Ecoluxury Travel and all associated brands, as Company in the tourism business involved with several stakeholders (end-customers, tour operators, accommodation and transport providers, visitor attractions, restaurants, activities organizers, etc.) is aware of its responsibility for the key role to influence the development of a sustainability awareness in tourism throughouot its business activity.
Ecoluxury has been committed in this role since the origin of its name as well as the creation of Ecoluxury Retreats of the World, a collection of independent properties selected as partners because of their involvement on extraordinary sustainable projects.
For this reason we started a path to implement and promote good practices in order to contribute as much as possible to improve positive impacts and reduce negative ones on tourism. As part of this task we wish to encourage our clients and partner sto do the same.
Our Sustainability Policy is based on 10 topics, each one consisting in a fundamental and co-ordinated actions.
1) Management and Lawful compliance
Our commitment to a sustainable management is based on the following actions:
- Sustainability coordinator appointed within our employees to follow up on target tasks
- Make staff fully aware about the Sustainability Policy and are committed to implement and to improve the process with suggestions and positive ideas
- Sustainability mission statement is becoming common knowledge among customers, partners and suppliers as well as accessibile to all stakeholders of the supply chain
- Written sustainability policy meant to reduce negative social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the company’s activities; and includes employee related health and safety aspects;
- Periodic assessments of company’s performances and best practices
- Presenting Best Practice Questionnaire and/or define Guidelines to identify suppliers and partners and guide them to join our philosophy
- Follow our Action Plan to measure achievements and set up targets according to a reasonable timeline and staff engagement
- Company is open to co-operate and be part of active groups and/or attend forum and trainings concerning sustainability in tourism
- We commit to complying with all national legislation, regulations and codes of practice.
2) Internal management: social policy and human rights
The Company and all brands associated are committed to manage internal social policy and human resources according to sustainable practices, clearly written and well-communicated based on the following principles:
- Employees are granted freedom of employment and contract termination with proper notice (based on the position within the Company) without penalty
- All labor conditions are established according to National Contract (CNL) and the employement agreement includes job description
- Wage is mentioned in the employement agreement, it is mutually agreed and it equals or is more than the national legal wage
- Overtime regulation, holidays, sick or maternity/paternity leaves are specified on the employement agreement according to the national law;
- The Company complies to Health and Safety policy according to national legal standards;
- The Company makes sure staff receive regular training and up-dates on first aid and health & safety with security measures in place at all relevant locations (i.e. first aid kit, fire estinguisher, etc.)
- We value our staff therefore we are implementing procedures place for employees to voice out their complaints and expectations and to measure on a regular basis the level of satisfaction as well as having a clear disciplinary procedure that is effectively communicated with employees
Our commitment to human rights is enforced following below practices:
- Ecoluxury does not hinder trade union membership, collective labor negotiations and representation of members by trade unions
- To ensure all employees have an equal chance and access to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training, education;
- Working in Tourism meant to be open minded and respect and be ready to learn from other cultures. Our Company does not allow at any time any sort of discrimination, would that be by gender, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or any other reason.
- Respect and preserve children rights is a must forus. No child labour or exploitation or any other endangerementis tolerate.
3) Environmental Protection
We commit to practice environmental protection and enhance community relations by the enforcement of the following practices:
- Actively reduce the use of disposable
- Favor the purchase of sustainable goods for customer’s travel kit and office equipment/stationary
- Purchase products in bulk, to reduce the amount of packaging materials
- All our copy and printing machines are set up by default to double-sided printing
- Our cleaning service is require to use non-hazardous and biodegradable product as much as possible and try to uso eco-label when available
- Brochures are printed in limited copies to avoid waste and most of our promotion is on internet based material
- Commitment to reduce Energy consumption measuring the progress on a yearly basis
- We are selecting reliable companies to set up a compensation of CO2 emissions
- Preference to low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;
- Our water fountain is fully sustainable and all staff is encouraged to use aluminium bottles to avoid using caps
- We comply with local regulations in matter of waste disposal including batteries;
- Implement waste reducing methods when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying, whenever feasible;
- Contribute to the protection and preservation of local historical, archaeological, culturally, and spiritually important properties and sites, and not impede access to them by local residents
4) Share Ecoluxury philosophy with our Partners
Wewish to run our business in a more and more sustainable industry. Each stakeholder can do a bit so, on our side, we have implemented a system to improve our supply chain performance and, on the long term, move to a coherent line of business.
- Integrate our co-operation agreements with an Addendum Contract featuring all basics to run a sustainable activity (human rights, energy savings, waste management, sustainable services based on each field of application by the partners – i.e. hotels, guides, transport, dmc, etc)
- Having a selection of our favourite Accommodation providers filling out a Best Practice Questionnaire and forward, where available, their Sustainability Report
- Informing key partners on the Travelife and national tourism standards
- Implementing an evaluation system for our key partners to ensure their practices are truly sustainable;
- Motivating incoming/inbound partners to participate in sustainability trainings for travel companies;
- At the contract renewal asking all our suppliers to ensure their activity is complying with all relevant national laws protecting the rights of employees and will include a specific mention regarding premature end the contractual agreement if the partner company does not take adequate measures to prevent sexual exploitation of children within the direct supply chain;
5) Accommodation
Since 2006 Ecoluxury Retreats of the World is the brand of our collection of exclusive properties carrying out projects to preserve their local cultural and historic heritage and the environment, develop and support their communities. The Retreats become partners of the collection after a careful selection based on a Best Practice assessment aligned with GSTC criteria. Specifically for this brand we already require:
- Best Practice Questionnaire
- Sustainability Report if available
- Project up-dates
For Retreats not producing their own Sustainability Report we have designed an Ecoluxury Model they may use.
On the general topic Ecoluxury’s aim is motivating and encouraging partner accommodations to become sustainably certified directly or through DMC informing existing and potential new partners
- Our preference is for selecting accommodations locally owned and managed;
- Our preference goes to accommodations that employ local communities;
- Our preference goes to accommodations partner to international organism such as GSTC and Travelife;
- We would rather choose accommodations providing evidence clarifying their sustainability goals and strategies, better if through their sustainability report;
- Our preference goes to accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities;
- We demand to be assured that through our accommodation supply chain, the rights of children are respected and safeguarded by;
- Having a clause in contracts throughout the value chain stating a common repudiation and zero tolerance policy of sexual exploitation of children;
- Having a clause dedicated to this aspect in their contract that enables the travel company to end the contractual agreement prematurely if the accommodation supplier does not take adequate measures to prevent sexual exploitation of children;
- Training employees in children’s rights, the prevention of sexual exploitation and how to report suspected cases;
- Supporting, collaborating with, and engaging stakeholders in the prevention of sexual exploitation of children;
- Terminating cooperation with accommodation in case of clear evidence that contracted accommodations jeopardize the provision of integrity of basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or soil to the neighbouring companies as well as endangering children.
6) Activities and Excursions
Community and animal welfare, as well as environment preservation are very important to us and we aim our tours will be a mean to learn, appreciate and being inspired by them therefore we wish the impact of our tours on them is reduced to a minor footprint. Ecoluxury is stongly against any endangerment of local authenticity and natural habitat hence we are committed to
- Have an inventory of environmentally/culturally sensitive plan of activities for each destination
- Inform customers before their departure from Italy about local traditions, dos and donts as well as respecting the local culture, nature, and environment at all times. We require our partners upon destinations, especially guides, to assist them to hold on these attentions
- Share our sustainability objectives and requirements to contracted and other relevant excursion providers by distributing this information via code of conducts, representative agents, social media, email, discussions, and/or meetings, to minimise negative visitor impact and maximise enjoyment;
- Not offering any excursions that harm humans, animals (including captivity), plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or which are socially and culturally unacceptable, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law;
- Having skilled and/or certified guides to guide our guests in sensitive cultural sites, heritage sites, or ecologically sensitive destinations;
- Encourage our guests to give preference to excursions and activities which directly involve and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts and local (food) production methods, or visiting social projects;
- Promoting and advising our guests on excursions and activities which support local environment and biodiversity such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects;
7) Destination
We aim to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts at each destination to ensure the sustainable development of the places that we operate in.
We commit to this by:
- Consider sustainability aspects in the selection process of new destinations and possibly offer alternative, non-mainstream destinations;
- Comply with legally based spatial planning, protected areas and heritage regulations. Also with destination management strategies of local, regional and national authorities;
- Support initiatives that improve the relationships between accommodations and local producers;
- Support local entities (DMC, suppliers, Tour Companies ad other stakeholders) to interact with local government concerning sustainability, destination planning and management, use of natural resources and socio-cultural issues according also to end-consumers awareness and appreciation in finding and preferring new sustainable way of travel;
- Support biodiversity conservation, including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity, integrating in product offers;
- Inform the customers to careful choose souvenirs from visited countries in order to buy only authorized items and avoid just as much carefully souvenirs containing threatened flora and fauna species as indicated in the CITES treaty and the IUCN ‘Red List’ and/or historic and archaeological artefacts (except as permitted by law);
8) Customer communication and protection
Customers welfare and information are a priority to us. For this reason we ensure clear and constant communication to inform, serve and protect our clients.
Prior to booking, we commit to this by:
- Comply with relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and advertising messages, and not promise more than is delivered;
- Guide our clients to find the most suitable destination for their holidays based on their taste and needs by our experienced and trained client advisors;
- Ensure that customer privacy is not compromised;
- Make programs and tours information clear, complete and accurate, with regard to the company proposals and services, including sustainability claims;
- Provide destination information, including sustainability aspects, which is factually correct, balanced and complete;
- Inform clients about the environmental impact of different transport options to reach the destination (in case these are not included in the package), and to offer sustainable alternatives, where available or feasible.
- Promote sustainable accommodations (possibly certified), excursions, packages and/or transport options, with logos or other messages; ensuring they are recognizable to consumer and presented as the “better” option;
- Clearly inform (potential) direct customers, about sustainability commitments and actions;
After booking and during holidays, we commit to this by:
- Provide information to consumers about the natural surroundings, local culture and cultural heritage in the holiday destination including guidelines, draft in co-opertion with T.O. and DMC, and/or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions and activities, to minimize negative visitor impact and maximize enjoyment.
- Inform consumers about key sustainability aspects and issues in the destination and receive recommendations on how to make a positive contribution;
- Inform customers about risks and precautions related to health and safety matters in the destination;
- Keep a trained contact person and a telephone number permanently available for emergency situations;
- Provide customers with information about commercial, sexual or any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children and adolescents;
- Inform clients about applicable legislation concerning the purchasing, sales, import and export of historic or religious artefacts and articles containing materials of threatened flora and/or fauna in the destination;
- Motivate clients to use local restaurants and shops (where appropriate);
After holidays, we commit to this by:
- Measure systematically client satisfaction and take into account the results, for service and product improvements;
- Include sustainability as an integral part of the research into client satisfaction;
- Have clear procedures in case of complaints from clients;
CODE OF CONDUCT - Customers
BEST PRACTICES - Supplier
For information or details about our Sustainability Policy, please contact project@ecoluxury.com
