Quality, Sustainability and Environment
Zarpar is the platform that connects boat owners and crew members to live unique nautical experiences. ZARPAR’s mission is to multiply by 10 the use of boats in Spain and promote social boating. From 15 outings per year per boat only in summer, to 150 outings all year round.
Quality, Sustainability and Environment
Fernando Fraile, General Director of ICTES
José Antonio López Alvarellos, CEO of Supernova
Luis Gómez, Club Náutico San Antonio de Ibiza
Javier Ruiz de Cortázar, Real Club Náutico de Portonovo
Magdalena Martínez, Real Club Náutico de Calpe
This roundtable brought together experts and club representatives to discuss quality, sustainability and environment in the nautical sector.
The Experts
Fernando Fraile opened by explaining what the Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality is. Basically, they manage the famous Q for Quality and the new S for Sustainability. Most notably: they’re converting their Spanish sustainability standard into a worldwide ISO standard. Over 100 countries voted last July for the Spanish model to be the basis of the international standard. Not bad, right?
Fernando emphasized something key: with so many “seals” and “diplomas” out there, the European Union is bringing order. Now they require two basic things for any serious certification: that it responds to a public standard (not invented by each individual) and that there’s an independent external audit. In other words, no “self-declarations” or certificates over the phone.
José Antonio López Alvarellos (CEO of Supernova) got more to the point with nautical clubs. His message: excellence today is incomplete if it doesn’t include real commitment to the planet. Nautical clubs are guardians of the sea, and that comes with responsibility.
He explained that quality isn’t just having a dock without cracks or a crane that works. It’s the entire experience: from the welcome to how clean the bathroom is. And so it’s not just talk, it needs to be certified: ISO 9001, Q for Quality, ISO 14001, S for Sustainability, and for the most daring, EMAS (the European regulation that’s the highest level).
He also connected all this with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Did you know there are 17 SDGs but 169 specific targets? Nautical clubs directly impact several: SDG-14 (life below water), SDG-12 (responsible consumption) and SDG-7 (clean energy).
Three immediate action areas he proposed:
- Waste management: separate hazardous waste (oils, batteries, paints) and eliminate single-use plastics
- Energy efficiency: LED everywhere and solar panels. Water reuse systems
- Biodiversity protection: seabed cleanups and education about invasive species
The Club Experiences
Magdalena Martínez (Real Club Náutico de Calpe) told a story of 20 years of work. The club is almost 50 years old and since 2001 they’ve been committed to ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications. Then came EMAS, Q for Quality, and now the sustainability report.
Her most interesting reflection: having your house in order isn’t just to “hang flags on masts”. It’s having clear processes, staff knowing how to work, and the board of directors (who are volunteers, let’s remember) being able to make decisions with confidence.
Something nice she said: they’ve had the Blue Flag since 1987 uninterrupted, along with Club Náutico de Altea. They’re pioneers in Spain. And yes, they have a sustainability committee that reviews objectives every year.
Luis Gómez (Club Náutico San Antonio de Ibiza) was the most emotional. He started by saying he’s from humanities and all this technology scares him a bit, but they’re doing well. His club has 700 members, 500 berths (80% for small boats) and a team of 60-100 people depending on the season. Curious detail: all departments except one are led by women.
Luis talked about “blue gold”: while others have oil or gas, we have the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. If we don’t take care of it, we’re lost.
They’ve been doing the “Sea Week” for over 30 years: they invite schools from Ibiza, hold a contest with 5th grade students on marine topics, and the winners swap classroom classes for classes on the boat. Over 20,000 students have participated. When he talked about seeing special needs children enjoying the sea and their parents crying with emotion, you could tell this is very serious for him.
Javier Ruiz de Cortázar (President of Club Náutico de Portonovo) was very practical. They have all certifications since 2011 (Q, Blue Flag, ISO 14001, EMAS, S for Sustainability).
Why do they have them? Because:
- You organize better
- You document everything and have a history to improve
- You reduce consumption (electricity, water, waste)
- You give a better image
- You raise awareness among members
And here came the interesting part: Ports of Galicia gives them discounts on port fees for having certifications. And the Xunta de Galicia (Tourism of Galicia) subsidizes up to 50-55% of the external audit cost. It’s not much, he admitted, but it helps.
His key phrase: “Certifications are a means to an end, not an end in themselves”. The goal of clubs is social: promotion of water sports, training of new generations. Yes, you have to manage them like businesses, but you don’t look at the economic bottom line, you look at the social and educational bottom line.
The Debate
An interesting debate arose about whether clubs are businesses or social entities. Luis made it clear: “We don’t focus on making profits. We want to reinvest in education and integration of special needs children”. Though he clarified: “You have to manage it like a business, but without losing money”.
They also talked about transit tourism: boats that come passing through. Everyone agreed that you have to give them the same service as members, because if you do something well 4 or 5 people find out, but if you do it badly 25 find out.
And of course, the eternal dilemma: when you organize big regattas (Luis mentioned the Ruta de la Sal with 200 boats and a thousand people), how do you maintain quality? His answer: “We open the doors and then we solve it somehow”.
Conclusions
Nautical clubs have to be sustainability benchmarks. It’s not marketing, it’s responsibility. Certifications aren’t for showing off, they’re for better organization, reducing costs, complying with the law and, above all, giving back to society what it has given us.
And education is the foundation of everything. If children learn from a young age to take care of the sea and posidonia, the future is a bit more secure.
As Fernando said: “Tourism is the solution, not the problem. And any effort in quality and sustainability, before serving tourists, serves our neighbors”.