Green Key business is inspected prior to and after the certification is awarded. This ensures that the company lives up to its responsibilities and set criteria.

The Green Key certification is valid for 12 months.  The business is visited at least every two years by an inspector who ensures that all requirements are still being in order for the business to keep its certification. The inspector advises the business on ways to further their environmental work. The visit is conducted by consultants who have a thorough knowledge of the Green Key label and its environmental standards. 

The Green Key secretariat continuously distributes material advising and inspiring Green Key businesses to do more. In addition, businesses are required to regularly submit documentation of environmental goals, plans of action, energy reports, organic accounts, etc. This ensures momentum in the environmental work and gets the business to continue with new initiatives which benefit the environment.

Ensuring quality

If a business does not live up to all requirements or fails to submit documentation, they will be required to initiate activities to bring them back to a compliant level. If the business continues to fail the requirements, the steering committee can strip the business of its Green Key certification.