Sustainability Policy

Purpose The company is committed to developing and being a eco friendly tour sellers. The purpose of this policy is to become a certified sustainable tourism organization by end of 2023

Scope
This policy applies to all the stakeolders that are connected with our company like our guides service providers.This Policy does not apply to the third party that is responsible for implementing the company’s sustainability policy.

Sustainability management & legal compliance
Sustainability commitment
Around The Himalayas leadership is wholly 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
Around The Himalayas Pvt Ltd 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.
Around The Himalayas Pvt Ltd 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
Employees
We recognize that our employees are our biggest asset for delivering meaningful travel experiences to our customers. Therefore, we maintain a clear human resource policy to ensure:
♦ Legal compliance in all regards
♦ A safe, healthy, and welcoming workplace
♦ Fair contract conditions including fair compensation
♦ Training opportunities including trainings on topics of sustainability, sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace and in the industry
♦ Participation in the sustainability planning activities
♦ Inclusion and equal opportunity for all employees, particularly with regard to compensation,promotion, distribution of benefits, and professional development opportunities.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd supports both career-related and job-related professional development activities.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd 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, religion.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd is committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and inclusive work place/work culture where all employees are able to perform their duties/to recognise their potential.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd is committed to a zero-tolerance policy for acts of bribery, corruption,discrimination, and violation of human rights, including forced labour, human trafficking, and all rights of children.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd further expects this commitment from all partners and suppliers.

Internal management: environment
Environmental management of office operations
► We are committed to keeping the direct footprint of our business operations as minimal as possible and actively follow circularity/the 5Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle)/sustainability/environmentally- sound principles. We have the following measures in place:
♦ Follow all local and national regulations concerning environmental law
♦ Measure, monitor, and evaluate use of all commodities and products purchased, especially in terms of water, waste, energy, and carbon
♦ Procure office supply. locally, seasonally, fair trade, in bulk, with limited packaging, sustainability certified whenever possible
♦ Print only when absolutely necessary, and when printing, always print double-sided on grayscale.
♦ Paper must always be FSC or equivalent certified, with preference for the highest percentage post- consumer materials
♦ Energy saving measures are in place in all common areas
♦ All equipment and lighting is energy-efficient and turned off/unplugged/on sleep mode when not in use
♦ Water saving measures are in place in all common areas and restrooms, including water capture in external areas
♦ Waste is separated into the following categories plastic, organic, paper products, metal, hazardous, glass, e-waste, waste to landfill and is disposed of properly by Kathmandu Municipality.
♦ Noise, light, and air pollution is minimised
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd is committed to managing environmental impact as an integral part of our operations. It is our policy to assure the environmental integrity of our processes and products at all times by:
♦ Continuously seeking opportunities to improve our environmental performance by establishing objectives and targets, measuring progress, and reporting our results, including but not limited to energy, water, paper, and carbon.
♦ Practising a waste hierarchical approach to always reduce, reuse, and recycle commodities and products instead of waste, particularly waste to landfill.
♦ Promoting participation and communicating our commitment to responsible environmental management by promoting environmental responsibility amongst our employees and stakeholders and soliciting input from them to better achieve our environmental goals.
♦ Minimising pollution including light, noise, and any soil, water, or air contaminants, and avoiding use of any toxic or hazardous substances.

Carbon management of office operations
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and endeavours to reduce the amount we travel as much as possible by:
♦ Reduce the amount we travel as much as possible
♦ Monitoring and measuremeasuring carbon footprint with the aim to reduce as much as possible and offset remaining amounts.
♦ Encourageing remote work whenever possible, and when it is not possible, making it easier for employees to limit their carbon footprint by use of eco modes of transportation.
♦ We commit to offsetting our remaining direct and indirect carbon from travel and fossil energy use.
♦ Implementing procedures such as following proper maintenance for vehicle fleet, offering incentives such as bike rental stipend and showers
♦ Installing energy efficient equipment and appliances where ever its possible.

Land use
Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd offices are located in a suburban area and abides by all local land use laws, respects local cultural and natural resources in our business operations, and favours sustainable architecture and design.

General suppliers policy
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd 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.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment towards sustainability. This means that we prefer partners that have a written sustainability statement as an integral part of their business policy and/or a clear sustainability policy in place.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd 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.
► Whenever possible, Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism-specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or ISO.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd offers incentives for partners that are actively engaged in sustainable operations.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd expects its suppliers to adhere to a Code of Ethics, that includes the following responsible business practices:
♦ Complying with all local, regional, national and international regulations
♦ Respecting all human rights including labour 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 Around The Himalayas Pvt Ltd

Our complete supplier Code of Ethics is available here:
♦ Following a zero-tolerance policy, Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd will immediately terminate any relationship♦s with suppliers that violate [our policies/the [Code of Conduct/Code of Ethics], specifically through acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd raises awareness amongst its suppliers to adopt sound social and environmental practices, and to minimise their carbon footprint.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd actively collaborates with suppliers to improve their sustainability performance. We encourage our suppliers to continuously learn about sustainability and provide/support this learning whenever possible.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd maintains open lines of communication with our suppliers and partners and encourage feedback from our stakeholders at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.

Inbound partner agencies
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd only works with partner agencies that adhere to the company’s Code of Ethics.
♦ In the entire process of developing and operating our travel packages, Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd expects partner agencies to act in the best interests of the surrounding communities and environment as well as our guests.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd provides partner agencies opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.

Transport
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd only works with transport providers that adhere to the company’s Code of Ethics.
► When selecting transport for guests and business related travel, Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd commits to choosing the most environmentally friendly options available for travelling to, from, and within the destination – taking into consideration distance, price, route, and comfort.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd has implemented clear guidelines for reducing GHG emissions from transport and selecting the most environmentally friendly transport options, including the following measures:
♦ Preferring ground transport over air transport for short-haul travel destinations
♦ Avoiding in-destination flights as much as possible
♦ Offering rail-and-fly transport to and from the airport
♦ Using public transportation options in the destinations
♦ Using appropriate vehicle sizes for group sizes and purchasing most efficient vehicles available
♦ Training drivers on eco-driving techniques.
♦ Use of Evs Whenever possible.
► Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd endeavours – and has a system in place – to measure and compensate for the unavoidable GHG emissions produced from transportation. Compensation costs are either included by default in the package price or compensation is actively promoted to the clients as a booking option.

Accommodations
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd only works with accommodations that adhere to the company’s Code of Ethics.
♦ In the accommodation selection process, [Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd] considers the sustainability practices of an accommodation by taking into account their sustainability management and social and environmental footprint.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd favours the selection of accommodations that respect and protect land use, as well as respectfully highlight elements of local architecture, customs and traditions.
♦ Onsite Assement of the accomodation partners to ensure the proper sustainability measures has been followed.

Activities & Excursions
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd only works with excursion providers that adhere to the company’s Code of Ethics.
♦ All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animal welfare and support environmental protection.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd has clear guidelines/Codes of Conduct in place for environmentally and culturally sensitive excursions offered by or on behalf of the company. These guidelines are actively communicated to guests as well as distributed and implemented by excursion providers and guides.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd provides excursion and attraction providers opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd provides trained excursion and sight seeing guides promoting local and authentic cultural experiences.

Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd commits to hiring qualified local 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 that are hiring local staff on behalf of Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd understands that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying the appropriate behaviour to them.Therefore, we make sure that all guides hired by or leading tours on behalf of Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd are trained regularly and knowledgeable in the sustainability topics of the destination.
♦ Our guides are specifically trained on the critical issue of sexual exploitation of children in tourism.[Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd] provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics including providing free access to the Travelife online learning platform.

Destinations
Sustainable destinations ♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas to avoid overtourism.
♦ Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.


Contribution to local communities / local economic network
► [Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd] commits to 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
♦Collaborating with other local tourism stakeholders [including local government, other tourism businesses, academia, community groups] to further the sustainable tourism development of the destination
♦Respecting and advocating for all human rights (i.e. children's rights, women’s rights, labour rights, etc.) as well as land rights

Environmental stewardship in destinations
►[Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd] 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 behaviour

Customer communication and protection
Privacy
►Our customer protection is our priority. Therefore, we maintain a clear privacy policy [add link] to ensure
♦Legal compliance in all regards
♦Customers and their data are protected
♦Customers know how their information is being used

Marketing and communication ♦Around The Himalayas Pvt. Ltd 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 honour our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.
♦We are anti-greenwashing and stand behind our sustainability claims 100%.
♦We endeavour 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, and are educated about the sustainable choices they can make, including transparent communication on:
♦Certified accommodations
♦Compensation of their trips CO2 emissions
♦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 of (but not limited to):
♦Health and safety
♦Emergency procedures
♦Privacy
♦Group numbers
♦Greenhouse Gas emissions and offsetting
♦Transport
♦Shopping
♦Sexual exploitation
♦Children in tourism
♦Satisfaction and complaints

►[Around The Himalayas Pvt Ltd] 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 lead by the Sustainability Coordinator, Saugat Karki, who can be reached at saugat@aroundthehimalayas.com

Definitions
“Sustainable Tourism” is defined as “ concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities.”
Effective date
This policy is effective from [2023-01-01].