“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
(Our Common Future Report, 1983)
Our guests and team members expect comprehensible and verifiable responses to all aspects of the sustainability strategy and compliance with ESG criteria. To avoid green washing, it is important for us to have seals and certificates that underpin our efforts vis-à-vis our team, suppliers and guests.
- See our 2022 ESG-Award in GOLD here:
- See our Umweltzeichenhotel test report from September 2023 here:
Sustainability is part of our company’s long-term responsibility and commitment to balancing social, environmental and economic concerns in order to achieve positive impacts on the environment, society and our own company.
Grow my tree
Since 2023, we and our entire team of tree-loving employees have been part of “GROW MY TREE”, compensating for our CO2 emissions by planting trees every month. GROW MY TREE is an innovative climate-tech company that specialises in planting trees to compensate for CO2 emissions. The goal of our collaboration is to plant and grow trees to achieve global, ecological (particularly the sequestration of CO2), social and economic goals. The trees are planted in the Global South together with tree planting partners; for instance, in Ethiopia, Haiti, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Tanzania or Uganda.
What does sustainability mean for the Hotel Juffing & Spa using concrete examples?
Social Responsibility
For our family-run hotel in Thiersee, responsible actions are extremely important. We profess to gentle, sustainable tourism and want to adjust our economic, ecological and social matters in a way that balance is achieved. Therefore, we constantly endeavour to take sustainable decisions. Nevertheless we would like to admit that sustainability in a business is a path undergone from generation to generation and we stand only at the beginning of a positive development. It is especially expedient to think and act sustainably and particularly in the local region. The Juffing wants to be a pioneer but has to, first of all, accept political majority decisions of the local council in Thiersee.
Employees - social sustainability
Social sustainability refers to our company's ability to meet social needs and challenges in a way that is sustainable and improves people's quality of life without compromising the opportunities of future generations. Ensuring fair and appropriate working conditions for employees, including fair wages, working hours, health and safety standards and equal opportunities are important aspects of our social sustainability. Take a look at our employee commitment and join us in enjoying our employee house in one of the most beautiful places in Hinterthiersee, either on site or at www.juffing.at/karriere.
Green Library at the Juffing
As a certified Umweltzeichenhotel eco-label hotel, we offer complimentary sustainable library services. In our small yet lovely Green Library, our guests and team members can learn more about sustainability. Our Green Library is intended to provide access to good and informative literature on the topics of the climate, climate change, consumption, energy, environmental policy, and more.
Juffing Green Group
In September 2023, we founded a sustainability team to ensure that all team members receive the knowledge they need. Training, excursions and courses encourage us all to work together. Daniela Brugger, Sonja Bauer, Anna Folmer and Sonja Juffinger-Konzett form the team and work together to create goals and a monthly theme such as saving water, reducing packaging or social responsibility in the supply chain. What have we implemented so far?
- Our bath slippers have a long lifecycle and even though they say “Take me home” on them, so many slippers are left at the hotel and have to be thrown away. Therefore, guests are now informed that they should absolutely take the slippers home with them.
- Our bed throws were upcycled into beautiful shopping bags by the LEA Production School.
- Reusable make-up removing pads used in the spa.
- Waste sorting system installed at the spa.
- Push button shower system installed in the pool area.
- New Year’s Eve fireworks are compensated for each year.
- Outdoor lighting is turned off at 10:00 pm from September and at 11:30 pm in summer.
- We participate in the crowd funding project “Kein Gin dry” and “Kein Gin Chocolate” made from salvaged Manner Waffel sweets.
- Our bedtime sweets and goodbye-gifts have become more sustainable (leftover jam, beeswax cloths, glass straws).
- We use flaxseed in place of chia seeds, black currants in place of goji berries, etc.
- The first-year students at the Hinterthiersee elementary school receive a donation of a tree as a gift for the start their successful school years.
Juffing products in our kitchen
The products used in the Juffing kitchen are predominantly organic and regional. We value seasonal products and our cuisine has been awarded the AMA gastro seal. For our commitment to our region, we were also honoured as district winners of the “Bewusst-Tirol” companies in November 2011 and November 2017 in Innsbruck. We are especially proud of our partial organic certification (AT-BIO-301). At our buffet, you won’t find any individually-packaged products – instead, we serve jams in jars, use butter dispensers, serve cream cheese in porcelain bowls, and so on.
Juffing products in our spa
In our spa, we only use natural and sustainably-produced products, of organic quality whenever possible – perfect for our guests’ health and well-being. For massage treatments, for example, we choose essential oils from doTERRA and organic oils from Pino; our cosmetics team reach for certified natural cosmetics from TEAM Dr JOSEPH, as well as products from SKINthings, which are vegan, and made without animal testing, parabens, paraffins, dyes and fragrances, synthetic emulsifiers and preservatives. As a rule, we also do not use products that contain animal ingredients such as marmot ointments.
Local suppliers and partners of the Juffing
Whenever we can, we work closely with partners from our area – from local electricians and carpenters to the sustainable and responsible farmers who supply us with delicious products. We generally carry out new construction and renovation work with local craftsmen. Our wine list contains exclusively Austrian wines, which are also becoming increasingly popular with international wine lovers.
Environmentally friendly print documents
Our internal and external communication is as paperless as possible. When we do need communications in paper form, we print our premium documents exclusively on uncoated, environmentally-certified and climate-neutral recycled offset paper that consists of 100% certified secondary fibres. We have switched our office paper to paper with the ISO Type I eco-label, Austrian Eco-label, Nordic Swan, Eu Eco Label or Blue Angel. We work with companies who focus on avoiding CO2 emissions. However, since this cannot be 100% achieved, climate-neutral printing is a sensible and practical way to address unavoidable CO2 emissions; as an alternative, we make a financial contribution to offset these emissions.
Water from the Thiersee springs
Our Thiersee drinking water is unique spring water. In addition, we offer Grander revitalised water free of charge in the drinking fountains of the spa area and in the vitality room of the restaurant.
Our guests
We offer our guests the opportunity to take part in sustainability initiatives, such as reusing towels, using the Kufstein Bee-Car-Sharing system at low cost or using environmentally friendly transportation options (e.g. Green Spa Bonus when arriving by public transport).
Energy efficiency
Both the exterior and interior are characterised by materials from renewable resources. The highly effective thermal insulation (all façades have insulation with full thermal protection, the 3-pane plastic windows have particularly good insulating properties) and the economical use of the valuable Thiersee spring water consistently carry on the ecological concept. All hotel rooms and suites, corridors and other public areas are fitted with LED and energy-saving lamps (with the exception of two bathroom lights and cartel lamps in the Sissi room). The restaurant and hotel lobby were also completely converted to LEDs in 2022. We obtain 91% of our electricity from renewable energy sources. A new power line was laid in autumn 2013 and later extended to ensure the hotel's own energy consumption.
Since June 2022, we have been able to generate 31.5 MWh of electricity in 2023 using a 33 kW photovoltaic system with a collector area of 198 m², 93% of which is generated between the beginning of March and the end of October. From September 2024, 116 m² of collector area will be added, increasing our own output to 57 kWp. This means that 10% of the company's own requirements will be generated and covered in an environmentally friendly way.
Heat and hot water at the Juffing
- Heat will be produced using modern condensing boiler technology by December 2025.
- With the help of a 70 m² solar system on the roof of the new building and two air-heat pumps installed in spring 2019, we will save valuable fossil fuel.
- Key innovation: With the conversion in summer 2024, all the structural requirements for an in-house pellet heating system will be created. In 2025, the pellet heating system will be put into operation and fossil fuels will be phased out 100%.
- Our swimming pool with stainless steel pool is heated in an environmentally friendly way by recycling the waste heat from the entire hotel.
- We do not use outdoor heating appliances.
- We save valuable water by installing aerators in the washbasins, WC and shower fittings and only use single-lever mixers.
- On the ground floor and in the spa, our guests drink Grander revitalized water.
Our own laundry
All of our linen (tablecloths and napkins, bed linen and towels) are washed with resources in mind by our own in-house laundry – meaning we avoid transporting them to and from laundries. Carefully-treated linens also have a longer lifecycle and retain their value.
Waste sorting & food waste at the Juffing
We hold regular training on proper waste sorting and waste reduction. Together with our suppliers, we put in a lot of effort to use reusable containers rather than disposable containers. Since the Spring of 2019 and thanks to the food waste system from MEIKO GREEN Waste Solutions, our kitchen waste and food scraps have been fed back into the recycling cycle by being professionally collected by organic waste disposal companies and converted into environmentally-friendly energy using biogas plants.
Natural room furnishings at the Juffing
For our nature-conscious guests, we offer two rooms completely furnished with Swiss pine wood and wooden floors. The furnishings are made from 100% natural Swiss pine wood which has been proven to lower the heart rate and help you get a restful night’s sleep. All other Relax Rooms and Suites feature local maple, walnut or ash wood and have Weitzer wooden parquet floors that have been awarded the Blue Angel. Natural silicate organic mineral paints are used on the walls.
Staff house
Built in 2017, our staff house is situated in one of the most beautiful places in Hinterthiersee. The energy it uses comes from a modern photovoltaic system and an air-heat pump.
Eco-friendly journeys to the Juffing
On our website, guests will find a link for an environmentally-friendly journey to us by train. We are happy to treat guests who travel to us by bike (e.g. from Bavaria or Innsbruck) or by train with a Green Spa Bonus – a spa treatment voucher worth 10 cents per kilometre travelled by train or bike, rounded to the nearest Euro, and valid per room.
E-mobility at the Juffing
We have permanently installed charging stations. By integrating the OCCP standard, our guests with different brands of electric vehicles can use the charging stations and bill the costs according to consumption. Our system offers transparent and user-friendly billing.
Tesla drivers can also use our Tesla Destination Charger in the underground parking garage free of charge (Tesla Connector, up to 14kW).
E-Mobility in the area
Thanks to the comprehensive e-carsharing network as of April 2022, it is possible to reach Thiersee without an own car. Environmentally friendly, economical, attractive and sustainable – this describes the Beecar carsharing offer with e-cars. It is an inexpensive alternative to an own vehicle which is available to all guests since April 2022. The cars can be reserved at the hotel reception, and the users can plan trips around the Thierseetal valley. The price is based on the period and driving distance. Services such as insurance, electricity costs, car cleaning, or the digital toll sticker for Austria’s motorways are already included. Guests drive with 100% electric power only, without emissions and noise. Bookings can start every full or half hour. A Beecar can be used for a standard price of 5 Euro per hour. A great offer for Hotel Juffing, which was awarded the Austrian Environmental Seal.
Sustainability awards
As a hotel awarded with the Austrian Environmental Seal we are convinced that economic success is not possible without sustainable thinking. We excite our guests with an environmentally friendly, sustainable and hospitable offer and can prove this with acknowledged certificates and awards.
Moreover, we received the following awards and certificates:
"Out of love for nature" is our motto for a timeout at our Environmental Seal Hotel. We will be happy to send you an offer!
