Inspiration Hub

In our GET INSPIRED series we will be showcasing Destination applications and case studies submitted for the Innovation Award in 2017.  

The fifth and last in our series is one of the candidates for this year’s Innovation Award – Malmö Turism for achieving their ISO 20121 certification!   The City of Malmö has set itself responsible but ambitious sustainability goals for the city’s social, economic and ecological development. Goals that are being continuously developed and linked to the City of Malmö’s commitment to and work on Agenda 2030.

Malmö Turism, the city’s official tourism organisation, saw this responsibility as a natural part of their business to contribute to the development of Malmö’s overall sustainability, along with those areas of the city’s trade and industry that they are able to influence.   Since 2014, Malmö Turism has been working more consciously towards a Malmö that is sustainable in the long term along with their MICE and leisure partners from the tourism industry. They have discussed how, as a tourism organisation, they can drive their business forward, and the obvious answer was to always think along environmentally sustainable lines for the whole of Malmö. This led to the decision that Malmö Turism should obtain an ISO 20121 certification.  

For them, sustainability is not only a credibility factor but more importantly a fun opportunity and competitive advantage to stand out. More and more conference and event organisers are demanding sustainable solutions. This alone is an important driving force in their sustainability work. The fact that their tourism industry can collectively offer a range of sustainable products and services has played a major part in organisers deciding to opt for Malmö in many cases.   Malmö Tourism obtained ISO 20121 certification in January 2017.  Their sustainability work is audited and evaluated against set goals, which is an important component of ISO certification. The audit is performed annually by an external party providing direct feed-back on their performance at their presentations.

Nowadays, Malmö’s sustainability is part of everything they do. This is a guiding principle that permeates their business and is part of their language. They illustrate Malmö’s sustainable opportunities and their ISO work in various contexts. To mention a few examples, sustainability features in their innovations and presentations, in their descriptions of Malmö and in their meetings and discussions with partners, citizens and external contacts. But above all, it is with them every day at work, in the choices they make every day and in their long-term strategic decisions.

For them, ISO certification has meant a major and positive change.  Steering their business in the direction of sustainable goals is an educational journey. A journey where it is important to innovate, find new opportunities, to raise the bar and work sustainably in a surprising manner.  Proving that sustainability is the jingling of a gift box and a competitive factor, while also being responsible about their resources. They have received positive feedback for it locally, nationally and internationally.

With this certification Malmö Tourism’s has set a clear course for their future work, thereby also making an innovative and long-term investment in driving both their own business and the Malmö tourism industry forward in a sustainable manner in the future. Advancing sustainability in a measurable, credible and inspirational way not only for them but the whole industry.