CERVO

Madeleine: The largest and most comprehensive project was definitely the certification of the hotel with the eco label IBEX fairstay.Otherwise, my tasks include checking the value chain, i.e. taking a close look at how food is grown and products are created. If a product no longer meets our requirements, I research alternatives. The website has a very detailed sustainability area, which is constantly being optimized, with me providing a lot of input and being responsible for the content. Employee training and sustainability interviews are also not uncommon. If there is still time, I am always on the lookout for new ideas and am in constant contact with our partners, such as MyClimate, SlowFood and MitMänsch. My big project for this spring is to create the first sustainability report for CERVO.

Madeleine: CERVO chose IBEX because it is a Swiss eco-label that is on par with international certifications. We strive for regionality and authenticity, so it seemed only logical to us to choose a national label. Personal contact with the IBEX employees was also very important to us.

Madeleine: By certifying hotels, guests have the opportunity to compare. If conscious travel is important to you, you can easily see which hotel is investing in a future suitable for our kids and grandkids. Even if sustainability is currently en vogue, which is certainly being reinforced by Covid-19, there are many differences in commitment. And a holistic management that has been neutrally tested differs overall from a company that e.g. does not use plastic straws. However, the basis for living sustainability is and remains the sensitization of everyone - and certification is a valuable tool for this, too.

Madeleine: I think the first obstacle is the label jungle, which makes a lot of things confusing and often unsettling. In addition, there are certainly the costs associated with certification and the resulting measures. But also the fear of being restricted in one's freedom of choice.

Madeleine: This question is difficult for me to answer because the sustainable component in the CERVO is only really being communicated now, i.e. after the certification, and we can therefore not yet draw a comparison between before and after. The fact that many international guests are currently unable to travel to Switzerland is a problem that all hoteliers have in equal measure and also affects CERVO very much. But of course a somewhat smaller family-run hotel is more stable than the large grand hotels, which depend on tour groups. On the other hand, a family business eventually reaches its limits and has no major shareholders behind it.

Madeleine: I find it fascinating when companies, households or other systems manage to close cycles. More and more hotels are trying to do this. A great example is the Gaia Hotel in Basel, which is trying to go in the direction of "zero waste" through various measures. One of the measures there is e.g. donating coffee grounds to an urban farming project, which in turn cultivates noble mushrooms on the coffee grounds.

Madeleine: There is still so much to do. For example, we are constantly checking our suppliers and seeing which products we can replace or add to. Communication with employees, suppliers and guests is also an ongoing process. Our big project for this spring is planting the outdoor areas according to permaculture principles, especially the spa area. And in the long term, we want to move towards "zero waste" step by step at CERVO.