We are sustainable. How about you?
Sitges is a sustainable destination. Our goal is clear: offering tourism that is respectful to the environment is and always will be our commitment. For this reason, in 2016 our town joined the Biosphere Destinations list, a group of distinguished towns, cities and tourist regions awarded with a certificate with the same name by UNESCO. In April 2019 we have renovated our certificate as a sustainable destination for one more year.
This certification recognises Sitges’ quality and sustainability in an environmental, social and economic sense. This level of distinction confirms our commitment to non-seasonal tourism which is respectful to our cultural and natural heritage. The result is that we all win: those who live here in Sitges and those who visit us. Because we all count.
Latest featured projects
Des de l’Oficina d’Informació Turística es treballa amb un gran compromís i de manera regular per tal de complir amb els requisits de la certificació Biosphere des de diferents vessants, com són:
Estalvi d’energia; aprofitament de la llum natural, ús de sensors de presència i bombetes led, us responsable i racional de la climatització i l’aigua
Gestió de residus; tots els materials de l’oficina es gestionen sota els principis de reciclatge, reutilització i reducció del consum.
Control de la contaminació acústica; tan per part dels usuaris com per part de la pròpia oficina es recomana aplicar el control del volum als dispositius electrònics, veu, etc.
Informació sostenible i compromesa; foment del comportament responsable dels visitants. Divulgació d’activitats solidaries i accions socials. Recomanació de l´ús del transport públic i desplaçaments en mitjans no contaminants. Entrega gratuïta de cendrers de platja pels usuaris. Edició de material promocional de llarga vida.
Gestió dels objectes perduts; emmagatzematge i entrega a entitats solidaris dels objectes no reclamats.
Beaches with a certification
Sitges has 26 beaches distributed along its coastline, natural spaces that are managed based on criteria of sustainability and quality. Many of these beaches have different certifications according to the following breakdown:
| BEACH/CERTIFICATION | ISO 14.001 | EMAS | ADHESIÓ BIOSPHERE |
| BOTIGUES | X | X | X |
| CALA GINESTA | X | X | X |
| GARRAF | X | X | X |
| CALA MORISCA | X | X | X |
| AIGUADOLÇ | X | X | X |
| BALMINS | X | X | X |
| SANT SEBASTIÀ | X | X | X |
| FRAGATA | X | X | X |
| RIBERA | X | X | X |
| BASSA RODONA | X | X | X |
| ESTANYOL | X | X | X |
| RIERA XICA | X | X | X |
| BARRA | X | X | X |
| TERRAMAR | X | X | X |
| ANQUINES | X | X | X |
| HOME MORT | X | X | |
| DESENROCADA | X | X |
Naturalization of the Terramar gardens ponds
During 2017, the naturalization of the two ponds of the Terramar gardens was performed for the purpose of disseminating the importance of aquatic spaces for the health of the ecosystem. For this reason, diverse aquatic vegetation was planted and panels explaining the flora and fauna were installed. The result is the increase in biodiversity with protected native fauna species, which has made the ponds both an educational and a tourist magnet.
#ReSitges campaign: sustainability is everyone's business
Within the framework of the Biosphere Certification and in compliance with the 2016-2018 Action Plan, an information and awareness campaign has been carried out aimed basically at visitors and tourists, but also at residents, to make them aware of adopting responsible behavioral patterns. Under the motto #ReSitges the message has been reinforced that in Sitges We Respect, Reduce, recycle and reuse to achieve a better destination for all.
Installation of electric vehicle charging points
Since 2018, Sitges City Council has been installing free public electric vehicle charging points. Currently, Sitges has 5 semi-fast chargers (22kW), three in the Can Robert car park, one in Passeig Marítim and a third in Calle Samuel Barrachina. In addition, there are other charging points in private spaces, such as hotels, car parks and the Port of Sitges - Aiguadolç.
More selective collection adapted to each area
In early 2020, Sitges will debut its cleaning service. With this new service, the Town Council makes a commitment to implementing a general improvement of the state of street cleaning and also to having a better garbage collection service, reducing inconveniences to neighbors and adopting criteria of sustainability and environmental protection. Among the main new features, the service will have containers for the selective collection of 5 sections, thanks to the implementation of container islands all around town to achieve better accessibility for citizens, including the collection of tree cuttings and vegetable oil remains. As for the cleaning of the public thoroughfare, the new features will focus on intensifying the service and adapting it to each area, its use and the influx of users. The new cleaning service will have systems equipped with water economizers, and the internal cleaning of containers will be stepped up.