Empirical Investigation on Environmental Management Systems in German Hotels

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 as well as the European Union Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) are two established management tools to evaluate, report and improve the environmental performance of businesses. The purpose of this chapter is the development and testing of a model on motivations, benefits, barriers and preconditions to the implementation of environmental management system (EMS) in the German hotel sector. One hundred and thirty six hotels have been identified as having implemented either ISO 14001 or EMAS (or both) in their operations. An analysis showed various correlations between motivations and perceived benefits of implementing an EMS, whereas no correlation could be measured between preconditions and barriers. Finally the preconditions, barriers, motivations and benefits were examined based on various characteristics of the hotels surveyed, which revealed significant differences among the different subgroups, such as chain-operated hotels and independently owned properties, or between luxury properties and budget operations.