Gothenburg at the top when the world's sustainable cities are ranked

“This is a great award to receive and a huge recognition. Gothenburg has for many years successfully driven the development of a more sustainable meeting industry and hospitality industry. GDSI was born in our city, and the fact that there are now over 70 cities that have joined is in line with our ambition to be an international role model in sustainability, says Peter Grönberg, CEO of Gothenburg & Co”, says Peter Grönberg, CEO of Gothenburg & Co.

The Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI) is a comparative annual ranking that started in 2016. Last year it was not done due to the pandemic and this year the interest was greater than ever with 73 participating cities from around the world. Gothenburg received the Leadership award for the fifth time.

“It is an intensive teamwork that lies behind where both the city and the industry are involved. We have great challenges to deal with here and now. Collaboration is our superpower, and it is together in our cities and internationally that we can contribute to solutions”, says Katarina Thorstensson sustainability strategist at Gothenburg & Co.

GDSI is a broad measure of how good cities are at working with sustainability. Assessment and scoring are based on 69 different criteria that cover everything from recycling, greenhouse gas emissions, accessibility, inclusion, safety and security, sustainability-certified hotels and restaurants to whether there are sustainability strategies for both public and private actors.

“Gothenburg does an impressive job. The city shows year after year a methodical and smart sustainability work that has become a model for other destinations. It feels very good to hand out the prize to Gothenburg”, says Guy Bigwood, initiator and responsible for GDSI.

In recent years, Gothenburg has received great international attention for its sustainability work. In 2020, the EU Commission named Gothenburg the capital of smart tourism and in 2021, Lonely Planet named Gothenburg "best sustainable city stay".

Read more about GDSI and all cities' results: 2021 Results - GDS-Movement