What are the SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a commitment of the United Nations to improve the universal living conditions of the people of its Member States. They were approved in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This document sets out a plan to achieve the goals in 15 years, an ambitious goal that it hopes to achieve by 2030.
The first question that emerges, almost mandatory, is what sustainable development is and why it is so important. In any system, whether economic or ecological (or both, because both systems cannot really be dissociated) there are some limitations. The system produces outputs (outputs) based on inputs (inputs).
Entrances are usually resources (natural, human, etc…) that are usually limited by their own essence and the rate of renewal of matters. This means that the outputs or products of the system are conditioned by the inputs. In addition, during the production system, the system can generate some by-products (waste, waste…) that can condition the productive environment itself and play to the detriment of production.
Keeping the system in optimal operation implies that it does not produce above its capacity, that it does not consume more input resources than available and that it does not generate more residual by-products than could compromise its productive capacity. The production of the system and the benefits that derive from there depend on it.
Thus, in a broad context, sustainable development has been defined as one capable of satisfying the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. That is, the one in which the production systems do not consume resources above the capacity of their renewal, nor generate by-products that can deteriorate the system or condition the renewal of resources in the future.
But achieving sustainable development is not easy. It is essential to harmonize economic growth, with the welfare of society and the protection of the environment. These three elements are interrelated. Promoting sustainable economic growth, which creates opportunities and improves the basic living standards of all members of society, is essential for the use of natural resources and ecosystems. In the case of the tourism industry, this is essential since this industry depends on basic resources such as landscape, water, the sun and many others, without underestimating human resources.
An issue closely linked to sustainable development and the SDGs, and current affairs, is climate change. It is already a reality, questioned by some interested sectors, but reality. It affects public health, food security, the availability of natural resources, migratory processes and, sooner than later, peace and security. This reality conditions the investments in the development of the hotel industry, which must take into account climate change, for example, when trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, modulate consumption, reinforce energy efficiency and consider air conditioning issues, among others. In reality, coping with climate change and promoting sustainable development are two sides of the same currency: many of the SDGs address the triggers for climate change.
What are the SDGs
The United Nations raises 17 objectives, which are the following:
- reach the end of poverty.
- end hunger.
- ensure a healthy life and promote general well-being.
- Ensure quality education and promote learning opportunities for all.
- achieve gender equality.
- Ensure the availability of water, its sustainable management and sanitation for all.
- Ensure access to affordable, safe and sustainable energy.
- Promote sustainable economic growth, employment and work.
- Create resilient infrastructure, promote innovation and sustainable industrialization.
- reduce inequality.
- Make cities safer, more resilient and sustainable.
- Ensure consumption and sustainable production.
- Take measures to combat climate change and its effects.
- Consistently conserve and use oceans, seas and marine resources.
- Sustainably manage forests, fight desertification, stop land degradation and loss of biodiversity.
- promote a fair and peaceful society.
- Revitalize the Global Alliance for Sustainable Development.
Although many of these goals are ambitious and the reality is that the speed is not advanced to reach them within the expected timeframe, it is expected that the decade 2020-2030 will be decisive in progressing what is necessary in its achievement. In this context, a certain technological optimism is trusted. That is, a large part of these objectives require technological developments necessary to be achieved.
Implications of the SDGs in the tourism industry and hospitality industry
There are authors who define the tourism industry as a great consumer of natural resources. While this is not totally true, it is the fact that tourism depends on natural resources. There are clear examples that show this intimate relationship, and therefore, the dependence of the SDGs.
The availability of water in the places where the hotels are located, for the supply of customers and recreational uses, is essential. This generates an evident water footprint, which implies not overexploiting aquifers, the non-existence of spills on them, the rational use of water (both land and marine water resources) and keeping the water masses in a hygienic state of acceptable quality. In addition, it should be remembered that the use of water is not the exclusive power of the industry or people. Water fulfills an essential ecological function and supports a large part of the ecosystem services offered by ecosystems, which have a positive impact on other needs of tourism and hospitality. The reality is not simple and that is why the problem is not either. Sustainably conserving and using natural resources sometimes requires complex solutions or with multiple approaches.
If the focus is placed, for example, in the modification of the coastal ecosystems, it will be possible to observe the multiple implications that this has. Excessive occupation of the maritime-terrestrial public domain, or the elimination of dune coastal ecosystems (the cradle of birth of beaches), can alter the coastal dynamics, affecting the beaches. Thus, the extension of the shores would be reduced, which would cause losses of sand during the storms, damage to the infrastructures and equipment of the beach and create the need for external contributions to recover them.
Thus, one would enter a closed cycle in which the beach is of lower quality, there is more need and more frequent contributions of sand. At the same time, customer satisfaction is progressively reduced, as well as the options of use of the industry, and the tourist destination, they can lose profits and attractiveness, respectively. These processes can alter the salinity of nearby aquifers, which would be an even greater nonsense. This hypothetical situation would affect strictly environmental SDGs, but also those related to the economy and social welfare.
Another of the resources from which tourism is nourished is the landscape. Tourists seek authentic experiences in unique places, with charm and natural features. The alteration of the landscape and the excessive urbanism plays against the tourist attraction of the destinations, which is why the architectural and landscape integration of the tourist infrastructures, and the respect for the typical local architecture, are fundamental. At this point, the integration of green areas with native vegetation, not using invasive species, new vertical garden designs, and the creation of urban green infrastructure, according to the new EU guidelines for ecological connectivity, are essential. And all of these recommendations have at least one SDG linked and require technological solutions.
Energy efficiency measures and the reduction of the use of fossil fuels help reduce the carbon footprint of the tourism industry, which is an essential and regulatory requirement today, but also a necessity in the current climate change scenario. Faced with the next challenges that the Directive on Corporate Sustainability Information and the Omnibus Package of Sustainability Standards will pose the European Union, and the recently approved Royal Decree 214/2025 by which the carbon footprint registration is created, establishes the obligation to calculate it, and requires the preparation and publication of reduction plans for large companies and public administrations in Spain; Any technological solution that helps reduce the carbon footprint becomes more relevant.
Betting on innovative technologies, the use of cleaner energy and, of course, on sustainable investments that allow access to these technologies is essential to achieve a minimally credible and viable zero emissions goal. The new lines of sustainable financing offered by large banks, and which are based on offering advantageous conditions if certain environmental objectives are met -KPI- are yet another example of the commitment to achieve the objectives set in the SDGs by the 2020 Agenda.
In all cases, it can be intuited that the set of the ODS is interrelated with each other. It is not feasible to work on achieving an environmental objective without this having social, economic, safety and health implications, or the well-being of the population. Hence, the commitment to technologies that help achieve these goals in the tourism industry and hospitality also has multiple effects on other sectors of society.
Technological Solutions Needs
There are multiple options for technological improvement in the field of hotel management that can be developed by experts in them. Some of them are suggested below.
Implementation of green hydrogen as a clean energy fuel. Although there are already production plants and distribution companies, the technologies that allow its use in the tourism industry are not yet fully accessible. Hydrogen-fed boilers, for example, would be key so as not to depend on fossil fuels and achieve decarbonisation.
Improvements for the use of refrigerant gases with atmospheric heating potential (PCA). Not only is it important to develop substances with lower impact potential on the ozone layer and less impact like GHG, but it is necessary to develop technologies that are increasingly compatible with these new refrigerants. From 2027, gases with PCA < 150 will be required.
Greater efficiency in the air conditioning and management of the DHW. The largest energy expenditure of a hotel is in the air conditioning, heating and domestic hot water. Achieving greater efficiency in energy-consuming equipment for these purposes is essential to reduce GHG consumption and emissions. This can be achieved through the use of low-impact fuels, with the consumption of green energy and with GDO or with the improvement of the efficiency of the technologies in charge of it.
more efficient aerothermal technologies. The recovery of the heat emitted to the external environment as a result of the processes of combustion or losses of the machinery, and its subsequent conversion into energy, is already a reality. But more efficient technologies are still lacking that allow a higher rate of recovery for their use in more ambitious purposes, such as warming the ACS. These technologies are yet to come, based on natural solutions. After all, heat recovery is a solution that living beings have been using in cold environments for thousands of years.
Hybrid technologies capable of using GDO energy and biofuels or liquefied gas. These biofuels reduce emissions by 70-75% with respect to fossil fuels such as diesel and an optimal alternative, especially for hotels in mountain sites or with difficulty in supplying other fuels.
Waste recovery. Almost in the previous context, technologies capable of using waste, with some degree of transformation, as fuel would help not only reduce GHG emissions and the carbon footprint, but also to mitigate the impact of waste management.
Improvements in the thermal envelope of the installations. The building’s ‘second skin’ is essential for the isolation of exterior conditions and reduce dependency on air conditioning, and thereby improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint.
Implementation of AI in technological solutions focused on improving energy efficiency. Automated systems that control lighting and climate control optimize consumption, reduce costs and carbon footprint. For this reason, data analysis and the ability of systems to anticipate customer needs through artificial intelligence can contribute to sustainability goals. In addition, these solutions are not restricted to the technologies closest to customers, but can also be applicable to the improvement of large control equipment, BMS and hotel systems.
There are more options: quality control of water, salinity, chemical storage conditions, etc… Techno-optimism can help solve a large part of social and environmental problems, and with it contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Technology continuously improves and with it the well-being of society. Betting on these types of solutions and being more and more sustainable in the world of tourism is essential.