Interview with GreenSign founder Suzann Heinemann about the development of a hotel certification for sustainability

How it all began …

Birdsong and sunshine are the backdrop as we meet Suzann Heinemann on the terrace of the Schlosshotel Blankenburg. The GreenSign founder is sitting at a table, visibly enjoying one of the first summer days of the year. Just a few minutes ago, the Green Summer Camp, a multi-day workshop in Barcamp format that aims to connect entrepreneurs committed to sustainability and to develop solutions together, came to an end. Attendees are still engrossed in final discussions before everyone starts heading home.

Suzann Heinemann: Oh, it is always nice! But, like usual, I was nervous before. I do not know the people. They do not know each other, and a lot of them do not know the Barcamp concept. So, it is always fascinating how quickly we come up with the session plan and what great topics we find. After three days in this special atmosphere, I am really inspired and go home with a lot of motivation.

Green Pearls®:  Where is your enthusiasm for sustainability coming from?

Suzann: *laughs* Actually, it was not as intrinsic to me as it was to other people who want to save the planet. The interest and then the enthusiasm came through GreenLine Hotels.

Green Pearls®: Can you elaborate on that?

Suzann: More than 20 years ago, my husband and I founded a partnership of hotels in nature: the GreenLine Hotels. That was the origin of my interest, as the name evolved over time into more of a sustainability concept.

Green Pearls®: So, the impetus came more from the outside, because society was becoming more and more interested in the topic, and everything called „green” was associated with sustainability. How did you respond to that?

Suzann: My personal attitude at that time was more like: „I find sustainability in tourism difficult”. I became interested in the topic mainly because we were always pigeonholed as sustainable with the name GreenLine. I went to seminars, read books, and at the beginning, I had one thought in particular: „Oh God, what is this tsunami wave that is coming our way in tourism?”

But then all of a sudden you see some beacons, a couple of pioneers, just doing it. And then I thought: I like that. And that would be a real USP for our hotels. It was only in the second step (for me) that the importance for the planet and also for tourism became clear. We all want to travel. And for a long time to come.

From Hotel Partnerships to Certification

Green Pearls®: What was your first step towards GreenSign?

Suzann: We took a look at the different certificates and there were three things that stood out: too expensive, too complicated, too unworkable. We just could not do it. And maybe it was too early for our hotels.

Then I sat down with students from Heilbronn University and developed my own sustainability certificate. It was about regionality and seasonality in purchasing, about energy issues such as water, wastewater, heat, and electricity, but we also put a lot of emphasis on the social pillar. Within a year we had developed GreenSign 1.0. That was great!

Green Pearls®: Did you not have any doubts?

Suzann: I was a little skeptical at first. But the students said, „This is the way it has to be!” So, I just trusted them.

Green Pearls®: What happened next? How did the initial certifications go?

Suzann: We went to the hoteliers, shared our findings, raised awareness – and then certified them step by step. We worked with them for a year, and in the end, 95 % of them were very enthusiastic. Partly because they had already implemented many of the points from our list of criteria themselves. Especially when it came to regionality, employee welfare, and energy. But there were also 5 % of hoteliers who were completely opposed. So we had to be consistent and tell them at the end of 2014 that we were parting ways because we wanted to continue on our sustainable path.

Suzann: Indeed, it was. Another key moment was a conference in Lucerne, where I was invited to sit on the podium, only to be – what I did not know before, of course – completely paraded! I was taken apart. Why we had developed something of our own when there were so many certificates out there? Why we had added something to the certification jungle? It would not work, it was greenwashing and so on.

Green Pearls®: That sounds terrible! What did you do after that?

Suzann: I went home and decided that I would show them – and that we would found our own institute. *laughs*

In 2015, we started the institute, we started GreenSign, and we were looking for a sustainability advisory board. We knew we needed experts; we needed science. We expanded our existing catalog of criteria and developed it into the certification tool that we have today. We even have been certified by the GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) since 2022.

Green Pearls®: Would you say that it is easier to get started with sustainable development today because of tools like yours?

Suzann: I would say it has become more acute. Overtourism did not exist 20 years ago in the way it does today. But also, climate and environmental issues are more important than ever.

However, I feel that many people are now where I was 15 years ago – before the “tsunami wave”. Our catalog of measures helps hoteliers get on the right track. We have broken down the standards explicitly for hotels, and we keep getting feedback that it is just a great tool for them to go from department to department and think about things. Sustainability starts in the mind. It starts with rethinking: What and where do I buy? How do I do something?

Suzann: Practical, transparent, and a good roadmap.

Green Pearls®: Transparent is a great keyword: we have already mentioned the requirements catalog. Can you describe in detail what your current requirements catalog is based on?

Suzann: GreenSign 1.0 was created with students looking at what other certifications do and what GSTC, ISO14001, and ISO26000 say. From there we developed the catalog for the hotel industry. Those first five core areas were very narrow and simple.

We then continued to develop the catalog, working very closely with the GSTC criteria, then of course the ISOs, EMAs, and finally the SDGs when they came out in 2015. We now arrived at GreenSign 5.0.

Green Pearls®: And where does it go from here?

Suzann: We want to be a love brand! If someone wants a sustainability certificate, they should not say: „I need a sustainability certificate”, but „I need GreenSign”. I want GreenSign to stand for sustainability.

Furthermore, we will comply with EU regulations and have our system accredited as a conformity assessment program. To ensure that every hotelier is on the safe side with us in the future.

Suzann: Get started. Just get started. Many people want to do everything perfectly right away, but it does not have to be that way! Sustainability can and must evolve. We see our work as capturing the moment and then staying in touch. The hoteliers and partners can tell us what measures they would like to implement in two months or even one or two years. So, start now, and then move forward together.

Green Pearls®: I think that is a great ending. Thank you for your time and we wish you a great summer!