Renewal of the Slovenian tourism green scheme: a step towards more sustainable tourism in Slovenia

Type of project: Problem-based learning for students in the working environment: economy, non-economy, and non-profit sector in the local/regional environment 2024-2027 - PUŠ in the working environment 2024/2025

Project title: Renewal of the Slovenian tourism green scheme: a step towards more sustainable tourism in Slovenia

Area addressed by the project:

• 04 - Business and administrative sciences, law (0413 - Entrepreneurship, 0421 - Law, 0413 - Tourism, 0413 – Tourism Management)
• 10 - Transport, Security, Hospitality and Tourism, Personal Services (1013 – Hotel and Restaurant Management, 1015 – Travel, Tourism and Leisure)

Leading educational mentors:

• doc. dr. Karmen Lutman (UL PF)
• as. dr. Eva Repovš (UL EF)
• prof. dr. dr. h. c. Tadeja Jere Jakulin (FTŠ Turistica UP)

Work mentor:

• Marina Ferfolja, Slovenian Tourist Board

Students involved:

• 2 students of the undergraduate program in Law
• 2 students of the second cycle of the postgraduate program in Law
• student of the undergraduate program in Economics
• student of the undergraduate program in Business and Administrative Sciences
• 2 students of the higher education program MTP (Tourism Agency Management)

Financers:

In recent years, the term "sustainable" has become widely used, but unfortunately, it is also misused. Consumers are often victims of greenwashing, which can lead to unsustainable decisions and consequently harm the environment and society as a whole. According to a 2020 European Commission study, 53% of "green" claims in the sample were unclear, misleading, or unfounded, while 40% were utterly baseless. Deceptive practices in recent years have led to relatively low consumer confidence in green claims. To increase consumer protection, on March 22, 2023, the European Commission submitted a Proposal for a Directive on green claims (Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims), which is currently under consideration. The purpose of the proposed directive is to establish criteria for making green claims and to improve the legal framework for environmental labeling schemes. In light of the proposed regulation, which, if adopted, will also become part of the applicable Slovenian regulation, the latest trends in the field of green claims should also be taken into account in the revision of the Slovenian tourism green scheme ("Slovenia Green") under the auspices of the Slovenian Tourist Board. The latter aims to track comparative trends abroad and improve the certification system, while remaining a leading force in sustainable tourism solutions and setting an example for other countries.

The main problem the project team will address in the proposed project is improving sustainable tourism concepts in Slovenia, specifically the environmental labeling scheme "Slovenia Green," in accordance with international guidelines for reducing greenwashing, including the proposal for a Directive on green claims. The project team is multidisciplinary, as the search for optimal solutions to consumer protection against greenwashing in tourism involves both legal and economic aspects.

(searching for optimal business solutions within the legal framework) and knowledge of the tourism sector.

The specific challenges that the project team will address include, for example, examining specific requirements introduced by the proposal for a Directive on green claims about environmental labeling schemes:

1. Is the information on the ownership and decision-making bodies of the Slovenia Green scheme transparent, freely accessible, easily understandable, and sufficiently detailed?
2. Is the information on the objectives of the Slovenia Green scheme and the requirements and procedures for monitoring compliance with the scheme transparent, freely accessible, easily understandable, and sufficiently detailed?
3. Are the conditions for inclusion in the Slovenia Green scheme proportionate to the size and turnover of companies, so as not to exclude small and medium-sized enterprises?
4. Have the requirements for the Slovenia Green scheme been developed by experts who can ensure their scientific reliability, and have they been submitted for consultation to a diverse group of stakeholders who have reviewed them and ensured their social relevance?
5. Does the Slovenia Green scheme have a mechanism in place for resolving complaints and disputes?
6. Does the Slovenia Green scheme set out procedures for dealing with non-compliance and provide for the withdrawal or temporary suspension of the eco-label in the event of persistent and apparent non-compliance with the scheme's requirements?

In addition to these questions, the project will examine other potential requirements in light of the proposal for a Directive on green claims. The project team will then use its knowledge of the tourism industry within the content framework of the Slovenia Green scheme and as part of the analysis for the implementation of its improvements in practice to develop a qualitative model of a complex tourism system that will represent the dynamics of stakeholders and the green tourism environment and present the possibilities for its implementation in the environment. From an economic and business perspective, students will seek optimal business solutions within the legal framework, examine the financial aspects, and, to assist in strategic decisions, analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats from the perspective of the Slovenia Green scheme.