Facilitator: Samantha Smits, Founder, Smits SusTour Consultancy
The presentation by Samantha Smits focused on the importance of moving beyond mere compliance in sustainability reporting towards creating impactful narratives that foster trust. In her address, Samantha pointed out that many organizations struggle with sustainability reporting due to a range of challenges that include the overwhelming number of available frameworks, confusion over which metrics to prioritize, fear of making mistakes, limited time and resources, and overly complex or unactionable data.
A key issue highlighted was the prevalence of both greenwashing and green hushing where organizations either exaggerate their sustainability claims or underreport genuine efforts due to fear of criticism. Samantha illustrated how greenwashing often manifests through vague language, reliance on carbon offsets without real reductions, and claims that lack verifiable evidence.
Transparency, she insisted, is the cornerstone of impactful sustainability reporting. This means being clear, contextual, and consistent. Organizations, she noted, don’t need to be perfect, rather, they should aim to share their small wins, be honest about trade-offs, and remain open about their learning process. Public reports should reflect work in progress, with messaging that stays true to the organization’s values an sustainability journey. She emphasized that the goal should not be to report everything but to focus on the most relevant indicators, an approach that can be supported through KPI mapping to identify priorities.
Samantha also underscored the need to shift how sustainability is communicated to travelers. She stressed that travelers should be made aware that sustainability is people-centered and should be part of policy, not just a voluntary effort. At the same time, there needs to be more realistic messaging about sustainability certifications, which are tools, not absolute guarantees.
Operators, she argued, must go beyond generic CSR stories and demonstrate the actual impact of their work. Effective reporting involves presenting data in a way that’s meaningful and engaging, bringing attention to elements that strengthen the credibility of the sustainability story. Getting buy-in from both leadership and staff is crucial in ensuring alignment and shared accountability throughout the organization.
Another core message from her talk was that sustainability is only effective when measured, that it’s not reserved for the wealthy, and that winning awards without transparent, consistent reporting can easily appear as greenwashing.
In closing, Samantha encouraged organizations to take action, “do something instead of nothing,” and to see reporting not as a burden but as an exciting opportunity for growth. She reminded the audience that certification can be a helpful tool, but it should never be used as a shield. Her final takeaway was a mindset shift: rather than letting sustainability reporting wear you down, let it energize and inspire continuous improvement.