Sustainability Policy
Sustainability mission statement
“Our mission is to offer a unique, memorable, and sustainable experience in the heart of Arctic nature. We are committed to growing as a sustainable company and continuously learning and improving the sustainability performance of Arctic Yeti. We aim to do this by minimizing negative impacts on the natural environment. We strive to protect the Arctic nature and wildlife and support local communities. We acknowledge and value sustainability as the way forward.”
Purpose
The company is committed to learning, and growing sustainably, as well as minimizing our environmental impact. The purpose of this policy is to express and communicate our commitment to a more sustainable approach by establishing the framework for identifying, monitoring, and improving aspects of our company’s environmental and social performance.
Scope
This policy applies to all employees of the company, suppliers, and relevant stakeholders. When possible, within the constraints of the available budgets, employees, suppliers, and stakeholders are expected to fully uphold the objectives of this policy.
The sustainability coordinator of the company is responsible for implementing the company’s sustainability policy.
Sustainability management & legal compliance
Sustainability commitment
Arctic Yeti management is fully committed to the company’s sustainability performance and endorses the company’s sustainability mission statement and policy.
We will use the Travelife platform to report on our sustainability progress and to monitor and evaluate progress. We are committed to (publicly) communicating our sustainability performance (by means of the Travelife report) every two years.
Sustainability management & legal compliance
Arctic Yeti commits to continuous improvement of sustainability practices, including the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our sustainability policy, with dedicated personnel and resources to achieve our sustainability goals.
Arctic Yeti follows all local, regional, national, and international regulations as they relate to human resources, human rights, children’s rights, land rights, environmental management, wildlife, and land use. We follow a strict Code of Ethics, including a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, bribery, forced labor, and discrimination.
Internal management: Social policy & human rights
- Arctic Yeti is committed to the principle of fair and equal pay for like work and for work of equal value for all its employees, and contractors, regardless of gender/sex, race, national origin, marital status, age, or religion.
- Arctic Yeti is committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace/work culture where all employees are able to perform their duties and recognize their potential.
- Arctic Yeti is committed to a zero-tolerance policy for acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights, including forced labor, human trafficking, and all rights of children.
- Arctic Yeti further expects this commitment from all partners and suppliers.
Internal management: environment
Environmental management of office operations
- Arctic Yeti is committed to managing environmental impact as an integral part of our operations.
- Arctic Yeti is continuously seeking opportunities to improve our environmental performance by establishing objectives and targets, measuring progress, and reporting our results.
- We practice a waste hierarchical approach to always reduce, reuse, and recycle commodities and products instead of waste, particularly waste to landfill.
Carbon management of office operations
- Arctic Yeti is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and works to minimize our travel as much as possible by:
- Monitoring and measuring carbon footprint with the aim to reduce as much as possible and offset the remaining amounts by June 2024
- Encouraging remote work whenever possible
- Installing energy-efficient equipment and appliances [where appropriate/possible]
Land use
- The Arctic Yeti office is located in a suburban area, abides by all local land use laws, and respects local cultural and natural resources in our business operations.
General suppliers’ policy
- Arctic Yeti is committed to sourcing its products and services responsibly, avoiding harmful impacts on society, culture, and nature as much as possible. We expect the same level of engagement and commitment from our suppliers.
- When possible Arctic Yeti prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment towards sustainability.
- Arctic Yeti prefers to work with suppliers in the destinations that are locally owned or managed, use local and seasonal products and services and benefit the local community by hiring locally and equitably and by providing fair working conditions.
- Arctic Yeti expects its suppliers to follow responsible business practices, such as:
- Complying with all local, regional, national, and international regulations
- Respecting all human rights including labor rights, children’s rights, and women’s rights
- Committing to fair employment conditions
- Following anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-extortion, and anti-discrimination policies
- Protecting children from (sexual) exploitation through tourism
- Protecting the environment and natural resources
- Acting in the best interest of local communities
- Protecting the interests of Arctic Yeti
- Arctic Yeti follows a zero-tolerance policy and will immediately terminate any relationships with suppliers that violate our policies specifically through acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
Transport
- Arctic Yeti uses our own vehicles for the transport of guests and business-related travel and commits to choosing the most environmentally friendly option available at the given time for travelling to, from, and within the destination – taking into consideration distance, price, route, and comfort.
- Arctic Yeti has included the following measures for reducing GHG emissions and selecting the most environmentally friendly transport options:
- Using appropriate vehicle sizes for group sizes and purchasing the most efficient vehicles available
- Encouraging the use of public transport options at the destinations where available
- Encouraging walking as a mode of transport where possible
- By the summer of 2023, Arctic Yeti will be monitoring mileage and fuel via an app called Drivvo and using GPS locators to control and optimize our transport.
Accommodations
- Arctic Yeti takes into account the sustainability performance and social and environmental footprint of an accommodation.
- Arctic Yeti prioritizes relationships with accommodation suppliers that do not harm the environment or local communities.
- Preference is given to accommodations that work with internationally acknowledged certifications, taking into account price and comfort criteria. When no suitable certified accommodations are available preference is given to accommodations with a positive and verifiable reputation on sustainability practices.
- Arctic Yeti favors the selection of accommodations that respect and protect land use, as well as respectfully highlight elements of local architecture, customs, and traditions.
- If contracted accommodations jeopardize the integrity of and the local community’s access to essential resources, essential services, access to livelihood, and access to important sites, Arctic Yeti reserves the right to terminate the contract without warning.
Activities & excursions
- Arctic Yeti only works with excursion providers that adhere to the company’s policies.
- All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Arctic Yeti respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
- Arctic Yeti offers no activities that harm humans, wildlife, the environment, or which are socially/culturally unacceptable.
- Arctic Yeti gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animal welfare and support environmental protection.
- By June 2024 Arctic Yeti will have clear Codes of Conduct in place for environmentally and culturally sensitive excursions offered by or on behalf of the company. These guidelines will be actively communicated to guests as well as distributed and implemented by excursion providers and guides.
- Arctic Yeti offers no excursions in which captive wildlife are involved. Excursions that include interactions with wildlife comply with relevant codes of conduct. Any disturbance of natural ecosystems is minimized.
- In the case of violation of this criterion, Arctic Yeti will discontinue its cooperation with the offending company.
Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides
- All Arctic Yeti guides are trained according to the Adventure Travel Guide Standard. This includes specific training on the critical issue of sexual exploitation of children in tourism as well as regular training in the sustainability topics of the destination.
- Arctic Yeti understands and acknowledges that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying the appropriate behavior to them.
- Arctic Yeti provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics including free access to the Travelife online learning platform.
- Arctic Yeti commits to hiring qualified guides, porters, drivers, or other local staff, paying them living wages and providing safe and fair working conditions. We expect the same from our suppliers who hire local staff on behalf of Arctic Yeti.
Destinations
Sustainable destinations
- Arctic Yeti prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.
- In order to prevent over-tourism, Arctic Yeti aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas.
- Arctic Yeti does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.
Contribution to local communities / local economic network
- Arctic Yeti commits to making a positive contribution to the destinations in which we operate, by:
- Sourcing locally and responsibly and supporting local and traditional arts and culture
- Encouraging guests to shop responsibly and educating them about illegal/prohibited/forbidden souvenirs
- Respecting and advocating for all human rights (i.e., children’s rights, women’s rights, labor rights, etc.) as well as land rights
- Arctic Yeti does not allow the purchase of souvenirs containing threatened flora and fauna species, any illegally obtained historic/archaeological artifacts, drugs or illegal substances, and abides by local and international laws in place to prevent this.
Environmental stewardship in destinations
- Arctic Yeti commits to environmental stewardship in the destinations in which we operate by:
- Ensuring natural resources remain intact
- Educating guests about the principles of responsible travel and responsible visitor behavior
Customer communication and protection
Privacy
- Customer protection is our priority. Therefore, we maintain a clear privacy policy (https://arcticyeti.com/privacy-policy/) and protection of data policy (https://arcticyeti.com/data-protection/) to ensure:
- Legal compliance in all regards
- Customers and their data are protected
- Customers know how their information is being used
Marketing and communication
- Arctic Yeti ensures that no marketing and advertisement document, statement, or other publication, shall contain misleading information. We guarantee that all our staff are aware of and ensure that what is offered can be delivered to our clients with ease.
- Arctic Yeti strives to be truthful in all situations, and at all times. We offer products and services that do what we claim in our communications.
- We honor our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.
- We strongly oppose “greenwashing” and back up all our sustainability claims.
- We endeavor to be inclusive and representative in our marketing and to always take into account cultural, religious, and ethnic sensitivities.
Sustainability communication
- Customers are informed about the social and environmental impact of their journey through our guides, and are educated about the sustainable choices they can make, including transparent communication on:
- Certified accommodations
- Activities and excursions that benefit the local communities and environmental protection
- Responsible shopping and illegal souvenirs
Customer experience
- The company aims for all customer experiences to be positive, and follows strict health and safety, marketing, and excursion policies to ensure customer satisfaction. These policies cover specific topics (but are not limited to):
- Health and safety
- Emergency procedures
- Privacy
- Group numbers
- Transport
- Sexual exploitation
- Children in tourism
- Satisfaction and complaints
- Arctic Yeti maintains open lines of communication with our customers and encourages feedback at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.
Contact / Responsible person
- All staff are responsible for the ownership and undertaking of this policy.
- All staff are responsible for the promotion and implementation of this sustainability policy within their departments.
- The implementation of this policy will be led by the Sustainability Coordinator, Iluuna Yakaboylu, who can be reached at iluuna@arcticyeti.com
Travelife Partner
Arctic Yeti complies with more than 100 criteria, related to an operator’s office management, product range, international business partners and customer information. The Travelife Partner level standard is covering the ISO 26000 Corporate Social Responsibility themes, including environment, biodiversity, human rights, and labour relation.