The Circuit renews the Biosphere Sustainable Tourism Certification
It has received this distinction for its contribution to the creation of a tourism community that respects the environment, culture and social and economic return in the city of Barcelona.
26 February, 2024 | Sostenibilidad
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has attended the last certification ceremony of the Barcelona Biosphere Destination Commitment to Sustainable Tourism, which took place at Disseny Hub Barcelona and gathered more than 450 companies that are part of the tourism offer of the city of Barcelona. This recognition distinguishes the commitment to build a tourist community that respects the environment, culture and the social and economic return in Barcelona and its surroundings.
The Biosphere Commitment, whose methodology is based on the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, responds both to the desire of tour operators to promote more careful tourism, and to the wishes of visitors to be able to travel with the utmost respect for the environment. The project is promoted by the Barcelona City Council, the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Barcelona Tourism Board.
In 2023, the Circuit has been audited taking into account improvement actions such as the set-up of the largest public solar photovoltaic self-consumption plant in Catalonia, with the aim of achieving energy self-sufficiency. The social actions that the circuit has hosted have also been valued, such as the donation of food to a social diner in the region, the holding of solidarity events such as the Muévete por la Esclerosis Múltiple (Move for Multiple Sclerosis), Cheers4U, the Isidre Esteve Foundation Grand Prix or the Charity Rides for the Marató de 3Cat.
The works carried out to preserve the biodiversity of the Crater Forest, one of the largest green areas of the Circuit, have also been valued. In 2019, a project to improve the forest through its sustainable forest management was started in several phases of action. At the same time, the Crater Forest has become an educational area thanks to the installation of explanatory panels describing the actions carried out since the project was launched.
All these events and actions are also part of the social commitment of the Circuit accredited by the Corporate Social Responsibility certificate aligned with the SDGs since 2022. The Circuit is a pioneer in the world of motorsports in the ISO 14001 certification as a basis for environmental management since 2008.
The award ceremony was attended by Jordi Valls, Deputy Mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism; Mateu Hernández, Director General of the Consorci de Turisme de Barcelonay Salvador Vendrell, member of the Executive Committee of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, as well as the different representatives of the 487 certified companies, among which Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is one of them.
In 2011, Barcelona became the first city in the world to obtain the Biosphere certification, awarded by the Responsible Tourism Institute in accordance with the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council. The Biosphere certification, renewed annually, has provided recognition to the city of Barcelona as a sustainable and responsible tourist destination thanks to agents such as the Circuit, who work to maintain this commitment to sustainability, health and well-being.
