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“Is answering 760 criteria sustainable?” asked Jukka Punamäki during the Vivacity session of the 2024 City DNA Autumn Conference.

The session saw the seven-time GDS-Index leader, Gothenburg, represented by Katarina Thorstensson, and the new leader, Helsinki, represented by Jukka Punamäki, in a discussion on the wild world of sustainability certifications and rankings, and why becoming the “most sustainable destination” in any index or of all of them might be as elusive as seeing flying pigs.

The session opened with short presentations from Jukka, Nina Vesterinen, Tourism Director, City of Helsinki and Elke Dens, Founder, Place Generation, and was followed by a round of questions for the panel which included Katarina, Jukka, and the CEO of GDS-Movement, Guy Bigwood.

The City of Helsinki incorporates sustainability into its strategy with a clear vision, with its sustainability leadership verified by various indices and certifications. In developing this leadership position, Jukka supported the Green Destination Certification application, The GDS-Index benchmarking submission, and the Sustainable Travel Finland programme, efforts which mean Helsinki has answered 760 criteria! In his session, Jukka signaled a potential for better criteria alignment between different bodies, and that he feels some criteria lack relevance and highlighted that such changes are not in his hands.

In response, during the discussion, Guy, emphasised the need to make sustainability measurement and benchmarking simpler and more strategic.

He explained that, “the Index started as a tool for measuring progress with a touch of added healthy competition”, and he agreed that the amount of certifications in the market is muddying the water, and with new EU legislation on sustainability reporting and communications, he clarified “there will be changes, new partnerships, and potentially acquisitions. The GDS-Movement is looking at all of these.”

The resources needed for so many disparate schemes was also under discussion, and Nina asked, “whether the amount of resources needed is matched by the benefits?” from these bodies.

Katarina was clear on the benefits:

– Gothenburg’s sustainability efforts and historical number 1 position in the GDS-Index have won the CVB business,

– Gothenburg has, further, attracted events in areas the city excels, like circularity

– Benchmarking has helped the city develop both a national and an international network

– Through these efforts, Gothenburg’s interested parties are “future-proofed” and have, themselves, gained new business

– Gotheborg & Co has successfully employed its sustainability ranking for public relations and positioning in the market.

– (She also congratulated the new winner and warned that Goteborg and Co will redouble its efforts to regain its top ranking)

Guy emphasised that clearly, despite the hard work and the big questions, it is worth being part of a certification or the GDS-Index, and shared some of the ways the GDS-Index accelerates positive change:

• Benchmarks performance to drive better decision making, enabling destinations to compare their sustainability performance against their peers’ and guiding more informed and effective decision making
• Drives performance with strategic insights and prioritised recommendations, providing targeted insights and actionable recommendations and helping destinations focus on areas of highest impact
• Catalyses collaboration and innovation, encouraging partnerships and fostering innovation by connecting stakeholders around shared sustainability goals.
• Builds brand through leadership, recognition, and global visibility, by demonstrating leadership in sustainability and enhancing the destination’s reputation with opportunities for recognition and increased global visibility.
• Promotes the destination’s sustainability story, helping destinations more effectively communicate their sustainability achievements and initiatives and reinforcing their brand and appeal to conscious travellers.
• Saves time and money with access to best practices and co-created resources, by providing a wealth of shared resources and proven practices and allowing destinations to streamline efforts, reduce costs, and avoid duplication.