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How to obtain a UIAA Environment Label

The UIAA Environment Label exists to promote high standards of conduct and responsible access for climbing and mountain activities. Providers of organised activities such as a training centre, trekking or expedition organisation, qualified instructor or guide who is prepared to support and act according to the UIAA’s Environmental Objectives and Guidelines can apply for the label.

The UIAA has 82 member associations in 57 countries (which represent nearly 1.3 million individual members and the interests of 10’s of millions of participants) and is committed to following good practice in the mountains. The UIAA welcomes the same commitment from other providers of climbing and mountain activities.

If you are interested in applying for the label, please contact the UIAA office.

What are the benefits?

  1. UIAA Environment label holders can use the UIAA Environment logo to demonstrate their commitment to internationally agreed good environmental practice.
  2.  UIAA Environment Label holders are listed on the UIAA website and are invited to submit examples of good practice that the UIAA can highlight on the website environmental and news pages.  
  3. UIAA Environmental Label holders support the UIAA’s specialist work to on the protection of mountain environments and responsible access in mountain activities. Environment Label holders will receive an annual report on the UIAA’s environmental work.  

Who can apply and how?

Any provider of organised climbing and mountain activities such as a training centre, trekking or expedition organisation, qualified instructor or guide who is committed to following the UIAA’s environmental objectives, guidelines and standards can apply for the Environment Label. You do not need to be in a UIAA member association.

By applying for the Environment Label the applicant undertakes to follow the conditions and procedures outlined below and makes a commitment to demonstrate high standards of conduct in climbing and mountain activities.

The Environmental Label commitment

1)         To work within the current UIAA Environmental Objectives and Guidelines and the annexed documents referred to in the objectives and guidelines.
2)         To provide all participants in the activities covered by the Environment Label with a pre-activity briefing on access issues and procedures that minimise the impact of the activity on the environment in the area visited.
3)         After the activities have been completed to provide all participants with an opportunity for evaluation and feed-back on the conduct of the activities in respect of access issues and impact on the environment.
4)         To pay an annual UIAA Environment Label fee (see below Environment Label Fees).
5)         To return an annual questionnaire and/or summary report on the activities covered by the label.
6)         To display the UIAA Environment Label logo in accordance with the UIAA regulations and to provide a link to the UIAA website (www.theuiaa.org) on your website.
 
The UIAA will review the criteria for the Environment Label regularly, and reserves the right to decline, suspend or withdraw the issue of the label at its discretion. 

Environment Label fees

There is an annual fee for holders of the UIAA Environment Label which is valid for the current calendar year.

1.    For individuals the current fee is 100 Swiss Francs.

2.    For organisations we have a two-tier fee system:
Organisations from countries with high-income economies the fee is 500 Swiss Francs (all OECD countries and those with similar economies).
Organisations from countries with lower-income economies the fee is 250 Swiss Francs (Africa, South America, the Himalayan countries and other non OECD low income countries).
 
Environment Label fees must be paid at the time of application by either international bank transfer or by using our paypal facility, which can be provided by the UIAA office on request.
Thereafter an invoice will be sent each year 30 days before the annual fees are due.
 

Environment label logo

The UIAA Environment Label logo may only be used by those individuals and companies that have had their application accepted by the UIAA and have paid the relevant annual fee. If the application has not been accepted or the relevant annual fee has not been paid the use of the UIAA Environment Label logo is not permitted in any circumstances.

Once the application has been accepted by the UIAA the label holder will be sent the UIAA Environment Label logo and guidelines for use in their own promotional publications, adverts and stationary.

Example of the UIAA Environment Label logo:

 
Environment Label holders may (in any language) make statements such as: “we follow (or support) the UIAA Environmental Objectives and Guidelines”; they may not state or imply any other approval or recognition from the UIAA.
The UIAA Environmental objectives and guidelines