C2C3
Eliminates hazardous chemical exposure in guest rooms by replacing indoor biocides with permanent prevention
Zero chemical residue across all certified guest rooms
The forgotten poison – the missing fourth pillar in every hotel’s environmental footprint
A global standard helping accommodation providers eliminate indoor biocides, measure their carbon and biodiversity impact, and demonstrate material environmental and social outcomes. ECGT-compliant. Verified 24/7.
The Impact of Invisible Indoor Biocides
Hospitality is the world’s heaviest user of indoor biocides — with a growing carbon and biodiversity cost
Pest control is outsourced to third-party vendors. Hotels have no visibility into what chemicals enter guest rooms. The impact hides under procurement.
Carbon: Manufacturing, transporting, and applying biocides generates emissions per room per year — through both preventive and reactive treatment cycles.
Biodiversity: 95% of applied indoor biocide migrates into air, water, and soil. Water-soluble and persistent, concentrations keep growing — directly linked to pollinator populations declining over 75% in 27 years.
The trend: Bed bug infestations — the primary driver of indoor biocide use — are becoming structural, growing 20% year-on-year globally. As infestations rise, so does pesticide volume.
Valpas certifies in real time that your guest rooms are proactively kept pest and pesticide-free.
The certification replaces indoor biocides with permanent safety infrastructure, measures the resulting carbon and biodiversity impact, and provides verified proof for OTAs, corporate procurement, and ESG reporting – per room, per stay. The following criteria define what your property must meet to be certified.
C1
Disclosure of pest and pesticide management history
Transparency Criterion
The property discloses its recent history of bed bug infestations, treatments, and biocides used, where available.
C2
Permanent safety infrastructure installed across 100% of guest rooms
Infrastructure Criterion
Every guest room must be equipped with Valpas permanent in-room safety infrastructure, ensuring zero indoor biocide use for bed bug control.
C3
Continuous verified operation with real-time room-level status
Upkeep Criterion
Unlike annual audit cycles, the Valpas certification verifies room-level status 24/7 — producing continuous, verifiable proof per room.
User-facing label
Bed bug-safe certified
Verification cadence
24/7
Real-time, 24/7
Scope of coverage
Property-level
Mechanism
Pesticide-free prevention through permanent in-room safety infrastructure
Third-party verification
Recognitions
Aligned frameworks
GRESBBREEAMLEEDEU EcolabelEU ECGT
Helping hospitality providers measure and demonstrate material environmental and social impact across UN SDGs.
SDG
Criteria
Mechanism
Indicator
C2
Eliminates water-soluble pesticide input, removing a pollution source from freshwater systems
~328 g of hazardous chemical per room per year (~0.9 g per guest night) no longer entering water systems
C2
Eliminates occupational exposure to toxic pesticide formulations for hotel workers
Zero pesticide handling or contact required in certified properties
C2C3
Addresses the systemic pest and pesticide problem by replacing reactive chemical practices that contribute to spread with permanent infrastructure that stops it
30,000+ rooms on permanent safety infrastructure across 80+ destinations
C2
Removes a disproportionate health burden from hospitality workers and high-tourism communities, who bear the effects of both pest exposure and untracked pesticide use
Zero occupational pesticide exposure; reduced pest and chemical burden on surrounding residential communities
C2
Prevents hotel-to-community pest transmission, reducing the spread of pests and resulting reactive pesticide pollution into residential areas
Certified interception before community spread
C2
Replaces disposable, single-use chemical treatments that leave permanent environmental harm with reusable infrastructure
Zero pesticide packaging, chemical waste, or contaminated material disposal
C2C3
Eliminates greenhouse gas emissions from pesticide manufacturing, transport, and application cycles
1.4 t CO₂e reduced per room per year (~3.8 kg per guest night)
C2
Eliminates water-soluble pesticide input, removing a pollution source from marine and coastal ecosystems
~328 g of hazardous chemical per room per year (~0.9 g per guest night) no longer entering water systems
C2
Eliminates pesticide input, removing a pollution source from terrestrial ecosystems and pollinator habitats
95% off-target chemical migration to land environments eliminated at source
C1C2C3
Connects verification bodies, sustainability frameworks, and distribution platforms to create systemic, industry-level change
Ecosystem of independent verifiers, international sustainability bodies, and travel distribution partners
C2C3
Eliminates hazardous chemical exposure in guest rooms by replacing indoor biocides with permanent prevention
Zero chemical residue across all certified guest rooms
C2
Eliminates water-soluble pesticide input, removing a pollution source from freshwater systems
~328 g of hazardous chemical per room per year (~0.9 g per guest night) no longer entering water systems
C2
Eliminates occupational exposure to toxic pesticide formulations for hotel workers
Zero pesticide handling or contact required in certified properties
C2C3
Addresses the systemic pest and pesticide problem by replacing reactive chemical practices that contribute to spread with permanent infrastructure that stops it
30,000+ rooms on permanent safety infrastructure across 80+ destinations
C2
Removes a disproportionate health burden from hospitality workers and high-tourism communities, who bear the effects of both pest exposure and untracked pesticide use
Zero occupational pesticide exposure; reduced pest and chemical burden on surrounding residential communities
C2
Prevents hotel-to-community pest transmission, reducing the spread of pests and resulting reactive pesticide pollution into residential areas
Certified interception before community spread
C2
Replaces disposable, single-use chemical treatments that leave permanent environmental harm with reusable infrastructure
Zero pesticide packaging, chemical waste, or contaminated material disposal
C2C3
Eliminates greenhouse gas emissions from pesticide manufacturing, transport, and application cycles
1.4 t CO₂e reduced per room per year (~3.8 kg per guest night)
C2
Eliminates water-soluble pesticide input, removing a pollution source from marine and coastal ecosystems
~328 g of hazardous chemical per room per year (~0.9 g per guest night) no longer entering water systems
C2
Eliminates pesticide input, removing a pollution source from terrestrial ecosystems and pollinator habitats
95% off-target chemical migration to land environments eliminated at source
C1C2C3
Connects verification bodies, sustainability frameworks, and distribution platforms to create systemic, industry-level change
Ecosystem of independent verifiers, international sustainability bodies, and travel distribution partners
What’s at stake – the fourth pillar of hotel sustainability.
75% of animal species on Earth are insects. They maintain healthy soil, recycle nutrients, pollinate plants, and control pests. But insect populations have declined by more than 75% in 27 years. Neonicotinoids – the most commonly applied indoor biocide – have been directly linked to their decline. Hospitality is their heaviest user.
→Read more about the risks of indoor biocidesFor partnerships, framework alignment, and methodology documentation.
The Valpas certification team works directly with sustainability bodies, framework operators, hotel groups, and press.
Partner inquiries & framework alignment
certification@valpas.ioPress & ecosystem partnerships
info@valpas.io