UK: Whatley Manor, in the Cotswolds, has achieved the EarthCheck Silver Certification, for the fourth consecutive year.
This means it is well set up to go for Gold next year, which can only be achieved after five consecutive years of continuous certification.
Magaly Etter, ESG manager at Whatley Manor told Sustainable Hotel News: “This recognition reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement across all areas of our operations. With the strong foundation we have built, we are now focused on reaching EarthCheck Gold Certification in 2026, further demonstrating our leadership in sustainability and accountability to our community and stakeholders.”
Accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the EarthCheck Certified programme assesses performance across 10 KPIs including energy efficiency, water conservation, solid waste management, community impact, and ecosystem protection.
The certification supports compliance with global best practice standards such as ISO14001, ISO50001, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
To measure its environmental impact, Whatley Manor has been working with carbon accounting firm Greenly since 2022, which measures the carbon footprint across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.
Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (e.g., fuel combustion on-site). Scope 2 accounts for indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling. Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions that occur in the value chain, such as supplier emissions, employee travel, and waste.
Whatley Manor recorded a footprint of 907 tonnes in CO2-equivalent emissions, across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. This represents a 14 per cent decrease in emissions since 2023.
Etter told Sustainable Hotel News: “We have set some clear sustainability goals targeting to reduce our emissions from our value chain (Scope 3) by 5 per cent per guest night year-on-year against our 2022 baseline, in line with science-based targets. We have achieved a reduction of 98 per cent in direct fuel and power emissions in 2023, compared to our baseline of 2019. We aim to reach net-zero emissions by 2035.”
Whatley Manor retired 1,000 verified carbon credits from the San Jerónimo Coatlán project in Oaxaca, Mexico — an internationally recognised conservation initiative. Retiring carbon credits ensures they can’t be sold or reused.
The project, managed by Ya’ax Carbon, protects endangered cloud forest ecosystems, supports biodiversity, safeguards vital water resources, and strengthens local Zapotec communities through sustainable forest stewardship.
Etter added: “Sustainability is at the heart of our operations, from efficient energy and water use to supporting meaningful climate action. The EarthCheck Silver Certification and our investment in carbon credits represent more than a milestone — they reflect our long-term responsibility to the planet and the communities we serve.”
After Gold EarthCheck certification a hotel can look to aim for the next level, which is Platinum (after ten years of continuous certification) and Master – after 15 years of continuous certifications.
At the beginning of 2024 we reported that the hotel became the first climate positive hotel in the UK. This means the hotel removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits, each year.
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