Across Norway and the Nordics, sustainability is becoming a natural part of the hospitality experience. At In The Same Boat, we see every day how connected tourism, local communities, and marine environments truly are.
Creating a healthy and thriving environment is something none of us can do alone — it takes businesses, travellers, local communities, and organisations all working together toward the same goal. Many hotels and restaurants are already making important changes, and this guide is designed to support the next step:
Sharing practical, achievable actions that can reduce waste, encourage more responsible seafood and plastic use, and help build a more resilient and sustainable hospitality industry across Norway.
1
Smarter Seafood
Sourcing & Reducing
Fish-Related Waste
Seafood is at the heart of Nordic hospitality and coastal culture. Protecting marine ecosystems while serving high-quality local seafood gives hotels an opportunity to connect guest experience with environmental responsibility.
Small operational changes and smarter sourcing decisions can make a significant difference.
Choose verified
seafood suppliers
Working with suppliers that provide transparency and traceability helps hotels better understand their supply chain and communicate sourcing standards more confidently to guests.
Two of the most recognised seafood certification schemes in the Nordics are:
→ Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
International certification for responsibly sourced wild-caught seafood.
→ Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)
Certification for responsibly farmed seafood.
These certifications help hotels verify sourcing practices while supporting fisheries and aquaculture producers working toward higher environmental standards.
Reduce seafood waste in kitchens and buffets
Seafood waste often happens through overproduction rather than spoilage alone. Adjusting service systems can help reduce both waste and purchasing costs. Practical actions include:
→ Using smaller buffet trays with more frequent refills
→ Designing menus that reuse trimmings in soups, broths, or staff meals
→ Freezing surplus seafood before spoilage
→ Tracking seafood waste separately to identify high-loss menu items
→ Partner with food rescue apps – toogoodtogo.com operates across Norway and lets you sell surplus meals at a discount rather than discarding them.
Many Nordic hospitality businesses are now using digital food waste tracking systems to better understand purchasing patterns and reduce unnecessary waste over time.
Support fisheries reducing marine pollution
Marine plastic pollution is a growing challenge along Norwegian coastlines, particularly from lost fishing gear and aquaculture waste.
Through the Plastic Free Seafood initiative by In The Same Boat, fisheries and aquaculture companies across Norway are working to minimise marine pollution through cleanup operations, prevention measures, and increased accountability around plastic use in the seafood industry.
Hotels and restaurants can use the initiative to:
→ Learn which seafood companies are actively participating
→ Better understand marine pollution challenges connected to seafood production
→ Highlight responsible sourcing efforts to guests
Supporting initiatives like this also helps connect hospitality businesses more directly to the coastal environments many guests travel to experience.
2
Reducing Plastic
Beyond Guest-Facing
Changes
Many Nordic hotels have already removed single-use straws and disposable guest items. The next opportunity is looking deeper into operational plastic use behind the scenes.
Replace high-volume disposable items
Small items used daily across rooms, kitchens, and conferences quickly add up. Hotels can gradually transition away from:
→ Miniature bathroom bottles
→ Disposable condiment packaging
→ Plastic laundry bags
→ Individually wrapped breakfast products
→ Single-use conference materials
One useful framework is the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for Hotels, which evaluates hotels across waste, procurement, chemicals, food, and operational sustainability.
The Nordic Swan label is one of the most recognised environmental certifications in Scandinavia and is already widely used throughout the region’s hospitality sector.
Work with suppliers using lower-waste packaging
A large amount of hotel plastic waste enters through deliveries and supply chains rather than guest use.
When speaking with suppliers, consider asking about:
→ Reusable delivery crates
→ Bulk purchasing systems
→ Refillable cleaning products
→ Reduced shrink wrap and polystyrene packaging
→ Packaging return schemes
These conversations often help identify practical ways to reduce waste without compromising operations.
make it easy for staff to participate
Clear systems create better results than complicated messaging.
Simple improvements can include:
→ Clearly labelled recycling stations in Norwegian and English
→ Visible refill stations for water bottles
→ Optional housekeeping programmes with concise explanations
→ Staff training for seasonal and international employees
One useful framework is the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for Hotels, which evaluates hotels across waste, procurement, chemicals, food, and operational sustainability.
The Nordic Swan label is one of the most recognised environmental certifications in Scandinavia and is already widely used throughout the region’s hospitality sector.
3
Building a More
Circular Hotel
Operation
The hotels making the greatest long-term progress are often the ones focusing not only on recycling, but on reducing waste before it is created.
Measure waste consistently
Tracking waste streams helps hotels identify where improvements can have the greatest impact.
Useful areas to monitor include:
→ Food waste per guest
→ Packaging waste from suppliers
→ Recycling contamination
→ Textile replacement rates
→ General waste by department
Even simple measurement systems can help teams make more informed operational decisions over time.
Prioritise repair, reuse, and long-term purchasing
Circular hospitality often starts with purchasing decisions.
When replacing furniture, textiles, or operational equipment, consider:
- Whether products can be repaired locally
- Refillable or reusable systems
- Durable materials designed for long-term use
→ Suppliers offering maintenance or refurbishment programmes
→ Donate or Recycle End-of-Life Textiles
- Fretex, UFF, or local charities – Many accept used linens in good condition for reuse or export.
- Industrial textile recycling – For worn-out items, companies like tekstilaksjonen.no and terracycle.com collect textiles for recycling into insulation, cleaning cloths, or other products
→ Food waste per guest
→ Packaging waste from suppliers
→ Recycling contamination
→ Textile replacement rates
→ General waste by department
These choices can reduce both waste generation and long-term replacement costs.
Join recognised Nordic sustainability frameworks
For hotels looking to build a more structured sustainability strategy, Nordic certification schemes can provide useful guidance and credibility.
Some of the most widely used include:
→ Nordic Swan Ecolabel Comprehensive Nordic certification for hospitality operations.
→ Miljøfyrtårn (Eco-Lighthouse Norway) One of Norway’s most established environmental certification schemes for businesses.
→ Green Key Global International sustainability certification programme for hotels and tourism businesses.
These frameworks can help hotels structure sustainability efforts while communicating progress clearly to guests, partners, and corporate clients.
Small Operational
Changes Can Create
a Lasting Impact
Across Norway and the Nordics, hotels and restaurants have a unique opportunity to help protect the very landscapes, fjords, and coastlines that guests travel here to experience. Every decision — from seafood sourcing and supplier partnerships to packaging systems and daily operations — plays a role in shaping a healthier marine environment.
At In The Same Boat, we believe lasting change happens when businesses, communities, and individuals work together. Small practical improvements, repeated consistently across the hospitality industry, can collectively create a significant positive impact over time.
The strongest sustainability strategies are often the ones that feel naturally integrated into everyday hospitality: thoughtful sourcing, reduced waste, trusted local partnerships, and a genuine connection to the surrounding environment. These actions not only help protect Norway’s coastlines and oceans, but also create more meaningful experiences for guests who increasingly value responsible travel.
This page has been co-produced with
Nordic Tour Operator 50 Degrees North
