One Planet

Mainstreaming sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in tourism

SCP is about fulfilling the needs of all while using fewer natural resources, including energy and water and producing less waste and pollution. SCP aims at promoting resource efficiency and sustainable practices for the industry as well as the consumers. UN Environment (2015)

The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme aims to accelerate sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in tourism policies and practices to address the challenges of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. It supports the transition towards a circular economy as a pathway for the sustainable development of tourism.

Through its work, the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme sets the SCP agenda in the tourism sector to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 and also delivers progress under connected goals such as SDG13, SDG14 and SDG15, respectively on climate action and the protection of marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

The Programme operates as a multi-stakeholder partnership that promotes knowledge sharing and networking to define collective priorities and identify solutions.

The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme is one of the six programmes of the  One Planet network and started operating in February 2015.

AREAS OF INTERVENTION

The strategy of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme builds on the One Plan for One Planet which details the common approach for the six programmes in the network.

The strategy is articulated around three main areas of intervention:

• Building a circular economy of plastics in tourism  
  
  A systemic approach and global coordination efforts are required to tackle the challenge of plastic pollution. Hence the Programme set the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) to support tourism stakeholders globally (tourism businesses across value chains and destinations) to eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastics, integrate reuse models and collaborate across the value chain (with suppliers and waste managers) to increase recycled content and recycling rates. 
   
• Integrating SCP in tourism food value chains
  Food waste reduction has been identified by the Programme as one major entry point to promote more sustainable food management in the tourism sector, in connection with ethics around the wastage of food and the opportunity to save costs. The Programme is therefore developing the Global Roadmap on Food Waste Reduction in Tourism with recommendations for the sustainable management of food in tourism (procurement, preparation, consumption, waste) so that food never becomes waste.
   
• Accelerating climate action in tourism.
  
  The need to transform tourism operations is of utmost importance for the sector to remain in line with international climate goals. The Programme therefore set the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism to raise the climate ambition of tourism stakeholders; trigger the development and implementation of climate action plans aligned with five pathways: measure, decarbonize, regenerate, collaborate and finance; and support capacity building.

On an annual basis, programme members are requested to report progress and their contributions are used to prepare the official report to the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

ANNUAL REPORTS

The reports to the HLPF provide yearly updates on the collective progress made by the members of the six programmes in the One Planet network. The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme has been contributing to these reports since 2016. All the reports are guided by the monitoring and evaluation framework provided by the Indicators of Success of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

	Annual Report of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme	Annual Report of the One Planet network to the HLPF
2021	Annual Programme Reporting 2021	ECOSOC E/2022/56
2020	Annual Programme Reporting 2020	ECOSOC E/2021/56
2019	Annual Programme Reporting 2019	ECOSOC E/2019/64
2018	Annual Programme Reporting 2018	ECOSOC E/2018/60
2017	Annual Programme Reporting 2017	ECOSOC E/2017/63
2016	Annual Programme Reporting 2016	ECOSOC E/2016/62

 

Between 2016 and 2018, the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme produced Annual Magazines showcasing the work of its members.

Annual Magazine 2017/2018  – Lead. Innovate. Finance. Empower
Annual Magazine 2016/2017  – Advancing towards a clear North
Annual Magazine 2015  – Setting the foundations for collective impact

From 2018, the One Planet Secretariat centralised the preparation of Annual Magazines with contributions from all programmes.

One Planet network Annual Magazine 2019 
One Planet network Annual Magazine 2018  
One Planet network mid-term Magazine (2012 -2017)

click here for further information on the One Planet Network  

CONTACT THE ONE PLANET SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PROGRAMME: oneplanetstp@unwto.org