Sustainability in business has too often been reduced to a checklist, recycling bins, LED lighting, low-flow taps… Yet, what truly drives meaningful change isn’t the hardware; it’s the people. That’s the premise behind the Leaf Mark™ Certification, Ireland’s new sustainability accreditation created by Fifty Shades Greener.

Earlier this month, the Mespil Hotel in Dublin became the first organisation in the country to achieve the top-tier ‘Three Leaves’ status under this programme. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, not just for the hotel, but for what it signals about the future of corporate responsibility in Ireland.

A Certification that Starts with People

Unlike traditional environmental certifications that assess systems and infrastructure, the Leaf Mark™ puts people front and centre. It recognises businesses that invest in sustainability education for their teams, embedding knowledge, awareness, and accountability into the fabric of daily operations.

As Fifty Shades Greene...

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Sustainability in travel should be more than a badge. Despite global initiatives like Travalyst and sustainability filters on Booking.com, many credible certifiers and truly sustainable accommodations are being left out. The result? A system that rewards surface-level compliance while sidelining real impact. It's time for transparency, inclusion, and urgent action in sustainable tourism.

When sustainability becomes more about appearance than action.

In a time when sustainability is the buzzword across every travel platform, the promises made by global giants like Booking.com and initiatives like Travalyst ought to mean something. But for those of us actually doing the ground work, and trying to follow the rules they themselves have created, things don’t always match the headlines.

In recent years, the travel industry has made attempts in presenting a greener face to the world. Central to this shift has been Travalyst, a coalition of travel giants formed to promote susta...