We Care! at Stayokay

Did you know that going on holiday and making conscious choices go hand in hand? For example, by choosing a holiday in your own country, you reduce the distance you travel. This can help to minimise the environmental impact of your trip – sometimes without you even realising it!

Did you know that Stayokay is EU Ecolabel-certified? More than 15 years ago, we became the first hostel chain to be awarded the EU Ecolabel for tourist accommodation, the official European sustainability label for non-food products. This demonstrates that we are actively working to reduce our environmental impact by using energy, water and waste more responsibly. This label is independently audited.

We focus our efforts on four sustainability themes: Good Energy, Keep it Longer, We love H2O, and Feel Good.

Being mindful of our energy use plays an important role in our hostels, and we take various measures to achieve this. For example, we use energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting, we insulate our buildings, and we encourage our guests to be mindful of their energy use. We do this by sharing fun facts and tips, which are displayed throughout the hostel.

Why not dig out your favourite jumper from the wardrobe on Warm Jumper Day, or switch off the lights and light some candles during Earth Hour? We organise fun events in our hostels that tie in with this theme! These events not only help raise awareness and engagement around the topic of energy, but also make for a really cosy and fun atmosphere!

The sun isn't just great for your daily dose of vitamin D, it has super powers too! It keeps you warm not only outside, but also inside. 8 hostels have solar panels and we will continue to expand this. In 2025, 293,970 kWh have already been generated by our 1193 solar panels. This could supply electricity to as many as 96.7 Dutch households! (Source: milieucentraal, based on consumption of 2420 kWh per household per year). In addition, Stayokay also purchases 100% sustainably generated renewable energy (from Dutch solar power stations and wind turbines).

The adventure starts on the way there! That’s why we’re making it easier to travel to our hostels in an eco-friendly way. Many of our locations have charging stations for electric cars, and we encourage you to explore the area by bike. Are you coming by public transportation? That’s also a convenient option for many of our hostels. And with our bike plan, we’re inspiring our employees to hop on their bikes and ride to work, too.

At Stayokay, we separate our waste; paper, plastic, cans, drinking cartons and residual waste. And you as a guest can help us do that! In the kitchen, we also separate organic waste, glass and frying oil. The deep-frying oil is turned into biodiesel, a sustainable fuel. Coffee grounds are packed with valuable nutrients. You can use it for your plants, or for growing delicious fungi, for example! Did you know that you can eat the tastiest oyster mushroom bitter­ballen with us, made from oyster mushrooms grown on coffee grounds?

Did you know that you can contribute to a good cause with something as simple as caps (the metal caps on beer and soft drink bottles)? The collected caps are donated to a charity near a number of hostels, which receive a fee for the metal. This way, they don't end up in the incinerator!.

We know that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, which is why we sometimes pile our plates a bit too enthusiastically.  That’s why we encourage you to take another trip round the buffet and help yourself to smaller portions. That way, we’ll have less to throw away and we can all work together to prevent food waste. We also stock products made from ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away. Such as the delicious soups from the Verspillingsfabriek. Is there any food left over? If so, we offer it at a number of hostels via Too Good To Go.

Smart food monitor Orbisk

Every year, a third of all the valuable food produced worldwide is wasted. 14% of this comes from the food service market, such as the hospitality industry. Such a shame! One of Stayokay's focus points is therefore to prevent food waste as much as possible. To get a handle on this, we use Orbisk*, a smart food monitor. Thanks to the insights gained from the monitor, we have been able to improve our processes and reduce our food waste by more than 12,000 kg!

*The Orbisk is a monitor that uses photos (AI function) and weight to measure how much food is thrown away and at what time of day.

We think it’s a shame to throw away items and materials unnecessarily. That’s why our employees wear work uniforms made from our old work uniforms and used PET bottles. So the old clothing is reunited with the employee. How cool is that?! When renovating the hostels, some of the interior furnishings are purchased secondhand, or an item—such as a piece of furniture—is refurbished and prepared for a second life. In 2022, in collaboration with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, we launched a project with the “circular wood” pilot. In this project, an old bunk bed or wardrobe was transformed into, for example, a new chair! Our Wikkelhouses are also made from nearly 100% recyclable material.

All our restrooms are stocked with toilet rolls from The Good Roll, made from fast-growing bamboo instead of traditional toilet paper made from wood pulp. So no trees are cut down for these. By the way, did you know that 50% of their net profits go toward building toilets in various countries in Africa? We’re happy to contribute to that!

If we do nothing now, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea (by weight) than fish (source: Plastic Soup Foundation). In our hostels, we try to raise our guests’ awareness of the ‘plastic soup’ through initiatives such as the ‘Message on a Bottle’ art installation. We minimise the use of single-use plastic as much as possible; for example, you won’t find small packets of spreads and butter on the breakfast buffet. We continue to scrutinise our use of plastic and look for good, suitable alternatives.

We work with sustainable cleaning agents that pollute water less. These detergents have a good dosing system, saving us an average of 300 kg of plastic packaging every year.

Water consumption must also be reduced. Through shower hangers, we inspire our guests to take shorter showers. 5-minute showers really do take longer than you think! 😉 Within the organisation, we reduce water consumption by using water-saving taps and shower heads, among other things, and critically examine the purchase of company clothing, the production of which also consumes a great deal of water.

We also have our bedding and towels washed as sustainably as possible. We do this consciously with our supplier Lamme, who, like us, considers sustainability very important. Extra clean for you and the planet!

In the Netherlands, we all grew up drinking tap water and for us this is the most normal thing in the world. But guests from abroad often do not know that Dutch tap water is drinkable and very healthy! We like to make them aware of this through our water tap points, with which we want to encourage drinking tap water. We also sold more than 1100 reusable water bottles to our guests (in 2022 and 2023), preventing about 47,160 single-use plastic water bottles!

At Stayokay, we regularly organise activities where guests can learn more about nature and our environment, which helps raise awareness and foster a sense of involvement amongst people of all ages. How much litter do you collect during one of our clean-up days? Who knows, you might even get a bingo in our litter bingo game, which you can take with you on your outing! We’re also a partner of Nederland Schoon, and together we’re on a mission to prevent litter.

On Black Friday, we take part in the counter-movement known as Green Friday. We work with Trees For All and donate a tree for every booking made on Green Friday.

We also have hostels for our very youngest guests: BeeOkay’s! Here, the bees feel at home and have a lovely place to stay. Insects also find a home in one of our many insect ‘hostels’. It’s nice to take a moment to think about this during your stay and see up close who’s staying there! 
Various plants grow on the roofs of several hostels. This not only collects rainwater, but also provides a habitat for insects and helps keep the building cooler on hot days. 

Did you know that we offer the very best group activities based on this theme? We’d love to show you how you can take your surroundings into account through both small and big choices. How about visiting an open-air rooftop farm amongst the skyscrapers or taking part in an upcycling workshop? Or perhaps you’d enjoy growing your own oyster mushrooms and cooking with them even more? 

Learning about nature and your surroundings can be surprisingly fun! We love introducing groups to these topics in an accessible and enjoyable way! 

Exploring, investigating and coming up with new ideas! Together with CuNa Education, pupils step into the shoes of a consultant. They take a fresh look at the hostel and come up with ways for the venue to manage issues such as energy, water, waste and nature even more effectively.

Delicious food makes your stay even more enjoyable. That’s why, wherever possible, we choose products with a quality label and are keen to work with suppliers who care about provenance and quality. For example, you can enjoy UTZ-certified coffee or Fairtrade tea here. 

You’ll also find a range of organic products at breakfast and lunch, such as bread and rice cakes. Makes sense, doesn’t it? 

Are you vegetarian or vegan? No problem! There’s always something delicious to choose from. And after a day full of adventure, you can relax with a glass of our organic house wine or an organic juice. Cheers!

For many children, a school camp isn’t a given, or a holiday is simply out of the question. Stay4all is here to put a stop to that! We ensure that children don’t have to miss out on school camp and give families in need the chance to make wonderful memories together. 

Since 2023, we’ve already made 234 families happy with a short holiday in the Netherlands!

Read more about the Stay4all here (in Dutch).

Everyone is welcome at Stayokay. We love different perspectives, backgrounds and stories. With colleagues from 38 nationalities (in 2025), we set a great example of this every day. We believe it’s important that everyone feels respected, safe and valued. Open to everyone – that’s what we stand for!

To ensure inclusivity, we believe it’s wonderful and absolutely vital to be socially engaged. For example, we work with Join Us, an organisation for young people who want to give their social lives a boost. They use our venues free of charge for the meetings they organise. Because together, everything’s just that bit more fun!

You might come across some special books in our hostels. In partnership with Kinderzwerfboek, children’s books are travelling all across the Netherlands. You can recognise a ‘zwerfboek’ by its special sticker. You’re welcome to take one of these books for free, read it at home and then pass it on to the next reader. Leave it, for example, on the train, in a waiting room or at the ‘Zwerfstation’ in one of our hostels. That way, a single book can keep giving a new child a wonderful reading adventure time and time again! 

Together, we can achieve a great deal. That’s why we actively involve our colleagues in our We Care! programme. From saving energy and sorting waste to using water and food more wisely. Ideas big and small are welcome. Because the best improvements often come about when we work together.

We believe it’s important to feel good about yourself. That’s why we pay close attention to the wellbeing of our colleagues. Through our ‘Feel Good at Work’ programme, we inspire one another to work in a healthy, energetic and enjoyable way. This includes getting more exercise, ensuring plenty of relaxation and maintaining a good work-life balance. Because when you feel good about yourself, you go through the day with more energy. And at Stayokay, we consider that just as important as a friendly working atmosphere!

In recent years, we have won a number of sustainability awards of which we are very proud!

Gaia Green Awards
The Gaia Green Awards are presented to hospitality venues in the Netherlands and Belgium that have demonstrably taken major steps in the past year to make their organisation fully sustainable.

• Stayokay Dordrecht won the Gaia Green Awards - Plastic Free in 2024.
• Stayokay Terschelling won the Gaia Green Awards - Plastic Free in 2021.
• Nominated: Stayokay Den Haag (2018), Stayokay Texel (2022), Stayokay Maastricht (2023), Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen (2025).
• Stayokay Amsterdam Stadsdoelen won the Gaia Green Awards – Plastic-Free by 2026.

HOSCARS
Every year, Hostelworld organises the HOSCARS. These are elections among hostels worldwide, on 5 different themes: community, sustainability, digital nomad, best newcomer and best place for solo travellers. In 2022, Stayokay Terschelling was nominated for the Hoscars in the Eco Warrior category.

HSMAI Awards
Stayokay had an 'honorable mention' in the 'Best socially responsible initiative' category with its Stay4all initiative at the HSMAI Awards in 2016.

Triodos 'Hart-Hoofd' Prize
Stayokay won the Triodos Hart-Hoofd (Heart-Head) Prize in 2016. The Hart-Hoofd Prize is a public award and initiative of Triodos Bank. Every year, the organisation selects a number of entrepreneurs who make an inspiring contribution to a sustainable world in a distinctive way, with their heart and head.

Global Youth Travel Awards
Stayokay has been nominated for 'Best Responsible Tourism Campaign' in 2022. With our 'it's okay' campaign, we show our guests the ways you can contribute to sustainability. And it's easier than you think. In 2017, Stayokay was one of the finalists for 'Best Green Accommodation Initiative' with the Wikkelhouses.

HI Sustainability Fund (Hostelling International)

• In 2013, Stayokay achieved 4th place with its submission of the design of the Good Business programme to make Stayokay more sustainable and carbon neutral.
• In 2014, Stayokay finished 2nd in the race for the HI Sustainability Fund with the sustainable programme WaterSpaarders (WaterSavers). An action-oriented initiative to reduce the use of hot water to save energy.
• In 2015 winner of 2nd prize with the 'a fresh wind' project, a carbon offset programme that allowed us to invest in wind energy.
• In 2016 4th prize with the entry 'Message on a bottle' in the fight against plastic soup.