Sustainability

Our sustainability strategy

The Swiss Youth Hostels are committed to sustainability. Sustainability is an integral part of our organisation philosophy when dealing with stakeholder groups, designing our products and ensuring environmental protection. We believe that sustainability means taking into account not only social and ethical issues, but also the sensible use of resources.

  • Social aspects

    – Our prices are set in a way that ensures that services will remain affordable, while still guaranteeing good quality and fair wages.
    – Our products and services are designed in such a way that allows anyone to stay at a youth hostel.
    – When constructing and running our youth hostels, we don’t just take the needs of our guests into account, we consider the consequences for our partners, neighbours and the locations, too.

  • Economy

    Swiss Youth Hostels is a non-profit organisation. Our services are designed in a way that allows us to generate enough revenue to ensure security for our employees and to nurture the development potential of our organisation.

  • Ecology

    – The results speak for themselves: the energy consumption and emissions resulting from all Swiss Youth Hostels’ activities – whether in construction, operations or sales – are truly groundbreaking.
    – We place great value on applying sustainability principles along the entire value chain.

Swisstainable - Sustainable travel in Switzerland

A sustainability programme for everyone!

Swisstainable serves as our guide to a responsible world of travel. Switzerland Tourism’s sustainability programme does not aim to create a new certification, but rather to provide more orientation for you as guests.

Almost 40 youth hostels have received the certificate for the highest level “Level III-leading” from the Switzerland Tourism sustainability programme.

We will keep focussed on our long-standing sustainability strategy so that all of our 50 or so hostels will soon be awarded with Level III.

News about sustainability

  • Recertification and award with the ibex fairstay gold label

    The Avenches and Montreux Youth Hostels can be proud of their recertification and for being awarded the ibex fairstay gold label.

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  • Gstaad Youth Hostel receives platinum certification from Ibex Fairstay

    Thanks to extensive improvements in various business areas, Gstaad-Saanenland Youth Hostel has achieved the next highest level of the Ibex Fairstay award.

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  • Lugano Youth Hostel receives gold certification from ibex fairstay

    Thanks to comprehensive improvements in the areas of ecology and social issues, Lugano Youth Hostel has now been awarded gold certification from the ibex fairstay sustainability label.

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Our sustainability partners

We work with the following sustainability partners:

  • Max Havelaar
    Since 1 December 2008, Swiss Youth Hostels has stocked products bearing the Fairtrade seal of approval from the Max Havelaar Foundation.
  • Since 2008, together with myclimate, SYH has given guests the option of compensating for the unavoidable emissions of their stay.
  • Swiss Youth Hostels defines its emission targets in conjunction with the Energy Agency for Industry (EnAW).
  • Standards for healthy and ecological construction in Switzerland. Since the conversion of the Valbella Youth Hostel in Lenzerheide in 2006, Swiss youth hostels have been building according to ecobau standards.
  • Minergie
    As part of the extension and renovation of Zermatt Youth Hostel in Zermatt in 2003, this building was the first to be certified. Today, whenever possible and new buildings are built according to the Minergie with the Minergie-P-Eco standard whenever possible.
  • Solar
    Swissolar is the Swiss professional association for solar energy and represents the Swiss solar industry. The Swiss Youth Hostels have 20 solar hostels equipped with modules or collectors.
  • The support association ‘Barrier-free Switzerland’ is the coordinating body for information about barrier-free tourism.
  • öbu is the Swiss association for sustainable economic activity. Its members include around 360 companies, organisations and institutions.
  • With the KulturLegi, people on a tight budget receive discounts of 30 to 70 per cent on over 3,600 offers throughout Switzerland. Also with us.
  • Swiss gymnastics federation
  • NIKIN makes sustainable fashion affordable. The fashion brand is young, good-humoured and close to nature.

New climate offset project for our guest carbon offsetting

Anyone staying at Swiss Youth Hostels can voluntarily offset their stay. We double this carbon offset and the final amount goes into a fund for our cooperation with the initiative «Cause We Care» from myclimate for local and global climate protection.
Starting in January, we will invest part of the carbon offset contribution in a new project, the global climate offset project «Reforestation in Tanzania».
This project secures the land rights of the indigenous population. It will strengthen the implementation of community land use plans through forest conservation activities.
So, continue to compensate diligently so that together we can create real added value for nature and the environment – after all, for us, sustainability is a reality!

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