Sustainability

The Azores holds the distinction of being the world’s first certified archipelago to receive the EarthCheck silver Sustainable Tourism Destination certification, in accordance with the standards set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). This recognition highlights the Azores’ commitment to sustainable tourism practices and the region is actively working towards achieving the gold certification by 2024. Furthermore, in 2024, the RAA renewed the Quality award Coast, an international award given by Green Destinations that distinguishes coastal environmental quality for sustainable tourism.

The Azores has also implemented a regional initiative known as the Sustainability Charter of the Azores. With over 200 signatories across the nine islands, including several whale watching operators, the charter focuses on recording and reporting sustainability indicators. Members must define sustainability priorities, establish sustainability indicator maps, and publish annual sustainability reports. They also must deliver three annual objectives directly related to the SDGs of the 2030 agenda that are a match to each organisation's operational reality. These annual objectives must be quantified and are verified through an online platform available to all signatories. This is a pioneering mechanism for change management towards sustainability and has very significant results and impact locally.

Internally across businesses and organisations of the Azores, various measures are implemented to promote sustainability. These include practices such as recycling generated waste, reducing printing, eliminating single-use packaging, and encouraging the use of refillable canteens instead of plastic water bottles. Tour operators often encourage customers to improve their habits and turn them into sustainable ones, and in some cases, additional efforts are done to find alternatives (usually more expensive) to become more sustainable, such as offering sustainable catering services.

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