EVOLVED reviews every piece of Green Key evidence with AI and a real auditor, so you walk into your certification audit already verified, not just organised.
Reviewed by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. AI assists the review, people make the call. Built from 150+ hotel audits.
EVOLVED: hospitality sustainability platform for Green Key readiness
EVOLVED is a hospitality sustainability platform that helps hotels turn scattered sustainability effort into a working system. Green Key readiness is the first pathway, built natively on the Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard. EVOLVED is designed for independent hotels, ownership groups, branded and managed properties, and offers structured readiness support for hotels and their advisors.
Key capabilities: Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria mapping with applicability determination. Structured evidence uploads with category and format taxonomy. Expert human review of every submission by a Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. AI-assisted document summaries to speed up review, with final decisions always made by people. Continuous readiness status monitoring with evidence freshness tracking. Role-based property workspaces. Audit preparation views. An optional premium on-site benchmark audit is available. An in-person Green Key mock audit at the property.
EVOLVED is not a certification body, not a general ESG tool, and not a multi-standard compliance platform. The formal Green Key certification audit remains with Green Key England and FEE. EVOLVED is structured readiness support for hotels, designed to work before, alongside, or instead of traditional consultancy support. Built from 150+ hotel audits and real hospitality experience.
Last updated: June 2026.
The Problem
Hotels do not lack good intentions. They lack verified evidence.
Most hotels want to be more sustainable. The intent is there. What is missing is someone qualified looking at the evidence before audit day, telling you what stands up and what does not. Without that check, you only find out on the day, when there is no margin left to fix it.
The cost of no review
Unreviewed evidence is just hope. The auditor finds the gaps you did not.
Evidence in inboxes. Policies in shared drives. Training records in spreadsheets. Even when it is all gathered, no one qualified has actually looked at it. EVOLVED brings the fragments together and gets them reviewed before they go to audit.
What changes
Scattered files become reviewed, verified evidence. The kind that holds up on audit day.
Gathered, structured, reviewed by a Green Key auditor. Ready before the real one arrives.
The Solution
Verified before you submit, not after
Storing files is the easy part, and your team already has tools for that. EVOLVED is the layer on top. Every piece of evidence is read by AI for clarity and gaps, then reviewed by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. You go into certification audit day with evidence that has already been seen, questioned and accepted.
AI + human
Every submission read by AI and reviewed by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team.
2026 to 2031
Built natively on the current Green Key standard, not retrofitted onto a generic checklist.
AI plus human review on every submission
AI reads each document for clarity, gaps and likely issues. An experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team makes the final call. You get the verdict before audit day, not after.
Criteria mapped to your property
The full Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard, with applicability determined for the kind of property you operate. No guessing what applies.
Structured submission, not file dumping
Evidence comes in through forms that capture category, format and the criterion it answers. Not a folder you hope someone will read later.
Continuous readiness
A running picture of how ready you are right now. Evidence freshness tracked, gaps surfaced early, audit preparation views when you need them.
Why trust EVOLVED
Built by someone who knows the audit room
EVOLVED is shaped by 150+ hotel audits, 20+ years in hospitality, and direct property management experience. Hospitality expertise expressed through technology, designed around how hotels actually work.
150+
Hotel audits across independent, branded, luxury and international properties.
20+
Years in hospitality, from hotels and serviced apartments to events and catering.
01
150+ hotel audits
Reviewed across independent properties, branded hotels, luxury hotels and international groups. Real evidence, real conversations, real operational gaps.
02
20+ years in hospitality
Hotels, serviced apartments, events, catering, restaurants. EVOLVED is shaped by operational reality, not theory.
03
Green Key audit expertise
Built natively on the Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard. Criteria, evidence and readiness understood from the auditor's side of the table.
04
Direct property management
Founded and ran a serviced apartment business in central London. Commercial reality, guest expectations and daily operations are not abstract here.
05
Built for property-level delivery
Designed for hotels that need sustainability to work on site, whether independent, branded, franchise, managed or group-owned.
06
Designed around real operations
Roles, departments, workflows and evidence ownership built around the people who actually do the work, not just the systems that report it.
Corporate platforms can report progress. EVOLVED helps properties get the work organised, evidenced and ready.
How It Works
From setup to audit-ready, without the scramble
Three steps, one running system. Set up your property, submit and get reviewed, then stay ready year round.
The shift
Readiness stops being a once-a-year panic and becomes a continuous state.
1
Set up your property
Create your workspace, assign roles to the people who actually own each area, and map the Green Key criteria to your operation.
2
Submit and get reviewed
Contributors submit evidence through secure links, no logins required. A Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team reviews every submission, with AI assisting on summaries.
3
Stay ready year-round
Watch readiness build as evidence lands. Catch freshness decay before it becomes a gap. Walk into every audit cycle knowing where you stand.
Built for hotels that take sustainability seriously, and the people who help them
Common thread
Every audience needs the same thing: site-level evidence, clear ownership and proven readiness.
Independent hotels
Single properties with real operational complexity, ready to bring structure to readiness with a working platform behind the team.
Ownership groups and operators
For hotel owners, management companies and operators managing consistency across more than one property, including branded, franchise and independently operated sites.
Branded and managed properties
For properties that already have corporate tools or brand platforms, but still need clearer site-level evidence, ownership and Green Key readiness.
Operations leaders
GMs and operations directors who want one clear view of readiness across every property they oversee.
Sustainability leads
In-house environmental and ESG managers who need defensible, audit-ready evidence rather than a static report.
Consultants and advisors
Sustainability consultants and advisors supporting hospitality clients, using EVOLVED as the working system behind their advisory.
Early access
Built for real hotel operations
EVOLVED is currently in early access. Pricing is being developed around independent hotels, ownership groups and hospitality operators that need practical site-level sustainability structure, not another heavy enterprise platform.
Where we are
Pilot places open now, priced around real hotels, not enterprise budgets.
Pilot places
A limited number of pilot places are available for hotels that want early access and a role in improving the platform before wider release.
Independent hotels and multi-property operators
For hotels and operators that need clearer property-level sustainability structure, whether independent, branded, franchise, managed or group-owned.
Consultant and advisor access
Consultants and advisors supporting hospitality clients can request access for multiple properties or portfolios.
Request early access to discuss your property, group size and readiness needs. We will reply by email to arrange a conversation.
The EVOLVED Ecosystem
Green Key readiness is where we start. The EVOLVED ecosystem is what comes next.
EVOLVED starts by helping hotels organise evidence, ownership and readiness for Green Key. From there, the platform expands into the wider areas that make sustainability work inside real hospitality operations: people, knowledge, food and resources.
EVOLVED exists because there is a gap between sustainability ambition and operational reality in hotels.
We built the platform to close that gap, with structure, clarity and respect for how hotels actually work. Shaped by 150+ hotel audits, 20+ years in hospitality and direct property management experience.
EVOLVED is opening to a limited cohort of early hotels and advisors. Tell us a little about your property and we will be in touch when it is your turn.
A secure, role-based workspace for every property. Structured evidence management. Expert review by a Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. Continuous readiness tracking aligned to the Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria.
Property Workspaces
Secure, role-based spaces for every property
Each property operates within its own secure workspace. Property Leads manage their evidence and readiness. Group Leads oversee their portfolio. Reviewers access their assignments with elevated permissions. Clear boundaries, clear ownership.
Distinct roles: Property Lead, Group Lead, Reviewer/Admin
Scoped access. You see only what you need to see.
Support for 2 to 25 properties per group
Evidence Management
Structured uploads, not document dumping
Every evidence item is tagged with its category and format. Multiple evidence items per criterion via Property Criterion Records. Freshness tracking ensures nothing quietly expires. Evidence submitted through secure in-platform flows only. No email chains. No shared drives.
Evidence Category and Format taxonomy
Multiple evidence items per criterion (PCRs)
Freshness and expiry monitoring
Secure in-platform submission only
Contributor Flows
Low-friction evidence from anyone in your operation
Department heads, maintenance teams, suppliers. Anyone can contribute evidence through secure links without creating a full account. Access is limited to the specific submission task and expires on completion. Friction-free for contributors, controlled for you.
Secure links, no account required
Task-scoped access with expiry
Draft and finalise before submission
Expert Review
Every submission reviewed by a Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team
Expert review on every submission. An experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team reviews every piece of evidence against the Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria. Document summaries speed up review; the auditor accepts, requests changes, or rejects with structured codes. Humans make every compliance decision. Structured readiness support that works before, alongside or instead of traditional consultancy support.
Reviewed by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team
Aligned to the Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria from day one
Structured rejection codes and findings tags
Action requests route gaps directly to property leads
Readiness Tracking
Know where you stand, always
Property Criterion Record status updates as evidence is reviewed. Freshness decay ensures that readiness reflects reality, not historical submissions. When evidence expires, status returns to "Not Ready". That keeps you honest and prepared.
Continuous PCR status monitoring
Evidence freshness and decay logic
Aggregated readiness view per property
Green Key Alignment
Built around the standard, not bolted on
EVOLVED is purpose-built for Green Key criteria. The criteria library is embedded in the platform. Applicability determination lets you hide what does not apply to your property. Every feature exists to support Green Key readiness. Nothing more, nothing less.
Embedded Green Key criteria library
Applicability engine for your property profile
Criteria-to-evidence mapping
Explore EVOLVED for your property
See how structured evidence management and continuous readiness tracking can transform your Green Key journey.
Seven steps from creating your workspace to approaching your Green Key audit with confidence. Each step builds on the last. No gaps, no guesswork.
1
Set Up Your Property
Create a secure property workspace within EVOLVED. Configure your property profile, assign the Property Lead role, and invite your team. Group Leads can oversee multiple properties from a single view. Every workspace is isolated and role-scoped from day one.
2
Determine Applicability
Map Green Key criteria to your specific property. Not every criterion applies to every hotel. EVOLVED lets you determine applicability and hide non-relevant items. What remains is a clear, property-specific checklist of imperative and guideline criteria.
3
Request Evidence
Assign evidence needs to departments and contributors. Use secure submission links that require no account creation. Each request is scoped to a specific criterion and evidence type. Contributors know exactly what is needed and how to provide it.
4
Upload & Expert Review
Contributors submit evidence through the platform's secure forms. An experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team reviews every submission against the Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria. Document summaries speed up review; the auditor decides. Every piece of evidence is tagged with category and format, creating a structured, searchable record.
5
Assign Actions
When evidence falls short, reviewers issue structured rejection codes and action requests. These route directly to the Property Lead with clear expectations. Findings tags classify the issue for tracking. No ambiguity about what needs to change.
6
Track Readiness
Property Criterion Records update continuously as evidence is reviewed. Freshness decay logic monitors whether evidence remains current. The aggregated readiness view shows exactly where your property stands: which criteria are met, which need attention, and which are at risk of expiring.
7
Prepare for Audit
When audit time arrives, your evidence is already organised, reviewed, and current. EVOLVED provides a complete readiness view that gives you, and your auditor, confidence. No scrambling. No surprises. Just prepared.
Start your Green Key journey
EVOLVED is launching soon. Register your interest and we will be in touch as early access places open up.
Built for the hotels that take sustainability seriously
EVOLVED serves independent hotels, ownership groups, branded and managed properties that want to achieve and maintain Green Key certification through operational discipline, not bureaucratic overhead.
Strong Independents
Single properties with genuine operational complexity. You have sustainability ambitions but need structure to translate them into evidence-based readiness. EVOLVED gives you a clear workspace, structured evidence management, and continuous tracking without enterprise overhead.
Dedicated property workspace with role-based access
Green Key criteria mapped to your specific operation
Contributor flows for department heads and suppliers
Readiness tracking that keeps you prepared year-round
Ownership groups and operators
Ownership groups, branded and managed properties, and multi-property operators that need consistency across a portfolio without the cost and complexity of enterprise platforms. Group Leads see all their properties. Each property maintains its own workspace. Evidence quality is standardised.
Group Lead oversight across all properties
Consistent evidence standards and review workflows
Property-level workspaces with shared reviewer access
Cross-property readiness visibility
Operations Leaders & GMs
You need to know where your property stands without chasing people for updates. EVOLVED gives you clear visibility into readiness status, evidence gaps, and pending actions. Approach audit conversations with data, not guesswork.
Aggregated readiness dashboard per property
Clear visibility into evidence gaps and pending actions
Action request tracking for accountability
Confidence in audit preparedness
Sustainability Leads & Environmental Managers
You own the sustainability brief but depend on others to deliver evidence. EVOLVED gives you structured contributor flows, reviewer feedback loops, and continuous readiness monitoring. Build a defensible compliance record, not a folder of hopes.
Structured evidence collection from across the operation
Clear ownership and accountability per criterion
Findings tags and action requests for gap management
Continuous readiness, not annual scrambles
Services beyond the platform
When you want hands-on advisory on top
Every EVOLVED subscription includes expert review by an experienced Green Key auditor on our team. For most hotels, that is enough to reach audit-ready with structured platform support. For properties that want an in-person second opinion or hands-on advisory, we offer one optional service. Use EVOLVED before, alongside or instead of traditional consultancy support.
Premium On-Site Benchmark Audit
An experienced Green Key auditor visits your property and walks the operation. The benchmark is not against other hotels. It is a gap analysis against the live Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria and the actual practices observed on the day. Essentially a Green Key mock audit, so you see exactly what audit day will look like before Green Key England arrives.
The formal Green Key audit and certification decision remain with Green Key England and the Foundation for Environmental Education.
See how EVOLVED fits your property
Every hotel is different. Let us show you how EVOLVED adapts to your operation and Green Key requirements.
EVOLVED exists to help hotels achieve and maintain Green Key certification. Not dozens of standards. Not broad ESG. One certification, done properly.
Built Natively
Built natively on Green Key 2026 to 2031
The new standard hands the final certification decision to an Independent Certification Body and aligns explicitly with ISO management standards and the EU Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive, the EU's anti-greenwashing framework. EVOLVED was designed against this version of the standard, not retrofitted to it. Every criterion mapped, every piece of evidence structured, every submission reviewed by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team before the property goes to Green Key England.
The Standard
Why Green Key matters
Green Key is the leading international eco-label for the hospitality industry. For hotels and hostels, it provides a comprehensive framework across environmental management, energy, water, waste, and more. Achieving Green Key signals genuine commitment. The operational challenge is maintaining evidence-based compliance is where most hotels struggle.
Imperative & Guideline Criteria
Green Key criteria are classified as imperative (must comply) or guideline (progressive compliance). Hotels meet every imperative criterion plus a rising share of guidelines across the biennial certification cycle, from 0% in years one and two up to 50% from year eleven onward. EVOLVED tracks both classifications.
Operational Requirements
Green Key requires an environmental manager, a sustainability policy, an action plan, staff training, guest information, and monitoring data. These are operational commitments that need evidence, not just intent. EVOLVED structures this evidence collection.
Continuous Compliance
Certification is not a one-time achievement. Evidence expires. Policies need updating. Standards evolve. EVOLVED monitors evidence freshness and triggers readiness alerts so compliance remains current, not historical.
Applicability Determination
Not every Green Key criterion applies to every property. Hotels with no on-site grounds skip the biodiversity criteria. Properties without food service skip the food and beverage requirements. EVOLVED's applicability engine ensures you focus on what is relevant.
Reporting Scope
Out of EU reporting scope is not out of the work
Since the EU Omnibus I Directive entered into force on 19 March 2026, the CSRD now applies only to companies with more than 1,000 employees and more than €450 million in net annual turnover. Most independent hotels and operator-run properties sit comfortably below those thresholds, and listed SMEs are no longer in scope at all.
That is genuinely good news. It also changes the question. Guests, corporate buyers, OTAs and travel agents have not lowered their expectations because the threshold moved. They still want to see real sustainability practice, backed by evidence, verified by a credible third party. Green Key 2026 to 2031 is built for exactly that conversation. EVOLVED gives independent hotels the structure to do the work and prove it, without the enterprise reporting burden that was never theirs to carry.
What's New in 2026
The 2026 to 2031 shifts that matter most
The new standard is more than a renumbering. Five shifts raise the bar for hotels, and EVOLVED is built around every one of them.
Scope 1 and 2 GHG, now Imperative
Calculating greenhouse gas emissions using the GHG Protocol is no longer optional. Every certified hotel needs a defensible Scope 1 and 2 footprint, refreshed each cycle. EVOLVED structures the data inputs, the calculation method, and the evidence behind every figure.
Mandatory Sustainable Procurement Policy
A written, board-level procurement policy is now imperative across the whole property. It must cover food and beverage, cleaning, textiles, equipment, and supplier selection. EVOLVED gives you the policy template, the evidence trail, and the supplier records auditors expect to see.
Plant-based menu requirement
Hotels with food service must offer at least one vegetarian starter, one vegetarian main, and one fully vegan option on every menu. It is no longer a guideline. EVOLVED tracks menu evidence and refresh dates so this stays current between audits, not just on submission day.
Expanded social and labour criteria
The new standard elevates fair pay, anti-discrimination, prohibition of child labour, an accessible grievance mechanism, and a whistleblower channel to imperative. EVOLVED captures the policies, the training records, and the people processes that prove these are real, not just stated.
Biodiversity, with its own sub-section
Biodiversity Protection is no longer tucked inside Green Areas. It is a dedicated sub-section under Living Environment, with criteria covering native planting, chemical reduction, habitat creation, and pollinator support. EVOLVED maps each criterion to the part of your property it actually applies to.
Process Changes
What changes for the certification process itself
The 2026 to 2031 cycle is not only about new criteria. The way certification is awarded and renewed is changing too. These are the facts confirmed by Green Key Global.
Two-year certification cycle
Certification is now valid for two years rather than one. Establishments apply for recertification at the end of each two-year cycle. EVOLVED is designed around that longer rhythm, so evidence stays current between submissions and recertification is not a fresh scramble each time.
Transition window for existing certifications
New applicants begin under the 2026 to 2031 criteria from publication. Establishments applying for recertification have two options during the transition. They may apply under the previous 2022 to 2026 criteria until a specified deadline, or move directly to the new criteria. Hotels still applying under the old criteria after the deadline do so at their own risk, with no guarantee of completing before the transition closes.
Country-specific timing applies
Exact transition deadlines and procedures vary by country. Each hotel needs to confirm with its National Operator how the change applies in its market. EVOLVED works to whichever timeline the National Operator confirms, so the evidence is ready whenever the local audit window opens.
Criteria Scope
The seven sections of Green Key 2026 to 2031
From 1 October 2026, Green Key for Hotels and Hostels is organised into seven sections, each broken into focused sub-sections. EVOLVED maps your evidence against every applicable criterion within them.
Section 01
Sustainable Management
Environmental Strategy and Management Involvement
Corporate Social Responsibility
Team Engagement
Section 02
Guest Awareness and Involvement
Guest Involvement
Responsible Tourism
Section 03
Water
Water Management
Water Pollution
Section 04
Energy and Carbon
Energy Management
HVAC, Equipment and Lights
Greenhouse Gas
Section 05
Waste
Waste Management
Waste Reduction
Section 06
Procurement
Administration and Other Procurement
Food and Beverage
Washing and Cleaning
Section 07
Living Environment
Indoor Environment
Biodiversity Protection
Free Tools
Get oriented before you start
Two public tools we publish so hotels and consultants can explore the new standard and see what has shifted. Both are free, with no login required.
The best sustainability software depends on your certification goal. For hotels pursuing Green Key certification specifically, EVOLVED is the only platform purpose-built for Green Key readiness, built natively on the Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard and its seven sections. It pairs criteria mapping and structured evidence management with expert review by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. Structured readiness support that works before, alongside or instead of traditional consultancy support. An optional premium on-site benchmark audit is available on top. That is an in-person Green Key mock audit at your property.
Green Key certification in the UK requires meeting all imperative criteria plus a growing share of guideline criteria, supported by documented evidence. From 1 October 2026, this means preparing evidence across the seven sections of the new Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard, applying through the Foundation for Environmental Education, and passing an independent audit on a biennial cycle. EVOLVED helps UK hotels prepare by structuring the entire evidence collection and review process, mapping criteria to your specific operation, and tracking readiness continuously so you approach your audit with confidence.
Most sustainability platforms are built to cover many standards across many industries. They are wide. EVOLVED is the opposite. It focuses exclusively on Green Key readiness for independent hotels and multi-property operators. That focus means deeper alignment with Green Key criteria, evidence workflows built around how hotels actually operate, and an experienced Green Key auditor reviewing your submission before it reaches Green Key England. Not a generic framework borrowed from another industry.
A sustainability compliance checklist for hotels and holiday parks typically covers environmental management, energy and carbon, water, waste reduction, team engagement, procurement, guest communication, and the indoor and natural environment. For Green Key certification, the checklist spans the seven sections of the 2026 to 2031 standard with both imperative and guideline criteria. EVOLVED replaces static checklists with a dynamic readiness platform that maps each criterion to your property, tracks evidence status, monitoring freshness, and showing you exactly where you stand at any point in the biennial certification cycle.
Green Key certification is increasingly valued by environmentally conscious travellers and booking platforms. Hotels with Green Key certification can differentiate themselves through verified sustainability credentials rather than vague green claims. EVOLVED helps you maintain continuous compliance between biennial audits, not scramble in the weeks before. Your certification becomes an operational strength rather than an administrative burden. This ongoing readiness translates directly into guest trust, booking platform visibility, and genuine competitive positioning.
Prepare for Green Key with confidence
See how EVOLVED turns Green Key criteria into a clear, manageable operational workflow.
EVOLVED exists because there is a gap between sustainability ambition and operational reality in hotels. We built a platform to close that gap, with structure, clarity, and respect for how hotels actually work.
Philosophy
What we believe
Operations First
Sustainability only works when it is embedded in daily operations, not layered on top as a compliance afterthought. EVOLVED is built around operational reality: roles, departments, workflows, and the people who actually do the work.
Evidence Before Claims
Claiming sustainability means nothing without evidence. EVOLVED ensures every claim is backed by reviewed, current evidence. Not promises. Not intentions. Not expired certificates from three years ago.
Named Ownership
When nobody owns a task, it does not get done. EVOLVED assigns clear ownership for every criterion, every evidence requirement, and every action request. Accountability is designed in, not hoped for.
Continuous Readiness
Certification should not be an annual panic. EVOLVED maintains readiness as a permanent state through evidence freshness monitoring, decay alerts, and continuous status tracking. You are always preparing, not cramming.
Commercial Reality
Hotels are businesses. Sustainability programmes that ignore commercial reality do not survive their first budget review. EVOLVED is designed to be simple enough to use, affordable enough to justify, and effective enough to demonstrate value. Good tools earn their place through results, not ideology.
How we work
Platform first. Human expertise when it matters.
EVOLVED gives hotels the structure to manage Green Key readiness through the platform, with experienced review built in and optional advisory support when a property needs a deeper second opinion.
For most hotels, EVOLVED provides the structure needed to organise evidence, assign ownership, track gaps and approach Green Key readiness with more confidence. Submissions can be reviewed by experienced Green Key audit expertise, so hotels are not left guessing whether their evidence is strong enough.
Optional benchmark audit
Some properties may want an extra level of reassurance before Green Key England arrives. For those hotels, EVOLVED can support an optional premium on-site benchmark audit: a practical mock audit against the live 2026 to 2031 Green Key criteria and the actual practices observed on the day.
Built for consultants too
EVOLVED is also useful for consultants and independent advisors supporting hospitality clients. It gives them a clearer way to manage multiple properties, shared evidence libraries, role-based access and per-property readiness reporting without rebuilding spreadsheets for every client.
Multi-property clarity
For multi-property operators, EVOLVED helps create consistency across sites while still respecting the reality of each individual property. Group-level policies, site-level evidence and local ownership can all be managed more clearly.
Beyond a recognition tier
A logo or a self-assessment portal is a useful starting point. EVOLVED is built for the work that comes after. Real evidence, structured against the live 2026 to 2031 Green Key criteria, reviewed by people who have audited 150 plus hotels, and ready when an awarding body arrives to verify it. The goal is operational readiness, not a badge on a website.
The Four Pillars
The EVOLVED ecosystem
EVOLVED is built on four interconnected pillars. Each one plays a specific role in turning sustainability ambition into operational readiness.
HIVECommunity & People
Sustainability is more than paperwork. It is people. HIVE connects your hotel with its community, builds team accountability, and structures the human side of Green Key readiness.
Community engagement and charitable initiative tracking
Named ownership for every criterion and evidence gap
Staff training records and awareness programmes
Local stakeholder partnerships documented for audit
BLOOM is the educational hub for modern hospitality. Expert articles, Green Key criteria guides, technology showcases, and training resources that give your team the knowledge to operate sustainably.
Expert articles on sustainability strategy and practice
Full Green Key criteria library with evidence guidance
Technology and innovation showcase for hotels
Training materials and video resources (growing library)
Food and beverage operations represent some of the most complex evidence requirements in Green Key. SEED structures your F&B compliance, from supplier documentation through waste management to procurement policy.
Structured collection of supplier certifications and sourcing documentation
Waste reduction, recycling, and responsible disposal evidence workflows
Supply chain documentation for sustainable and local procurement
F&B criteria alignment mapped directly to Green Key requirements
Energy consumption, water usage, emissions monitoring. These are the measurable outcomes that Green Key evaluates. CARBON structures your environmental evidence so every claim is backed by current, reviewable data.
Utility bills, consumption data, and environmental monitoring evidence
Freshness tracking to ensure nothing goes stale before audit
Environmental policy and sustainability commitment evidence workflows
Resource reduction targets and measurable outcome tracking
Built by someone who knows hospitality and the audit room
Caio Merino
20+ years across hotels, serviced apartments, events, catering, restaurants and sustainability audits
Experience across internationally recognised luxury hospitality, high-end events and premium guest environments in the UK, Europe and Brazil
Founder and former operator of a serviced apartment business in central London
Independent sustainability consultant and Green Key auditor
150+ hotel audits reviewed across independent properties, luxury hotels and international groups
Practical experience across operations, guest experience, property management, commercial ownership and sustainability evidence
Built EVOLVED to make sustainability easier to run inside real hospitality businesses
EVOLVED was created by Caio Merino, a hospitality professional, entrepreneur and sustainability specialist with more than 20 years of experience across hotels, serviced apartments, events, catering, restaurants and sustainability audits.
Before working in sustainability, Caio built his career inside demanding hospitality environments, including internationally recognised luxury hotels, high-end events, private hospitality, restaurants, catering, guest experience and property operations across the UK, Europe and Brazil.
He later founded and ran a serviced apartment business in central London, giving him direct experience of what it takes to operate in a competitive, high-expectation market where guest experience, commercial pressure and operational discipline all matter at the same time.
That background matters.
Sustainability in hospitality is not just about policies, certificates or good intentions. It is about people, suppliers, training, guest experience, budgets, ownership, evidence, systems and time. It has to work in the real operation, not just in a document folder.
As an independent sustainability consultant and Green Key auditor, Caio has reviewed more than 150 hotel audits across independent properties, luxury hotels and international groups. The same pattern appears again and again: good teams, good intentions, but scattered evidence, unclear ownership and sustainability work that only becomes urgent when an audit is approaching.
EVOLVED was built to fix that gap.
It is not a software company that happened to choose sustainability. It is hospitality, audit and operational experience turned into a working system.
A clearer way for hotels to organise evidence, assign ownership, identify gaps and stay ready over time.
Green Key readiness is where EVOLVED starts.
Making hospitality sustainability easier to run is where it is going.
Join the next chapter
EVOLVED is looking for hotels ready to approach Green Key certification with operational discipline and structured evidence management.
Where people, community, and purpose meet. HIVE connects your hotel with its community, builds accountability within your team, and structures the human side of Green Key readiness, from staff engagement to charitable initiatives and local stakeholder partnerships.
What It Covers
Community, governance, and people
Sustainability is more than paperwork. It is people. HIVE connects your hotel with its community, builds accountability within your team, and structures the human side of Green Key readiness.
BLOOM is where knowledge meets practice. From sustainability guides and Green Key criteria explanations to expert articles, technology showcases, and training resources. BLOOM gives hospitality professionals the insight they need to operate sustainably and stay ahead.
What It Covers
Knowledge, articles, and innovation
BLOOM is more than a criteria library. It is an educational ecosystem. Expert articles, technology showcases, and practical training resources alongside full Green Key guidance.
Food and beverage operations represent some of the most complex evidence requirements in Green Key. SEED structures your F&B compliance, from supplier documentation through waste management to procurement policy.
What It Covers
F&B compliance without the complexity
Food and beverage is one of the most evidence-heavy areas of Green Key. SEED provides the structured workflows to collect, organise, and maintain that evidence without overwhelming your kitchen and procurement teams.
Energy consumption, water usage, emissions monitoring. These are the measurable outcomes that Green Key evaluates. CARBON structures your environmental evidence so every claim is backed by current, reviewable data.
What It Covers
Environmental evidence, structured and current
Environmental data is the backbone of Green Key. CARBON ensures your resource evidence is structured, maintained, and defensible. Not just present, but reviewable and current at audit time.
CARBON directly supports the Green Key 2026 to 2031 sections that measure environmental performance, resource consumption, and greenhouse gas accountability.
Energy and Carbon · Energy ManagementEnergy and Carbon · HVAC, Equipment and LightsEnergy and Carbon · Greenhouse GasWater · Management and PollutionLiving Environment · Indoor Environment
See how CARBON tracks your environmental evidence
Discover how structured resource evidence workflows give you a defensible, current record of your environmental performance, ready for audit, not assembled in panic.
Straightforward answers about what EVOLVED does, who it is for, and how it works.
EVOLVED is the hospitality sustainability platform for independent hotels, ownership groups, branded and managed properties. Built natively on the Green Key 2026 to 2031 standard, it combines structured evidence management with expert review by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. Structured readiness support that works before, alongside or instead of traditional consultancy support. An optional premium on-site benchmark audit is available, a Green Key mock audit at the property.
No. EVOLVED does not grant Green Key certification. It is a readiness platform that helps hotels prepare their evidence, track compliance, and maintain readiness for the Green Key audit. The certification decision remains with the Green Key auditor and the Foundation for Environmental Education.
EVOLVED is structured readiness support for hotels and their advisors. Use it before, alongside or instead of traditional consultancy support. Platform plus expert review by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team takes your hotel from setup to audit-ready, and every submission is reviewed by our auditor before you go to Green Key England for the formal audit.
For deeper on-site work, with a strategic sustainability advisor walking your property, gap analysis against the live Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria and the actual practices observed at the property (essentially a Green Key mock audit), we offer this as a premium on-site benchmark audit. Hotels see exactly what audit day will look like, with evidence already in order through the platform.
Sustainability consultants and advisors are welcome to use EVOLVED as their working system, requesting access for multiple properties or portfolios. EVOLVED is designed to be platform first, with hands-on advisory available.
It is an optional, in-person engagement on top of the platform. An experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team visits the property and walks the operation. That is a gap analysis against the live Green Key 2026 to 2031 criteria and the actual practices observed on the day. Essentially a Green Key mock audit.
The benchmark is not against other hotels. It is against the criteria themselves and the reality of how your property runs, so you see exactly what audit day will look like before Green Key England arrives. Evidence collected through the platform is already in order, so the visit focuses on practice, not paperwork.
The formal Green Key audit and certification decision remain with Green Key England and the Foundation for Environmental Education. We do not replace that.
EVOLVED embeds the Green Key criteria library directly in the platform. You determine which criteria apply to your property, then collect and review evidence against each one through structured workflows. The platform tracks your readiness status continuously, monitors evidence freshness, and gives you a clear view of where you stand before your audit.
EVOLVED is designed for independent hotels, ownership groups, branded and managed properties. It serves Property Leads who manage day-to-day readiness, Group Leads who oversee multiple properties, operations leaders and GMs who need visibility, and sustainability or environmental managers who own the compliance brief. Consultants and advisors supporting hospitality clients can also use EVOLVED as their working system.
All evidence is submitted through secure in-platform flows. Property Leads and Contributors upload documents, certificates, photos, and other evidence through structured forms that capture category, format, and metadata. Contributors use secure links without needing full accounts. Evidence cannot be submitted via email or any off-platform channel. Everything stays within the secure workspace.
Spreadsheets track what you think you have. EVOLVED tracks what you actually have, with evidence attached, reviewed, and current. Every criterion links to specific evidence items. Reviewers assess quality through structured workflows. Freshness monitoring catches expiring evidence. Role-based access ensures the right people see the right things. It is an operational system, not a filing cabinet.
AI supports our expert reviewer by summarising evidence documents and surfacing details worth a closer look. It does not replace the reviewer, and it does not decide anything. Every acceptance, rejection, or action request is made by an experienced Green Key auditor on the EVOLVED team. The reviewer holds the professional judgement; AI helps them move faster.
EVOLVED is designed for independent hotels and multi-property operators, typically managing 1 to 25 properties. Purpose-built for independent hotels, ownership groups, branded and managed properties, not enterprise chains with hundreds of properties. This focus ensures every feature serves your actual needs.
You create your property workspace, configure your profile, and begin mapping Green Key criteria to your operation. Roles are assigned, contributor links are generated, and evidence collection begins. The platform guides you through each step, from applicability determination through evidence submission and review to continuous readiness tracking. You are operational from day one.
Still have questions?
Get in touch and we will walk you through everything.
EVOLVED is opening to a limited cohort of early hotels and advisors. Tell us a little about your property and we will be in touch as places become available.
Thank you
You are on the list. We will be in touch as early access places become available.
EVOLVED is currently building its early access programme for independent hotels, ownership groups and hospitality operators seeking Green Key certification.
Legal
Privacy policy
How EVOLVED collects, uses, stores and protects your information.
Last updated: 11 June 2026
Introduction
This privacy policy explains how EVOLVED collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you visit hospitality.eco, request early access, contact us, subscribe to updates or interact with our website and related services.
We have written this policy to be clear and practical. If anything is unclear, please contact us at evolved@hospitality.eco.
Who we are
EVOLVED is currently operated by Caio Merino, trading as Caio Merino Audits, in the United Kingdom.
For the purposes of this policy, “we”, “us” and “EVOLVED” refer to Caio Merino trading as Caio Merino Audits, unless and until the EVOLVED business is transferred to a new legal entity.
If the legal structure of EVOLVED changes in the future, this policy will be updated to identify the new data controller and explain any material change to how personal information is handled.
This policy covers personal information collected through:
hospitality.eco
EVOLVED early access forms
contact forms
email communications
newsletter or update sign-ups
analytics and cookie tools used on the website
future EVOLVED platform communications linked to early access or launch activity
This policy does not cover third-party websites that we may link to. Those websites will have their own privacy policies.
Information we collect
We may collect the following types of information.
Information you provide directly
This may include:
your name
your email address
your job title or role
your hotel, company or organisation name
your property type
the number of properties you are connected with
your area of interest, such as Green Key readiness, evidence organisation, team engagement, food and waste, carbon and resources, or consultant/advisor access
messages or information you send to us through forms or email
any other information you choose to provide
Information collected automatically
When you visit the website, we may collect limited technical and usage information, such as:
IP address
browser type
device type
operating system
pages visited
time spent on the site
links clicked
referring website
approximate location based on technical data
cookie preferences
This helps us understand how people use the website and improve the experience.
Information from email interactions
If you join the early access list or subscribe to updates, we may collect information about:
whether an email was delivered
whether an email was opened
whether links in the email were clicked
unsubscribe activity
This helps us send more relevant updates and understand whether our communications are useful.
How we use your information
We use personal information to:
respond to enquiries
manage early access requests
send EVOLVED updates
send confirmation emails
understand who is interested in EVOLVED
improve the website and platform
manage future pilot or product access
understand website performance
keep records of communications
protect the website and prevent misuse
comply with legal obligations
We do not sell your personal information.
Lawful bases for using your information
Under UK GDPR, we need a lawful basis to use personal information. Depending on the situation, we may rely on the following lawful bases.
Consent
We may rely on consent when you choose to receive updates, accept non-essential cookies, or subscribe to communications.
You can withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing from emails or contacting us.
Legitimate interests
We may rely on legitimate interests to respond to enquiries, manage early access requests, improve the website, understand visitor behaviour, and communicate with people who have shown interest in EVOLVED.
We only rely on legitimate interests where we believe our use of personal information is reasonable, proportionate and not harmful to your rights.
Contract or steps before a contract
If you ask to join a pilot, request access, enquire about services, or become a customer, we may use your information to take steps before entering into a contract or to provide services under a contract.
Legal obligation
We may use personal information where required to comply with legal, tax, accounting or regulatory obligations.
Early access and email updates
If you request early access, we may use your information to:
confirm your request
send updates about EVOLVED
invite you to take part in a pilot or product discussion
ask questions about your hotel, group or advisory role
send relevant information about Green Key readiness and hospitality sustainability
You can unsubscribe from email updates at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us at evolved@hospitality.eco.
Service providers we use
We use trusted service providers to operate the website, manage early access requests, store contact information, send updates and understand how visitors use the site.
These may include:
Vercel: website hosting and deployment
Supabase: secure storage of early access and contact form submissions
Loops: email communications, early access updates and related launch communications
Analytics tools: website usage analytics, where cookies or similar technologies are accepted
GitHub: code repository and development workflow, where relevant to website development
These providers only process personal information for the purposes described in this policy and in connection with EVOLVED’s website, platform and related services.
We will update this policy if we add or materially change the service providers we use for personal information.
Cookies and analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies to make the website work, understand how visitors use it and improve the experience.
Some cookies are essential for the website to function. Other cookies, such as analytics cookies, are optional.
Where required, we will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.
You can accept or decline non-essential cookies through the cookie banner. You can also control cookies through your browser settings.
If you decline analytics cookies, the website should still work normally.
What cookies may be used for
Cookies and similar technologies may be used to:
remember cookie preferences
support website security
understand which pages are visited
understand which buttons or links are clicked
measure how the website performs
improve the user experience
We do not use cookies to sell personal information.
Sharing your information
We may share personal information with service providers who help us operate the website, store information, send emails, manage analytics or provide technical support.
We may also share information if required by law, regulation, court order or to protect our legal rights.
We do not sell your personal information.
International transfers
Some of the service providers we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area.
Where this happens, we will rely on appropriate safeguards, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses or other lawful transfer mechanisms where required.
How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
As a general guide:
early access and enquiry information may be kept while EVOLVED is being developed, launched and operated
email subscription information may be kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it
communication records may be kept for business, legal or administrative reasons
analytics information may be kept in aggregated or anonymised form where possible
If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so unless we need to keep it for legal, accounting, security or legitimate business reasons.
How we protect your information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
This includes using reputable service providers, access controls and secure systems where appropriate.
No website or online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we aim to use proportionate safeguards for the type of information we collect.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:
access the personal information we hold about you
ask us to correct inaccurate information
ask us to delete your information
ask us to restrict how we use your information
object to certain uses of your information
withdraw consent where we rely on consent
ask for your information to be transferred to another provider in some circumstances
EVOLVED may update its legal structure in the future, including by transferring the operation of the website, platform, early access list and related services to a limited company or another appropriate legal entity.
If this happens, we will update this policy to identify the new data controller and explain any material change to how personal information is handled.
The purpose of processing personal information will remain connected to EVOLVED, the website, the platform, early access, customer communications and related sustainability services.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time.
The latest version will always be published on this page with the date of the most recent update.
If we make material changes, we may take additional steps to notify users where appropriate.
The terms that apply when you use the EVOLVED website and early access programme.
Placeholder. The full EVOLVED terms of service are being finalised and will be published here before general availability.
Early access
EVOLVED is currently in early access. The product is being built, and features described on this site may change before launch.
Your use of this site
You agree to use this site lawfully and not to submit false information through the early access form. We may decline early access requests at our discretion.
Limitation of liability
This site is provided as is, while EVOLVED is in development. We are not yet processing audit or compliance data through the public site, so no certification decisions should be made based on information shown here.
Contact
EVOLVED is operated by Caio Merino, a sole trader registered with HMRC in the United Kingdom. For any questions, contact evolved@hospitality.eco.
We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our site, helping us improve the experience.
No personal data is shared with third parties.
Privacy Policy
