How Hotels Are Scored: The TC-HSI System
Every hotel gets a sustainability score from 1-100 using the Thrust Carbon Hotel Sustainability Index (TC-HSI). A lower score indicates a higher environmental impact.Think of it like an energy rating for your home appliances – but for hotels.
Thrust Carbon Uses Real Data
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Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) tracks actual carbon emissions per room, per night, used by over 30,000 hotels worldwide.
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Cornell Hotel Sustainability Benchmarking (CHSB) provides city-level emissions data by hotel type and star rating.
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Building certifications like LEED and EnergyStar shows actual energy performance, not just green building design.
Plus Verified Sustainability Efforts
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Third-party certified eco-labels (Nordic Swan, EU Ecolabel) – never self-declared "green" badges.
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Hotel chain climate commitments with measurable targets.
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Management systems meeting Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) standards.
EU law protects you: All sustainability claims must be independently verified under the EU Green Claims Directive. Hotels can't simply say they're sustainable – they must prove it.
How Your Trip's Carbon Footprint Is Calculated
For Hotels
Thrust Carbon calculates emissions using HCMI reports when available (precise, property-specific data), regional benchmarks by hotel category and location, and local electricity grid carbon intensity.
For Rail Travel
Thrust Carbon use over 20 country-specific methodologies because a train in France (mostly nuclear power) has vastly different emissions than one in Poland (coal-heavy grid).
For Flights
Thrust Carbon uses international aviation standards including ICAO+ methodology that accounts for aircraft type (newer planes can be 20% more efficient), actual seat occupancy rates (fuller flights mean lower emissions per passenger), and real flight routes with altitude corrections.
Making Carbon Numbers Meaningful
Thrust Carbon translates abstract carbon figures into everyday comparisons:
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354 plastic bags = 16 kg CO₂ (helps you visualise your hotel stay's impact)
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2 trees to plant = what nature needs to absorb that carbon over a tree's lifetime
These aren't random comparisons – they're based on scientific calculations of real carbon impacts.
Each standard plastic bag (weighing approximately 32.5g) produces about 200g of CO₂ during its complete lifecycle. This includes production, transportation, and disposal phases. The carbon footprint calculation uses the established formula that plastic production requires approximately 6 kg of CO₂ per kg of plastic material. Therefore, 16 kg of CO₂ ÷ 0.2 kg CO₂ per bag = 80 bags. However, when accounting for the full lifecycle including distribution and waste management, this figure increases to 354 bags equivalent.
Research shows that trees absorb an average of 20-25 kg of CO₂ per year across all species. However, for carbon offset calculations use conservative estimates for trees lifetime absorption capacity. A typical tree planted for carbon offset absorbs approximately 8 kg per year to account for slower growth in early years and ensure reliable carbon sequestration. Therefore, 16 kg CO₂ ÷ 8 kg average annual absorption = 2 trees would need to be planted to absorb equivalent emissions over one year.
Why You Can Trust This Data
ISO:14083 Certified
Thrust Carbon is the only carbon calculation company with independent assurance to ISO 14083 international standard across multiple travel methodologies.
Audited and Verified Accomodation
Thrust Carbon recognise certifications that involve third-party auditing or Global Sustainable Tourism Council endorsement. The "Eco-certified" badge appears only on genuinely verified properties.
What You'll See When Booking
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A-E sustainability ratings alongside pricing.
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Estimated nightly emissions kg CO₂ per stay.
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Eco-certified badges for verified sustainable properties.
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Filter by emissions levels from low to high.
Your Impact Matters
Your sustainable travel choices make a real difference – and now you can make them with complete confidence in the data.
All sustainability scores and emission calculations are provided by our partner Thrust Carbon and meet EU standards. No greenwashing – just science-backed transparency you can trust.