The journey of each certification, before going public
Every company or tourism-territorial manager (“destination”) that you find in this repository with Biosphere certification has undergone a certification process carried out by Biosphere Responsible Tourism, S.L. (BRT), a certification body authorized to operate the Biosphere Scheme. On this page we explain, step by step, what that process is like: the path an entity follows from deciding to become certified through BRT’s certification services until its profile is published here, and our role as a certification body. If you would like to learn more about who we are and the scheme behind each certification, you can find further information on our Who we are.
From the first piece of evidence to your certificate
The entire certification process with Biosphere Responsible Tourism takes place in a single location: the platform Biosphere Sustainable, the tool we have developed to manage it from start to finish, 100 % online and in 7 languages. The first step, completely free of charge, consists of creating a user account and the entity's profile —a hotel, a restaurant or a destination management body— from which its certification process under the Biosphere Scheme can be started. At present, the certification services offered by BRT correspond to the Biosphere Scheme.
Once registered, the platform itself guides the entity through the criteria of that scheme, with a simple and intuitive way of working designed so that the entire process can be completed autonomously: it is in that same virtual environment that the entity must upload the documents and evidence of the sustainability actions it carries out.
Once that documentation has been completed, a third-party audit assesses the evidence provided in order to determine the entity's conformity with the applicable requirements of the Scheme. On the basis of the results obtained in the certification process, BRT adopts the corresponding certification decision. When the decision is favourable, BRT grants the certification and issues the documentation evidencing the certification, its scope —which specific actions were documented and verified—, and its validity. From that moment on, that same information is kept publicly available in this repository, so that anyone interested can consult it.
What we certify
What we assess is the entity's conformity with the applicable requirements of the Biosphere Scheme of the Responsible Tourism Institute (ITR). The entity submits documentation of its actions on our platform, and that objective evidence is assessed by means of third-party audit. Based on the results obtained and on the certification conditions established by the Scheme itself, BRT, as the certification body, adopts the decision to issue its certificate, corresponding to the level of compliance it has achieved. The Scheme establishes the following certification levels:
Committed Level
Identifies the businesses that have demonstrated conformity with the conditions established by the Scheme for this initial certification level. Consult each entity's profile to check the status, scope and validity of its certificate.
A real involvement with sustainability
Identifies businesses and destination management bodies that have demonstrated conformity with the conditions established by the Scheme to obtain the Biosphere Certified level. Consult each entity's profile to check the status, scope and validity of its certificate.
Additionally, destinations that have obtained Biosphere Certified may access the Gold and Platinum distinctions, depending on the number of businesses linked to their territory that hold Biosphere Committed and/or Biosphere Certified certification. These distinctions shall be awarded in accordance with the criteria established by the Scheme.
If you would like to know in detail the conditions applicable to each level and the rest of the Scheme's rules, you can consult the complete documentation of the Biosphere Scheme directly on the Responsible Tourism Institute's website. Consulting this information can help you assess whether your entity already has enough actions in place to reach one of the Biosphere certification levels.
Biosphere Certification for Companies
Document your sustainability actions and request their assessment under the Biosphere Scheme through our platform and certification service.
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