Sustainability Resources

Getting started on your sustainability journey, or looking for more ways that you can improve? This page brings together practical sustainability resources for visitor economy businesses across Bristol, Bath and the wider West of England.

There are plenty of ways to enhance your business, whether it's applying for grants to make your venue more energy efficient, accessing training for your team, or applying for awards and accreditations to spread the word about the great work you're already doing.

Communicating your sustainability credentials

Green Claims Code 

Businesses need to be honest with their customers about their green credentials, but it may not always be clear how to do this. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has developed the Green Claims Code, which sets out 6 key points to check your environmental claims are genuinely green. 

Green Claims Directive 

By 27 September 2026, EU member states will implement the "Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition" (ECGT) Directive, mandating that all environmental claims be backed by expert verification. This directive bans generic claims like "eco-friendly" and prohibits carbon neutrality claims based on offsets, aiming to end greenwashing. 

Carbon Trust - The ECGT Directive explained

Learn what the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive means for companies, when and which companies may be impacted, and how the Carbon Trust label schemes align with current regulation.

Reduce & Reuse

Food Waste  

Too Good to Go

Too Good To Go is a free app with more than 6 million UK users. By partnering with Too Good To Go, businesses can attract new customers, recover sunk costs and make sure their food gets eaten through the sale of surplus food. 

Visit West’s partnership with Too Good to Go means that the administration fee for members is waived.

Olio - Food Waste Volunteers

More than 100,000 Food Waste Hero volunteers rescue good, edible surplus food from nearby businesses and share it with people nearby. Partnering with supermarkets, schools, hospitals, train stations, TV and film sets, and more, Olio helps make sure that nutritious food reaches people, not bins. 

Part of South Gloucestershire’s Good Food Strategy. Find out more here

Unused stock, off cuts and packaging 

Children’s Scrapstore Bristol

Collect and re-use industrial by-products, surplus materials, and waste free of charge from the business community. In doing so, they ensure environmental compliance and support corporate social responsibility policy, helping businesses and organisations divert around 200 tonnes from landfill each year. Scrap collected is then transformed into valuable community resources used in all kinds of creative, play, care, educational, therapeutic and community settings across the UK. 

Visit West Sustainability Champions 

  •  Kathryn Davis, Chief Executive 

  •  Helen Applin, Head of Business Events 

  •  Tom Swithinbank, Redcliffe and Temple BID Project Manager 

Read our Sustainability Policy

 

Get started with these Sustainability Guides

New to sustainability planning? These guides from national and regional partners are a good starting point.

Improve sustainability in your business

These organisations and platforms can help you reduce waste, connect with green business networks and make your day-to-day operations more sustainable.

Olio

Fight food waste with Olio. Join 8,000 locations tackling food waste with Olio. One…

Sustainability Case studies

Our members can learn a great deal from each other, so we're showcasing some best-in-class examples from local businesses.

Sustainability Development and Funding Grants

Making substantive changes to your business operations may incur costs but offer significant long-term benefits. There is a range of opportunities for funding, whether through grants or loans, that are specifically designed for this purpose.

Accreditations & Awards

To simplify and effectively communicate your business's commitment to its environmental impact, we recommend independent accreditation from a certified provider. As we approach the application of the Green Claims Directive in September 2026, details listed on this page will continue to be updated.

Green Key

This certificate represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict…

B Corp

Companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance…

ISO 14001

ISO 14001 sets out the criteria for an environmental management system and can be certified to.

Local Sustainability Networks and Support

Green Business Support

Guides and resources below to help you navigate your green journey.

Bristol Free Active Travel

Helping you to reduce your car journeys with free cycling trials, eScooter credit and bus taster tickets.

Travel Forward

A leading international sustainable tourism organisation dedicated to ensuring that tourism provides the greatest possible benefit to every destination around the world.

Latest sustainability news

Check out the latest news from across the region.