Calpe Town Council and more than 161 local establishments will compete this summer to win the Ecovidrio Green Flag for sustainability. The non-profit organisation in charge of managing the recycling of glass packaging waste in Spain is celebrating the fifth edition of #GreenFlagsMovement, its renowned summer campaign that aims to highlight and recognise the commitment of the local hotel and catering industry and town councils to recycling glass packaging, protecting the environment and moving towards sustainable development.
Thus, Calpe will compete with up to 40 Valencian municipalities with the aim of winning the "Green Flag of Sustainability" of Ecovidrio that already got l'Alfas del Pi and Finestrat during the last edition of this initiative.
This year Ecovidrio will also recognise the two most responsible and committed to sustainability establishments in the Valencia Region, evaluating their initiatives to improve waste recycling management, their energy and water consumption and their commitment to sustainable purchasing, among other variables. The Casa Montaña restaurant (Valencia) and the Hydra restaurant (Calpe, Alicante) were the establishments awarded in the last edition. Likewise, and as a novelty this year, apart from this recognition, Ecovidrio will invite two people from each winning establishment to enjoy a Master Class and a tasting of various dishes offered by a renowned chef with a Michelin Green Star.
The Green Flags Movement is a campaign with which, every summer, Ecovidrio joins forces with municipalities and hoteliers to respond to the high consumption rates of glass containers that are registered in the coastal areas of our country during the summer season. During the summer months, a third of the glass containers that are put into circulation are consumed and nearly 50% of the single-use glass packaging waste that is put on the market is generated by the hospitality sector. Aware of the need to support the hotel and catering industry, Ecovidrio will set up a team of environmental educators to provide the HORECA sector on the Spanish coast with resources, information and incentives.
A consolidated project in favour of sustainability on our coasts.
The Green Flags Movement has been consolidated as a key initiative for Ecovidrio within its alliance with the hotel and catering sector. At a national level, the fifth edition of this campaign will involve the participation of more than 156 coastal municipalities from five different autonomous communities and more than 16,000 hospitality establishments. All these localities will compete for the nine awards that Ecovidrio will present nationwide.
Lepe and Rota (Andalusia), Castelldefels and Vandellòs i l'Hospitatel de l'Infant (Catalonia), l'Alfás del Pi and Finestrat (Comunitat Valenciana), Alcudia and Menorca (Illes Balears) and San Pedro del Pinatar (Region of Murcia) were the nine municipalities recognised in 2023 with this seal of sustainable tourist town committed to environmental conservation through glass recycling. In addition, two of them will have the opportunity to revalidate their award this summer in the current edition of this initiative.
For their part, Singlot Tapas (Illes Balears); 1935 Hotel & Apartments and Picaña Hamburguesería (Catalonia); Hydra and Casa Montaña (Comunitat Valenciana); El Rubio 360º (Region of Murcia); and Hotel Magazonia, Costacabria Restaurante en el Mar and Restaurante Casa Santi (Andalusia) were the hotel establishments awarded in the last edition of the campaign for their commitment to pioneering measures in favour of the environment and their activism in favour of the circular economy.