in a more systematic way. Areas typically examined in such schemes include:

energy efficiency measures and renewable energy usage;
water-saving technologies and policies;
waste reduction, segregation and recycling strategies;
responsible sourcing for food, beverages and event materials; and
staff training and guest communication around sustainability commitments.

As more properties within a destination or hotel group adopt the same certification, it can become easier for buyers to compare performance and for local tourism and convention bureaux to position their city or region as a sustainable events hub.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

For event planners, procurement teams and travel managers, the wider availability of ECOsmart-certified venues offers a more consistent reference point for sustainable venue selection, especially for programmes that span several countries or regions. Using a single framework can simplify internal reporting, making it easier to demonstrate how venue choices support corporate sustainability strategies.

The certification trend also intersects with event technology in several ways. As venues work toward or maintain sustainability credentials, they are more likely to deploy technologies and digital tools that support resource efficiency and data capture. Examples include:

energy management systems linked to heating, cooling and lighting;
digital signage and event apps that reduce printed materials;
smart waste tracking and inventory management systems; and
integrated reporting platforms that allow venues to share emissions and resource-use data with organisers.

Technology providers serving the meetings and hospitality sectors can see opportunities in supporting venues’ sustainability journeys—whether through tools that automate data collection for certification audits, platforms that surface venue sustainability attributes during the sourcing process, or analytics that help organisers model the environmental impact of their events.

As hybrid and virtual event formats remain part of the mix, organisers are also assessing the carbon implications of digital infrastructure. This may lead to closer collaboration between venues, platform providers and AV partners to optimise energy consumption, reduce hardware waste and report on emissions linked to connectivity and streaming.

Conclusion

The international expansion of Greengage’s ECOsmart sustainability certification reflects broader momentum around responsible practices in the global events and hospitality sectors. By extending a single framework across multiple regions, the programme aims to provide clearer benchmarks for both venues and event buyers navigating complex ESG requirements.

For event professionals, the development offers an expanded pool of venues that can demonstrate audited sustainability credentials, potentially simplifying sourcing and reporting for multi-market programmes. For venue operators and technology suppliers, it underscores the growing expectation that environmental performance will be measured, verified and integrated into the core value proposition for business events.

As additional properties in regions such as Australia move toward certification, the reach of ECOsmart is likely to continue growing, adding another recognised standard to the toolkit of organisations working to deliver lower-impact meetings, conferences and exhibitions worldwide.