COP31 Antalya: Sustainability Preparation for Businesses
What Should Businesses Prepare Before COP31?
The COP31 climate summit will be held in Antalya in November 2026, and it will put the sustainability practices of local businesses in the spotlight. This article gives hotel, restaurant, supplier and service business owners a practical answer to one question: “what can we put in order on sustainability before the summit?” We focus on zero waste, water and energy efficiency, and carbon footprint.
What Does COP31 Preparation Mean, and Which Businesses Does It Concern?
Preparing for COP31 means taking the environmental work a business should already be doing, tying it to a timeline and making it measurable and documented. COP is the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; during the summit, guests, tour operators and corporate clients can be expected to ask businesses more questions about sustainability.
In Antalya, sustainability preparation for COP31 particularly concerns accommodation providers, food and beverage businesses, conference and event service providers, transfer and transport companies, and suppliers of products or services to hotels. Any business where summit visitors stay, eat or use services will benefit from being able to demonstrate its practices.
Preparation should not be a purely cosmetic exercise. When a written policy, measured data and arrangements that genuinely work on site come together, what a business says matches what it does. This approach leaves a lasting foundation that remains useful long after the summit.
What Should Be Done, Step by Step, Before the Summit?
The first step is to measure where you stand, then start with the most visible areas that are easiest to improve. With limited time left, setting priorities works better than trying to do everything at once.
1. Assess Your Current Position
Gather recent electricity, natural gas, LPG, fuel and water bills into a single table. Check your waste types and approximate quantities, which companies collect your waste, and the delivery records you hold. This table both sets your improvement priorities and provides the raw data for a carbon footprint calculation.
2. Make Zero Waste Work on Site
If you have a zero waste management system on paper, check whether it actually works on site. This step covers having collection equipment in the right places with the right labels, separating waste in the kitchen and on guest floors, handing waste over to licensed companies and keeping records up to date. Properties offering buffet service should also address food waste reduction separately.
3. Secure Quick Wins in Water and Energy Use
For water efficiency, start with flow rates at taps and showers, leaks, the timing and method of landscape irrigation, and usage habits in the laundry and kitchen. On the energy side, lighting, air-conditioning settings, consumption in empty rooms, hot water systems and equipment maintenance stand out. These low-investment measures also motivate staff when they deliver measurable results.
4. Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
A carbon footprint is the calculation of the greenhouse gas emissions arising from a business's activities over a given period. The fuel and electricity data gathered in step one forms the basis of this calculation. A calculation carried out with a recognised method and clearly defined boundaries gives a consistent result that can be shared with guests and corporate clients.
5. Complete Your Policy, Training and Communication
Write a short, clear sustainability policy, assign responsible people and brief your staff. Front office, housekeeping, kitchen and technical teams should give consistent answers to guests' questions. On your website and on site, describe only the practices you genuinely carry out.
If you would like to prioritise these steps for your business and turn them into a roadmap, you can learn more about our sustainability consultancy service.
COP31 Preparation Checklist
The list below summarises the key documents and information your business should have ready before the summit:
A list of current environmental permits, licences and registrations, with their validity status
Assignment, equipment and training records under your zero waste management system
Quantities by waste type and delivery records to licensed companies
Recent electricity, fuel, natural gas and water consumption data
A short list of completed and planned water and energy efficiency improvements
Data sources and calculation boundaries used in the carbon footprint calculation
A written sustainability policy and the names of responsible people
Dates and attendance records of staff training
Environmental information requested from suppliers (products, packaging, transport)
Management system certificates such as ISO 14001 and internal audit results, if any
A short sustainability information note for guests and corporate clients
Keeping these documents in a single folder, both in print and digitally, saves time when a client, tour operator or inspection request comes in.
Common Mistakes and Points to Watch
A common mistake is to start sustainability work with communication before any measurement. General claims such as “eco-friendly property” can damage trust when there is no data or documentation behind them.
Other points to watch include:
Installing zero waste equipment without checking whether separation actually happens on site
Calculating the carbon footprint from electricity use alone, leaving out sources such as fuel, refrigerant gases and transport
Introducing water-saving measures without considering guest comfort
Measuring once and not tracking regularly
Leaving suppliers out of the process
Launching practices without briefing staff
Treating the summit as a short-term campaign
The last point matters most. When COP31 is treated as a starting point, the work done continues to support cost control, documentation processes and reputation after the summit.
Notes for Businesses in Antalya
In Antalya, COP31 preparation particularly concerns tourism businesses, but its impact is not limited to one sector. For accommodation providers, water, energy and food waste are the key issues; the gap between peak summer season and low-occupancy periods makes monthly tracking of consumption data necessary.
November coincides with a period when some properties close for the season or undergo maintenance, which can offer a suitable window for technical improvements. For agriculture and food businesses, water use and packaging waste come to the fore; for industrial and construction companies, energy, fuel and waste management.
Suppliers of products and services to hotels should also bear in mind that their clients may request environmental information. A short, accurate information note on packaging, transport and product content makes such requests easier to meet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does COP31 bring new legal obligations for businesses in Antalya?
As an event, the summit does not directly impose legal obligations on businesses; environmental obligations arise from the legislation in force. These obligations apply regardless of the summit. The summit does, however, make both legal and voluntary practices more visible.
How can a small hotel or restaurant prepare for COP31?
For small businesses, a good starting point is to gather consumption bills, organise waste separation and brief staff. These three steps require little investment and deliver measurable results. A carbon footprint calculation and a short sustainability policy can then be added.
Can a carbon footprint calculation be completed before the summit?
The time needed depends on how well data has been kept. If bills and consumption records are ready, the process moves faster; if data is missing, a data collection routine needs to be set up first. Even if the calculation is not finished before the summit, having started shows that the business takes the issue seriously.
How should we communicate our sustainability work to guests?
Describe only the practices you genuinely carry out and can document, in plain language. A measured figure, a concrete practice or a certificate is more convincing than general slogans. Make sure the information on site and the statements on your website are consistent.
Support for Your Summit Preparation
COP31 is a good opportunity for businesses in Antalya to put their sustainability work in order. Contact us to build a preparation plan tailored to your business; let us assess your current position together.
Written by Okan Nas, Environmental Engineer, Asel Çevre Danışmanlık.
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