International Journal of Hospitality Management 69 (2018) 14–20

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International Journal of Hospitality Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhm

Discussion paper

Environmental management best practices: Towards social innovation MARK

a a,⁎ b
Julio Batle , Francina Orfila-Sintes , Christopher J. Moon
a
Business Economic Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Cra. Valldemossa, Km 7.5, 07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain
b
International Management & Innovation Department, Middlesex University, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BT, United Kingdom

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This research investigates exploratory environmental initiatives in tourism companies in Mallorca over five
Environmental management years, with special consideration to those involving partnerships and synergies with other parties (including
Social innovation academic ones), in an exploration of Social Innovation (SI) approaches in the industry. The paper starts with an
Tourism outline of the growing importance of sustainability within the hospitality industry and its inherent relation with
Hospitality
SI. The study draws its empirical material from ten innovative practices on sustainability from small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) and a big hotel chain in Mallorca. The data were collected by means of questionnaires and
interviews. All cases incorporated SI features (partnerships, synergies, circular processes, systemic approach),
developing, therefore, towards an integrated system of SI policy and practice. The study indicates that embracing
environmental principles alongside social and economic concerns can lead to a systemic approach and these
commitments can be regarded as a more solid model of sustainability.

1. Introduction a link among strategic drivers, environmental initiatives and positive

results: ‘it pays to be green’. However, at the tourism destination level,
This research aims at analysing the role of Social Innovation (SI) scant research has been done on the results at the business level of
philosophy and its tools in the context of environmental policy in integrative environmental initiatives in tourism. Blanco et al. (2009, pp
tourism firms. The basic assumption of this paper is that environmental 237–239) adds that “different environmental initiatives, for different types
initiatives – any effort to promote sustainable practices regarding en- of firms, which are undertaken with different intensities lead to different
vironmental management – are not clearly contributing enough to the economic consequences” and conclude that it also pays to be green. A
implementation of collaborative natural resources management pro- broader, critical and integrative −SI related- perspective becomes im-
cesses. Consequently, there is room for improvement by means of ex- perative.
ploratory SI practices. Key stakeholders and external partners in Firms deal with environmental issues ranging from ecotourism to
tourism are acting on sustainability in numerous different ways, sup- not addressing the subject at all. Critical visions –and especially from
porting diverse activities (forest exploitation, sustainable agriculture critical discourse theory- on traditional environmental tools in tourism
and tourism, ecosystem services programmes). However, there is a proliferate (Hillary, 2004; Melnyk et al., 2003; Zhu et al., 2013a; Hertin
growing perception – a premise of this paper- that global initiatives et al., 2008; MacCallum et al., 2009). The weak link between the Eco-
have addressed climate change in a successful way; and, as a result, Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) and other systems and per-
“this leaves an even heavier responsibility on firms and people” – tourists formance is a serious issue if EMAS’s are considered as serving as a
and locals (Nilsen & Elingsen, 2015, pp 26–29). This critical vision is the substitute for any kind of policy instruments. These voluntary self-
starting point for the article, aiming at providing specific practices in regulatory measures and the international Environmental Management
sustainable tourism that reflect a deeper shift in our worldview, with System (EMS) standard ISO 14001–designed to provide all businesses
far-reaching implications regarding sustainability as a concept. As with a systematic approach to improve and compare environmental
Blanco et al. (2009, pp 239–240) suggested, “…the environment is not performance- have had a very meagre impact, especially in SME’s
only a productive factor for tourism firms but is also a part of the final (Hillary, 2004) and in developing countries (Zhu et al., 2013b).
tourism product being sold” i.e. broader solutions beyond the technical 2009Blanco et al. (2009, pp 237–239) analysed the economic in-
dimension of environment. In fact, there is a growing and rich body of centive resulting from voluntary environmental management and
literature arguing that environmental attributes have a significant im- identified many examples of voluntary environmental practices in the
pact on destinations' competitiveness (Razumova et al., 2015), creating tourism industry. Their results suggest “the viability of alternative

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: julio.batle@uib.es (J. Batle), francina.orfila@uib.es (F. Orfila-Sintes), c.moon@mdx.ac.uk (C.J. Moon).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.10.013
Received 10 August 2017; Received in revised form 7 October 2017; Accepted 10 October 2017
0278-4319/ © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
J. Batle et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 69 (2018) 14–20

environmental policymaking that takes potential voluntary action under behavioural shifts towards more sustainable options” (European Comission,
consideration”. In fact, their results –based on case study of tourism 2014, pp 22–23). Concepts such as resilience (Strickland-Munro et al.,
collaborations for sustainability- reveal that “they constitute a viable al- 2010) and, even, civic imagination (Stephenson Jr and Fox-Lanham
ternative for environmental management”. Although they restrict their 2007) are part of the conceptual framework of Fennell (2004) empha-
analysis to economic incentives, it is indicated that other non-economic sises inherent complexity in tourism and the fact that it imposes multi-
incentives might be relevant and necessary since these practices are scaled (local, regional, national and global) tools, and demands vertical
useful to create formal relations and institutions, which can prevent and horizontal linkages among agents. In line with the conceptualisa-
unsustainable development. tion of tourism as an ‘academy of hope’ (Ateljevic et al., 2013; Pritchard
In this context, the specific goals of this work are firstly, the ex- et al., 2011), the above-mentioned exploratory practices aim at creating
ploration of the scope, potentialities and implications of SI for en- meaningful networks that not only create sustainability but also a more
vironmental management in tourism, attempting to identify newer aware and conscious business perspective. ‘Hopeful Tourism’ attributes
opportunities and trends – i.e., new frontiers – such as circular relations such as holism, oneness, syncretic co-creation, partnership, emerging
–, and, secondly, to provide a descriptive analysis of the initiatives in perspectives and co-transformative learning are present or implicit in
the environment related to SI in a representative group of tourism the SI construct, but, beyond Hopeful Tourism, SI offers a solid array of
companies from Mallorca, which, as a conclusion, will allow to identify patterns, broad techniques and proven experiences.
practical implications for destinations and business practitioners in the SI has been regarded as an “innovation system paradigm shift” that
environmental field. is taking place (Bullinger, 2006). This is changing the relationship be-
tween technological innovation and society, taking advantage of the
2. Literature review and theoretical framework ‘connected differences' among elements in the tourism picture, seeking
synergies as key priority of the model.
Cooperation and synergy among tourism firms to generate growth SI is defined as “innovation that is explicitly for the social and public
and profitability in the industry and beyond (society) have become wellness and that is inspired by the desire to meet social needs which can be
central themes in academic discussion. Although environmental issues neglected by traditional forms of private market provision and which have
are present in the agenda of the majority of the firms, these do not often been poorly served or unresolved by services organised by the state”
necessarily include some type of cooperation. Nilsen & Ellingsen (2015, (Murray et al., 2010, p.10). Despite the fact that the concept has grown
pp 28–29) indicate that “the hegemonic power of neoclassical economics to a more mature stage and that it is achieving increased attention in
hampers an environmental focus in the network”, leaving environmental the industry, its application in the tourism academic field has been
economics and ecological environment as neglected approaches. Cri- limited, biased to certain types of collaborative consumer and still
tical green advocates’ (Cui, 2014) challenge the tourism industry to linked quite often to the charitable dimension of the concept. In this
move further to generate lower consumption and lower emissions in a context, this study aims at presenting new theoretical inputs for ana-
low-carbon model; suggesting the creation of networks in particular. In lysing –in a more critical way- existing sustainability initiatives, and,
a more ethereal way, ‘Green’ environmentalism calls for the restoration finally, a thorough agenda of new opportunities and observable trends
of the lost harmony between human beings and nature (Heshmati, in the area of SI in tourism regarding environmental protection.
2014), which calls for cooperation and involvement with external SI theory emphasises three key dimensions that are already explored
agents and other members of the society, taking advantage of the in the tourism field, but that can be developed further and deeper,
knowledge networks (Ren et al., 2010) that tourism has ignored for especially in relation to environmental initiatives. These features are
decades. Pop et al. (2011) analysed the role of social capital and its “a) new combinations or hybrids of existing elements, rather than completely
importance in the creation of corporate social responsibility, claiming new; b) cutting across organisational or disciplinary boundaries and, lastly,
that the creation of bridges among knowledge communities is still a c) leaving behind compelling new relationships between previously separate
challenge. individuals and groups” (Mulgan et al., 2007, p.5). These traits aim at
At this stage, since some decades ago, there is a call for a more contributing to the diffusion and also to the embedding of the practices
holistic approach to address development and environmental issues. as a result of cooperation among parties that previously did not in-
Initiatives taken by local bottom-up movements of members of the teract.
(societal and business) community are claimed to be useful for creating These directions relate with concepts such as P2P (“peer to peer”),
economic restructuring dynamics, and generating benefits including authenticity, meaning, reticular solidarity, liquid tourism, omni-
special socially oriented area-based collective action and programmes channel experiences and others that are arising around Internet and
(MacCallum et al., 2009). These have been led by various types of other information technologies. In the environmental terrain, circular
public actors (civil society and state) and have often followed an ‘in- economy (and Gunther Pauli’s Blue Economy applied to tourism), sy-
tegrated’ logic of development. A main direction to explore in this sense nergy and Design Thinking are increasingly important. These SI deri-
is the synergic cooperation: social relations of territorial development vations are not fully addressed from the academic tourism literature so
which take into account contextual socio-political factors, especially, far and many additional potentialities (e. g. transformational, educa-
the nature of the strategic actors (MacCallum et al., 2009). tional meetups by companies or client co-creation on ecological issues)
SI is a valuable tool for environmental management (European are still terra incognita.
Comission, 2014), but largely neglected in this specific area. SI requires Specific trends and patterns in SI −suggested by different authors
the creation of social groups and communities to develop and diffuse (e.g. Howaldt and Schwarz (2010) or Huddart (2010) in their attempt to
practices that address pressing social needs. SI has been gaining re- define an integral framework and an agenda for the discipline- may be
levance regarding policy development, providing “a means to stimulate regarded at present as important gaps in the industry, if not new
new ideas that address complex issues alongside ensuring citizen participa- frontiers, still unreached and undefined. For example, new mechanisms
tion” (European Comission, 2014, pp 35–36). The critical issues af- to create meaningful and richer dialogue between locals and tourists
fecting environment in tourism make locals and tourists increasingly and the opportunity to integrate P2P and meaning in company-clients’
aware and willing to explore how SI can be used to foster environment relations are explored as they are emerging as a necessary and logical
sustainability, within destinations, to ensure social and economic derivation of SI principles.
prosperity and environmental wellness. Participation becomes im- Other relevant fields from SI to explore, that are still undetermined
portant and, accordingly, because of its emphasis as a discipline on in their shape and actual development in tourism, are: intersectoral
participation and creativity, “SI is well positioned to address environ- collaboration, social process/deliberative dialogue tools, SI en-
mental challenges, which are multifaceted and often require societal or trepreneurship, civic engagement and Tourism Circular Economy

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(Zhang and Tian, 2014), which is closely related to ecological tourism interviews −sense-making methodology. The starting point of inter-
and sustainable development of tourism. Tourism Circular Economy views with the company founders was the discussion of changes in
–and its tools- has been argued to be “the best model to realise the sus- perceptions and expectations from tourists that can be regarded as
tainable development of tourism” (Zhang and Tian, 2014), based on a drivers for the SI practices they eventually deployed. It was undertaken
Tourism Cycle Economy model. The research on Tourism Circular to understand the motivation of these ten companies to follow in-
Economy has been mainly applied in the context of China; and has novative SI-based strategies that meet both basic objectives of social
mostly addressed aspects related to agricultural development. Zhu et al. and environmental responsibility in a singular, unique way.
(2013b) proposes a new model of eco-agricultural tourism of three All these cases incorporate several SI features (partnerships, syner-
combinations in eco-agriculture chain, eco-energy chain and eco-land- gies, circular processes, systemic approach), developing, therefore, an
scape chain based on the practice of eco-agricultural tourism. integrated system of policy and practice that involves not only their
In order to finish the analysis of SI and environmental management own human resources, but also external parties implicated in environ-
in tourism, it is necessary to highlight the systemic approach that SI mental protection and sustainability. Their managers are applying the
entails. The research from Zhou et al. (2012) underlines the importance instruments and the SI approach prompted and fuelled by an intuitive
of a broader and more social-oriented support system in the interest of understanding of the concept of systematic sustainable tourism.
promoting a soundSI system in a region. That should include, as a no- Furthermore, the practical application of different voluntary and sy-
velty regarding other authors, publicity and education, professional nergic environmental practices is regarded by the firms’ managers as a
training and social networking aspects. These elements aim at achieving way to create stronger links with the community.
ultimately sustainable development. Policy implications for SI are ex- The identification of best-practices was made through informal
tremely relevant for regions on that account. consultations to experts and subsequently, through selective net-
A systemic approach calls for hotels and other tourism companies to working, both personal and institutional, in particular, through tech-
embrace additional requirements and responsibilities if they want to nical and administrative top officers from institutions whose object and
remain attractive to investors and also profitable, going beyond EMS, goal relates to environmental protection and SI. Concretely, the fol-
indicators, codes of conduct or eco-labels. “Systemic sustainability cannot lowing Mallorca-based organisations were addressed: Slow Food
be planned, it must be invented”, as one practitioner/innovator asserted in Movement, Educació per la Vida (association for the promotion of a
the research interviews. SI provides an appropriate framework to more holistic education), Namaste Community (Magazine and online
broaden the perspective. community related to Soul, Earth and Society), GOB (the main ecologist
In summary, environmental-based SI in tourism is an opportunity group in The Balearic Islands), Ministry of Innovation at the
for addressing sustainability with a broader perspective, incorporating Government of the Balearic Islands, Cuarto Sector (Fourth Sector/For-
tools and approaches such as circularity, and synergy design. In the next Benefit Sector) and Eticentre (association created by Balearic compa-
section we address the specific tools and practices that the selected nies to share and promote Corporate Social Responsibility). A pre-
companies in Mallorca have explored. liminary list of 32 firms –mostly SMEs- was drafted. Then, taking as a
criteria the SI features we wanted to address in this paper, the list of
participants was reduced to the ten firms in Table 1 –the most singular
3. Empirical analysis and ambitious ones in terms of circularity, synergy-based approach,
dialogue search, crossing boundaries and knowledge-based actions.
In order to investigate voluntary and exploratory environmental The empirical analysis process consisted in two sequential tasks: a)
initiatives beyond traditional actions, mostly present in EMS and other presentation of the environmental-related SI practices deployed by the
certified systems of environmental management, different tourism ten selected companies and b) qualitative analysis –following a phe-
companies –especially small rural tourism- operating in Mallorca were nomenological approach- of the drivers and motivations fuelling the
addressed. In line with Blanco et al. (2009) and Razumova et al. (2015), practices implementation.
Mallorca is a privileged tourism lab (top destination island with a ‘Sense making’ has been defined as the “process of creating situational
university dedicated to sustainable tourism research) to examine the SI awareness and understanding in contexts of high complexity or uncertainty
potential in the environmental context. in order to make decisions” (Klein et al., 2006, pp 90–91). It is “a moti-
The research explored the general extent of environmental care and vated, continuous effort to understand connections (which can be among
awareness practices in ten cases that represent innovative and different people, places, and events) in order to anticipate their trajectories and act
practices, with special consideration to those involving partnerships effectively” (Klein et al., 2006 pp 91–92). In fact, sense making has been
and synergies with other interested parties (including academics). used for analysing experiential tourism in different contexts: educa-
The study draws its empirical material from ten socially innovative tional tourism experiences (Huang, 2008), blog storytelling (Tussyadiah
cases in environmental management from small, medium and big and Fesenmayer, 2008; Volo, 2010), student placement experiences
companies, as well as start-ups providing service to hotels, in Mallorca. (Walmsley et al., 2006) and experiential tourism in relation to image
Table 1 shows the 10 selected companies. destination understanding Guthrie and Anderson (2007).
The data were collected by means of questionnaires and structured

Table 1
Description of firms in the research.

Company Activity Website

Pedruxella Agrotourism Small (5 rooms) lodging, restaurant and events http://www.pedruxella.com/

Son Rullan Agrotourism Small (6 rooms, including 3 communal ones) lodging and events http://sonrullan.es/
Son Maiol Agrotourism Small (4 rooms) lodging, restaurant and events http://www.sonmaiol.com/
Son Brull Agrotourism Medium (23 rooms) lodging, restaurant and events http://sonbrull.com/
Son Barrina Agrotourism Small (5 rooms) lodging, shop and events http://www.sonbarrina.com/
Toureco Experience provider Craft and cultural experiences e.g. permaculture, beekeeping, cosmetics, etc. http://www.toureco.en/
Deborah Cuisine Island Experience provider Culinary experiences e.g. culinary retreats and events, etc. http://deborahsculinaryisland.com/
Ca na Toneta Restaurant Restaurant and events http://www.canatoneta.com/
Sa Teulera Farm & Shop Shop and events http://www.mallorcasostenible.org/products/sa-teulera2/
Riu Hotel chain Big, international and family owned and managed hotel chain (44.883 rooms in 18 countries) http://www.riu.com/es/home.jsp

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Sense making is a useful methodology for disciplining the ca- management in their business. Most of them (6), admitted dissatisfac-
cophony of diversity and complexity without homogenizing it (Weick, tion both with past and traditional environmental initiatives. Some
1995), which is surely necessary when dealing with new concepts such more questions were asked in order to explore in more detail clients’
as SI for environmental management. In other words, its relevance for expectations and demands regarding environmental care, since it would
this study stems from the fact that pioneer social innovation, is basically provide relevant clues for the study.
a complex experiment, exploring especially the role and meaning of Most of the respondents (8) recognized in themselves certain recent
actions, attitudes, and values. The goal is to create shared awareness (3–5 years) symptoms of insatisfaction –ecological weltschmerz- re-
among people, which in many cases are not necessarily convergent garding environmental issues (3 medium, 3 high, 2 very high). The lack
regarding their perspectives. Addressing such case-based views of SI for of a systemic approach and personal coherence were in general the
environmental management through the sense making analysis can triggers, but, interestingly, economic/business-based factors (loss of
provide a deeper and singular understanding of their causes and con- clients, bad online reputation) served in some of the cases as the cat-
sequences. Weick (1995) dealt with sense making in organisations, but alyst and background for a growing awareness and willingness to ex-
equally uncertain or ambiguous situations happen in the present con- periment in environmental-related SI.
text so that the model is adaptable to this case. After this, the interview was steered towards the initiatives/prac-
The account of narratives and reflections are planned in Weick’s tices themselves and their motivational and inspirational roots for the
sense making framework by taking into consideration seven properties: individual, dealing with the meaning respondents derived from them.
identity and identification; retrospection; enaction; social activity; on- The exact question was: “How does your initiative relate to your vision of
going process; extraction of clues and plausibility over accuracy (Weick, the world, of society and specifically regarding environmental care?”. The
1995). The underlying narratives from the creators of the SI practices intention was to learn more about whether these incidents influenced
analysed in the present research convey the sense and meaning (Currie the interpretations of respondents about their critical views on the
and Brown, 2003) that SI can provide to environmental practices in world. A critical vision arose in almost all the interviews (9), both in the
tourism, which is a central point of the conclusions of this paper. founders (9) and in their clients (8), and, as a result, deeper connection
In this innovative context that SI created, the present research ex- and team (environmental) projects with other companies and parties
plored three areas: expectations, needs/drivers and social innovation was a recurrent topic, mentioned by interviewees, together with the
techniques. In particular: attempt to create/invent loops of some kind of circularity.
Some other questions were asked specifically in order to identify
– the extent to which changes in expectations and attitudes from cli- meaning ascriptions about their unbelief/dissatisfaction with tradi-
ents and in the same operators/companies have been identified and tional environmental management following a description of each in-
the extent to which they have been affecting environmental man- itiative. This was done to expose the sense making process that re-
agement; spondents go through between the event they describe and the specific
– the extent to which this critical perspective and expectations has external problem they connect to the event. This served to pinpoint
had an influence on their decisions regarding product design: per- critical factors that could make sense in the environment and social
ception of clients’ expectations, new needs, comments received from innovation context i.e. growing disbelief and institutional disaffection (5
customers regarding selection of destination and activities to per- respondents); increased general pessimism in relation to results of tra-
form; ditional systems (4, all of them familiar with EMS); renewed objections
– the extent to which the product design incorporates social innova- to ideology, values and confidence in the system (4); and an increased
tion elements. How? Why? distrust of environmental authorities (2). These can be regarded as the
major drivers that encouraged the selected companies to move into
The data collection took place in April-May-June 2015 through half alternatives ways to promote sustainability and, by doing so, achieving
structured interviews. All respondents received a document, explaining a closer bond with the community, promoting new, sustainable prac-
the purpose of the research. tices (e.g. local agriculture, slow food, traditional cultivation systems).
At the beginning of the interview, the aim of the study was ex- The next questions – the most relevant ones in the study − ad-
plained to them in clear terms. They were told that the interview was dressed the social architecture –deliberate social design to foster de-
designed to evaluate the meaning of their SI experience. All respondents sired behaviours resulting in certain explicit goals- of their practices. By
gave permission to record the interview on tablet and all interviews doing so, different aspects of the practices were explored: degree of
took place in a quiet environment. The interview process, in line with satisfaction, expectations, new needs, selection of partners and activ-
the sense making methodology, began with several questions based on ities to perform, travellers’ attitude regarding desire to establish per-
the Critical Incident Technique. The critical incident technique is a sonal engagement in environmental activities and education. The scores
qualitative research method conceived to analyse “significant experiences of the social architecture meaning ascriptions were calculated by
in order to better understand resulting behaviour” (Flanagan, 1954, pp creating categories. Most of the answers pointed to an increased need
327–329). The author indicates that it is especially useful for devel- for “new social exploration” (8); shared and meaningful passions to
oping broad psychological principles, so it can give insight into sense believe in (7 cases); a desire for flow and controlled risk (5), and; in-
making processes. terestingly, creation of community (3). New attitudes towards life and
new values in clients (and in themselves) were regarded as implicit
4. Findings and discussion elements in 8 cases’ including all those that admitted some degree of
weltschmerz/general dissatisfaction with traditional environmental po-
Seven of the ten respondents were female, 9 had a bachelor’s degree licies. Environmental engagement is not only an ecological issue: it is
and their former occupations were largely managerial (6) or profes- consubstantial with a more aware and richer life. Meaning is a desirable
sional (4) and both in 3 cases. The specific practices that made these output that SI brings about in tourism both among companies and cli-
companies singular and appropriate for this research are the ones ents.
shown in Table 2, which were known by the research team before the Finally, the interview focused on the critical assessment of the in-
interviews and that were explored in more depth during the interview: itiatives. Seven respondents concluded that the activities resulted, as
The first question referred to drivers for change regarding en- expected, in renewed energy and strategic positioning as a business. In
vironmental management in their companies, taking also into account relation to this (and also to ascriptions and categories underlying
feedback from their own clients. At this point it was critical to identify them), they alluded to many different internal processes and, to a lesser
possible relations to their personal situation and past environmental extent, specific moments, and, situations which basically, had in

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J. Batle et al. International Journal of Hospitality Management 69 (2018) 14–20

Table 2
Practices of SI for environmental management by firm.

Practice of SI for environmental management Pedruixella Son Rullán Son Brull Son Maiol Son Barrina Toureco Deborah Ca na Sa Teulera Riu
Cuisine Toneta

Experimental agricultural programme X X X X X X

Alternative agricultural methods X X X X
Social and community venues on ecological issues X X X X X X
Km. 0 adherence X X X X
Collaboration with ecological and slow food X X X X X X X X X X
associations
Innovative recovery of traditional harvesting and X X X
hunting methods
Symbiotic relations with local farms and other X X X X X X
providers
Alternative energy saving systems X X X X
Co-creation regarding ecological problems X X X X
Circular approach X X X X X X

common that they provided for themselves and for the clients psycho- most of the selected companies are deploying different innovative
logical risk (7 cases), new expressions of meaning for the individual (6), practices, which, according to the interviewees, are naturally related
group creation with “alternative” vital angles and beliefs (6), actual and mutually reinforcing (typically, experimental farming and external
development of new values – in many cases socially related ones – (5), collaborations or circularity and km.0 adherence). Some of the above-
clear identification of role models in organisers/group leader/lecturers mentioned companies (Son Rullán, Ca Na Toneta) attempt to explore a
and companions (4) and, finally, trust in the group (7). These elements wide range of innovative practices. Although the scope and impact of
are the ones indicating that SI environmental practices can create ad- the practices is limited, the results indicate that the perceived effect in
ditional and far-reaching value beyond traditional practices, in line clients by creating more meaningful experiences for them is a topic to
with several tourism drivers and trends (search for meaning, holistic explore further, especially regarding value challenge and tribe/com-
perspective, transformative expectations during vacation). These cate- munity creation. SI is not only a set of techniques, it is also a philosophy
gories relate and adhere to SI features (circularity, synergies, new and its conversion in tourism experiences (far more co-created) has an
knowledge and company boundaries, vision design). impact on clients beyond the mere lodging/service experience since it
As can be seen in Table 3, all SI elements were mentioned and re- brings new values and the identification of social structures/commu-
garded as relevant, identifying regenerative effects (for environment, nities/tribes that live according to that.
for the community, for the business and for clients ultimately) by means
of different practices that combine SI features (horizontal axis) and
meaning (vertical) to the clients.The results from Table 3 show that

Table 3
SI elements in relation to Meaning in clients.

Circularity Synergies Crossing boundaries and new knowledge Objectives and visions

Value challenge Son Rullán Pedruixella Son Rullán Son Barrina

Son Barrina Son Rullán Son Barrina Son Brull
Son Brull Deborah Cuisine Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta
Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta Riu Sa Teulera
Sa Teulera Riu
Psychological risk Pedruixella Pedruixella Pedruixella Son Rullán
Son Rullán Son Rullán Son Rullán Deborah Cuisine
Son Barrina Son Barrina Ca Na Toneta
Son Brull Sa Teulera
Ca Na Toneta
Sa Teulera
Meaning in clients experiences Pedruixella Pedruxeilla Pedruixella Deborah Cuisine
Son Rullán Son Brull Son Rullán Ca Na Toneta
Son Barrina Ca Na Toneta Son Barrina Riu
Son Brull Riu
Ca Na Toneta
Sa Teulera
Social structures supporting meaning Pedruixella Pedruixella Pedruixella Pedruixella
Son Rullán Son Rullán Son Rullán
Son Barrina Deborah Cuisine Deborah Culinary
Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta
Sa Teulera Sa Teulera
New approaches Son Rullán Son Rullán Pedruixella Son Rullán
Son Barrina Toureco Son Rullán Toureco
Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta Son Barrina Deborah Culinary
Sa Teulera Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta
Sa Teulera
Sense-making Pedruixella Son Rullán Pedruixella Son Rullán
Son Rullán Son Barrina Son Rullán Toureco
Ca Na Toneta Ca Na Toneta Son Barrina Ca Na Toneta
Sa Teulera Son Brull

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5. Conclusions, limitations and further research (Sahtouris, 2014) leads to emphasis and focussing of attention on the
different degrees of inter-relatedness of each element. This is a basic
This attempt to apply SI tools to environmental management in assumption in SI and its tools and techniques fit in and may be helpful
tourism operators reveals that they increasingly recognise the need for for companies accordingly. Purpose-driven organisations may perform
environmental protection in a more systemic way, beyond EMS’s in- better due to the intrinsic values and motivations these organisations
dicators and incentives promoted by authorities. The suggested fra- −and external agents at the same time- embrace, creating new syner-
mework has been tested with a phenomenological approach in a re- gies. SI is a discipline that allows the necessary re-arrangement of
levant sample of companies in the tourism industry of Mallorca. The elements that such an approach entails, enabling a deeper ecology of
extent to which the replication of such an approach brings an overall business (versus businesses aiming merely to include it in their agenda).
change in their attitudes and actions remains to be seen, but the survey In this context, the creation of opportunities for enhanced and fo-
indicated innovative directions that need to be explored in the con- cused links among agents, in order to face environmental and social
junction of environmental sustainability and SI into the tourism in- challenges simultaneously, is a clear and central opportunity derived
dustry. The research provides a theoretical framework –with a collec- from the construct, together with the explicit creation of intelligent
tion of indicators regarding SI and its impact on clients and contexts within the average routines of tourism activity (discussion,
organisations- that brings about a more holistic (and social and co- storytelling, educational pills, co-creation and many other options). The
creative) approach to environmental management. Embracing en- desirability and workability of a proactive approach by all the agents in
vironmental principles alongside social and economic concerns can lead the industry to provide environment awareness – in every activity – is
to a systemic approach and, arguably, these commitments –not driven the corollary.
solely by the search for short-term efficiency gains- can be regarded as a
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