1. Sustainability Management & Legal compliance

Excursions Ireland are committed to managing our sustainability in line with legal compliance by:

✓ Appointing an employee who is responsible for sustainability coordination
✓ Embracing a sustainability mission statement, communicating it to our customers, partners and suppliers
✓ Providing an accessible and written sustainability policy aiming for a reduction of negative social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts relating to the company’s activities; and including employee related health and safety aspects
✓ Actively collaborating in external forums and working groups supporting sustainable tourism
✓ Conducting a baseline assessment of the company’s performance on sustainable practices
✓ Identifying sustainability guidelines working alongside an assessment system to identify the sustainability performance of key suppliers/partners
✓ Creating a sustainability action plan with clear targets, actions, measures, responsibilities and time planning
✓ Ensuring the company’s transparency in sustainability by public reporting and communicating where possible
✓ Ensuring that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it
✓ Committing to complying with all national legislation, regulations and codes of practice

 

2. Internal management: social policy & human rights

Excursions Ireland commits to sustainable internal management by having clear written and well-communicated social policy including:

✓ Granting employees the freedom of contracted employment
✓ Outlining and complying with labour conditions according to national employment and labourlaws
✓ Outlining the employment wage in employee contracts which is equal to or above the nationallegal minimum wage
✓ Providing medical and liability insurance according in line with national law
✓ Granting employees fixed paid yearly holiday, sick leave and unpaid annual leave allowance inline with local labour laws
✓ Implementing health and safety policies for employees which comply with national legal standards
✓ Complying with minimum age employment law
✓ Implementing procedures for documenting employees’ concerns, complaints and expectations
✓ Outling clear disciplinary procedures that are effectively communicated to employees
✓ Implementing measures for employee satisfaction regularly
✓ Providing guidance and training for employees on roles, rights and responsibilities regarding health and safety issues
✓ Where possible, creating opportunities for students that participate in traineeship/internship/apprenticeship
✓ Championing non-bias employment opportunities for persons of all gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs and sexual orientation
✓ Supporting employees, giving them equal opportunities and access to resources for personal development through regular training and/or education

 

3. Internal management: environment and community relations

Excursions Ireland commits to environment and community relations by:

✓ Actively reducing the use of disposable and consumer goods
✓ Favouring the purchase of sustainable goods and services
✓ Purchasing products in bulk, in order to reduce the amount of packaging materials
✓ Reducing printing where it is not completely necessary
✓ Setting copy and printing machines by default to double-sided printing or other forms of paper saving modes
✓ Using cleaning materials which are non-hazardous and contributing to a better environment, if locally available and applicable on surfaces/areas being cleaned
✓ Printing on environmentally friendly paper, if locally available at reasonable costs
✓ Having an active commitment to measure, monitor and reduce energy consumption
✓ An aim to purchase green energy, when available
✓ Switching off Lights and equipment when not in use
✓ Preferring low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;
✓ Choosing sustainable water sourcing where applicable
✓ Complying with the national legislation concerning waste disposal
✓ Taking action to reduce the amount of (non-re-fillable) plastic bottles of drinking water for office use
✓ Separating all materials which can be recycled and organise proper disposal
✓ Implementing waste reducing methods when using ink and toner cartridges for printing and copying, whenever feasible
✓ Recycling or properly disposing batteries
✓ Complying with national legislation of wastewater treatment, which should be reused or released safely
✓ Implementing practices to minimise pollution from its buildings (as far as being able to be controlled by the company)
✓ Encouraging staff related travel to use more sustainable modes of transport
✓ Calculating its emissions, with the aim to reduce and compensate, through a reliable locally available programme
✓ Financially encouraging employees to use public transport or sustainable means of transport
✓ Reducing transport related impacts by online meetings and work-at-home policies or other means
✓ Maintaining and properly checking motorised company vehicles, to reduce emissions and
energy use and make sure they comply with the legal emission standards
✓ Providing periodic guidance, training and/or information to all staff members, about their roles and responsibilities with respect to internal environmental practices
✓ Contributing 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. Partnerships

Based on an inventory of our key partnerships Excursions Ireland’s aim is to make sustainable development an important factor when partnering with our business. We commit to this by:

✓ Keeping a list of the sustainability policies of partner accommodations and suppliers
✓ Minimising the ecological footprint of the office by travelling mainly via public transport or pooling, working as paperless as possible, separating waste, and to make use of certified recycled paper
✓ Paying attention to the local benefits of communities when selecting local accommodations and their social policy for employees
✓ Informing key partners on the company’s standards
✓ Having an agreement in place with our partnerships

 

5. Transport & Drivers

Excursions Ireland aims to ensure that vehicles used on tours are omitting average to limited pollution. We are conscious of ongoing upgrades to vehicles reducing their carbon emissions and we work alongside our partners to encourage the reduction in these emissions. We commit to this by:

✓ Selecting the most sustainable options considering price and comfort when selecting transport options to the destination
✓ Considering and giving preference to more sustainable alternatives when selecting transport options for transfers and excursions in the destination, considering price, comfort, and practical considerations
✓ Integrating sustainable offerings in our tour programmes

 

6. Accommodations

Excursions Ireland aims to partner with accommodations that are encouraged and supportive of sustainable practices along with creating and implementing their own. We commit to this by:

✓ Selecting accommodations that have a sustainability policy in place whilst also being mindful of costs and comfort for our guests
✓ Supporting accommodations that follow best practices/trainings on responsible tourism
✓ Communicating our sustainability objectives and requirements regarding accommodations to contracted and other relevant accommodations
✓ Working with accommodations that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage, while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities

 

7. Excursions and Activities

Excursions Ireland values animal and community welfare and aims that our tours only leave a minor footprint (if any). We are supporting the authenticity of the communities and the natural environment and are strongly against harming wildlife and polluting the environment. We commit to this by:
✓ Advising guests on behaviour standards during excursions and activities with a main focus on respecting the local culture, nature, and environment
✓ Not offering any excursions that harm humans, animals, plants, natural resources such as water and energy, or which are socially and culturally unacceptable
✓ Not offering any excursions in which wildlife are held captive, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law
✓ Not being involved with companies that harvest, consume, display, sell, or trade wildlife species unless it is part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilisation is sustainable and 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
✓ Promoting and advise our guests on 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.

 

8. External tour leaders, local representatives and guides

Excursions Ireland aims to involve as many locals as possible by employing them in the tourism business. We stand for a fair and safe working environment that supports and respects local communities. We commit to this by:

✓ Ensuring local guides, representatives, tour leaders and freelancers have a written employment agreement, including labour conditions and a job description, and fully understand the terms and conditions
✓ Preferring to work with local tour leaders, local representatives, local tour guides, drivers and other local staff in case of equal ability, and provide training as required
✓ Ensuring that our local partners support and comply with all applicable international, national, and local laws and regulations, industry minimum standards, and any other relevant statutory requirements
✓ Paying tour leaders, local representatives, guides, porters and other local staff contracted by us at least a living wage that is equal to or above the legal minimum or relevant industry standard
✓ Ensuring that our tour guides, hosts, and other employees are qualified and trained regularly
✓ Ensuring that our local employees are informed on relevant aspects of our sustainability policy and comply with it, by newsletters, references or supplements to contracts, emails, or training and information sessions
✓ Having our tour leaders, local representatives and guides inform clients on relevantwustainability matters in the destination (e.g. protection of flora, fauna, and cultural heritage, resource use), social norms and values (e.g. tips, dressing code and photography)