Date last updated:
Written by:

Authorised by Board:
Date to be reviewed:

December 2023
Robert Moran,
Sustainability
Manager
26-Jan-24
31-Dec-24

ITG Sustainability Policy

Sustainability Policy (2023)

Table of Contents
1

Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Scope ............................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................. 1
1.4 Review ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.5 Management .................................................................................................................... 2
1.6 Training ............................................................................................................................ 22

Our staff ................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Destination-based staff ..................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Staff volunteering ............................................................................................................. 3

3

Environmental management ..................................................................................... 4
3.1 Reduce, reuse, recycle....................................................................................................... 4
3.2 Purchasing policy .............................................................................................................. 4
3.3 Promotional materials ...................................................................................................... 4
3.4 Carbon management......................................................................................................... 6
3.5 In our offices..................................................................................................................... 6
3.6 Remote working ............................................................................................................... 6

4

Travel ....................................................................................................................... 8
4.1 Staff travel for business..................................................................................................... 8
4.2 Commuting ....................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 Client travel ...................................................................................................................... 8
4.3.1 To destinations.................................................................................................................................... 8
4.3.2 Within destinations ............................................................................................................................. 95

Responsible tourism .................................................................................................. 9
5.1 Accommodation ............................................................................................................... 9
5.2 Excursions ........................................................................................................................ 9
5.3 Animal welfare policy ....................................................................................................... 9
5.4 Illegal souvenirs ................................................................................................................ 9
5.5 Client communication on responsible tourism ................................................................. 10

6

Safeguarding .......................................................................................................... 11
6.1 Modern slavery ............................................................................................................... 11
6.2 Child safeguarding .......................................................................................................... 11

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Supply chains .......................................................................................................... 13

Sustainability Policy (2023)

1

Introduction

Being a sustainable and responsible business is integral to Inside Travel Group (ITG). This policy feeds
into all three parts of our mission statement: “To create happy clients, to be a great place to workand to have a positive impact on our destinations and local communities.”
Our Vision is to build a global cultural adventure tour operator which leads the travel industry
towards a more sustainable future and protects travel for future generations. Since setting out thisnew vision in 2020, we have since met two of our key goals laid out at the time:••

Met the highest standards of ethical business by becoming a B Corp
Committed to give back 5% of our 2023 net operating profit to organisations helping families indifficult circumstances get a break away from home.

This policy formalises our commitment to integrate responsible and sustainable decision-making
into everything we do at ITG.

1.1 Purpose
This policy document is intended to be an initial reference point for all staff working at ITG, oursuppliers and our clients. Sustainability covers a wide range of topics so this policy will signpost thereader to more in-depth policies and resources on these topics.

1.2 ScopeThis policy applies to all ITG employees however not all sections will apply to all employees. For
example, office working guidelines are not relevant for remote working staff.
1.3

Responsibilities

Global Head of Sustainability••

To inform and encourage staff to follow the policies
To inform the Sustainability Team of the policies so they can be point of contacts for theirbranches

Sustainability Team•To be knowledgeable about the policies and be a liaison with staff members within their branch.

All staff•

To read and follow the policies relevant for their role.

1.4 Review
The policy will be reviewed annually by the Global Head of Sustainability (HoS) and any updates will
be approved by the Board.
This policy will be made available on the InsideJapan Tours (IJT) and InsideAsia Tours (IAT) websites.
An Impact Report will be written every year and made public at least every two years on our
websites.

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1.5 Management
The Global Head of Sustainability (HoS) coordinates all sustainability initiatives throughout thecompany. They are managed directly by Simon King (Director). Our Sustainability Action Plan ismonitored in regular meetings between the HoS and Simon King.
The Sustainability Manager is responsible for coordinating and implementing the strategy andsustainability plan regarding our trips and destinations. They are managed directly by the HoS.
The Sustainability Executive is responsible for implementing the sustainability plan, with a particularfocus on our trips and destinations. They are managed directly by the HoS.
Branch Sustainability Coordinators (BSCs) and Branch Charity Coordinators (BCCs) in each branch areaccountable for local environmental reporting and staff and community engagement activities
respectively. The BSCs and BCCs also act as liaisons between the HoS and their branches.

1.6 Training
All staff are offered sustainability training during their induction through our online ITG
Sustainability Training modules. There are also multiple external online training opportunities thatare offered to all staff. These include topics on responsible tourism, human slavery, and childsafeguarding. Staff training is tracked and annual completion rates of the Sustainability Training are
included in our Impact Report.

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Sustainability Policy (2023)

2

Our staff

ITG ensures that all staff, employed by or contracted by the company, understand the terms andconditions of their employment, including remuneration. They are paid at least a living wage that isequal to or above the legal minimum or relevant industry standard.
There are multiple HR policies that include the following:
•
•
•
•
•

Employee Handbooks (internal link)
ITG Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure (internal link)
Mental Health Policy (internal link)
Remote Working Health and Safety Policy (internal link)
Learning and Development Policy (internal link)

2.1 Destination-based staff
Small Group Tour leaders and guides contracted by the company are appropriately qualified and aretrained regularly. Full-time tour leaders are required to complete the company’s online
Sustainability Training modules and are expected to comply with this policy.
Freelance Small Group Tour leaders and guides will be sent the relevant sections of thisSustainability Policy in the Tour Leader and Guide Handbooks at the start of their contract and will
receive updated versions at least every other year. Freelance tour leaders are also offered access tofree sustainability training sessions provided by ITG.

2.2 Staff volunteering
All staff are given one paid volunteering day a year to benefit their local community. Volunteeringtargets will be set each year to make sure ITG is having an increasing positive impact with our local
communities. Our volunteering hours and impacts will be reported on in our Impact Report everyyear.
For more information, see our Volunteering Policy.

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3

Environmental management

3.1 Reduce, reuse, recycle
ITG are committed to reducing the materials we use in our offices through the following targets:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

To measure the amount of unrecyclable waste and set goals to reduce it each year.
To purchase products in line with our purchasing policy
To provide recycling facilities for a wide range of materials.
To train staff on the best practices of how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
To recycle used electrical equipment.
To only print when necessary and use digital sharing platforms instead.
To print double-sided and in black and white where possible.

3.2 Purchasing policy
ITG gives preference to more sustainable products and services, but also considers alternatives on
price, quality, and availability. This includes the following product areas: electronics, cleaning, food,office supplies.
When selecting suppliers, we follow the policies below:
To give preference to suppliers who:
1. Have an environmental or sustainability certificate (e.g. B Corp, Fair Trade, Organic, Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC), or ISO 14001).
2. Are local to our branch, as a way of supporting our local business communities.
3. Offer repair services or spare parts, which can extend the lifespan of products.
4. Provide more sustainable packaging (e.g. recycled or biodegradable) and shipping methods (e.g.
low-emission, carbon neutral, or consolidated shipping) to reduce waste and carbon emissions.
5. Promote diversity and inclusion in their workforce and supply chain and provide fair economic
opportunities to their local communities.
6. Have a commitment to giving back to their local communities, such as educational programmes
or charitable contributions.
And, to give preference to products which:
7. Are locally sourced and manufactured.
8. Are made from reusable and/or recyclable materials where possible.
9. Are high-quality, long-lasting, and easily repairable products.
10. When purchasing, ensure that we purchase products in bulk amounts to reduce packaging andtransportation impacts.
11. Consider requesting a sample of the packaging to assess its sustainability.

3.3 Promotional materials
ITG are committed to reduce waste from our promotional materials such as our brochures andmagazine through the following policies:

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1. To measure the number of externally printed materials annually to accurately estimate thenumber needed for the following year and reduce wastage.
2. To include externally printed materials in our carbon emissions calculations.
3. To avoid printing dated materials or event-specific information on large brochure materials,
so they do not become out-of-date quickly and become redundant.
4. To only offer an e-brochure on our websites. To only print mini-brochures with general
information that requires fewer updates and remains relevant and avoid them being wasted
5. To only send brochures to clients and agents who request them.
6. To only supply travel agents with four brochures of each brand at one time. They canrequest more if they have a specific event where they are likely to give out more.
7. To print all our promotional materials on FSC Certified or recycled paper through asustainable printing supplier.
8. To find the most sustainable packaging option for our promotional materials.
9. To tell suppliers not to provide us with printed promotional materials when on FAM trips
and to politely decline if they do.

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Sustainability Policy (2023)

3.4 Carbon management
We have been measuring our carbon emissions from staff travel since 2016, from our offices since2019. Since 2023 we have been working with carbon experts ecollective to measure our entire
carbon footprint on an annual basis.
We have set a target to reduce our emissions by 50% by 2030 and identified key focus areas in our
Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to achieve this. We have set several Key Performance Indicators tomeasure our progress against and will report on these on an annual basis.
For the emissions we cannot reduce, we offset the full amount through our partner Climate Impact
Partners. This includes the emissions from all our trips; all our bookings are fully offset and carbon
neutral. The offset includes the emissions of the flights and ground arrangements of each of ourtrips, as well as the operational emissions that go into making them happen and is based on the
average emissions of our trips with an additional 1 tonne of carbon offset. This ensures that most of
our trips are carbon negative (more carbon emissions are reduced through the offset than emitted
through the trip). The carbon offset fee is already included in all our trip prices.
The carbon offset fee from our internal operations and client trips supports climate projects acrossAsia which are Gold Standard or equivalent. These have included projects such as the Household
Biogas Project, Vietnam, and the Wind Power Clean Energy Project, India.
Read more on our most up-to-date Climate Action Plan, available on our website.

3.5 In our offices
Our key measures to reduce carbon emissions in all our offices are:
1. To keep the temperature in offices between 17 – 27 degrees centigrade (62.6 – 80.6 degrees
Fahrenheit) for optimum and comfortable working conditions during working hours and to turnheating and cooling programmes off when offices are not in use.
2. To only light offices during working hours, in the office zones which are in use, unless they areneeded for security or other key reasons.
3. To purchase energy-efficient electronic equipment and set equipment to a default energy-savingmode.
4. To inform staff how to reduce energy use when at work in offices by encouraging them to turnoff lights and appliances when they are not in use.
5. To conserve water as much as possible by using eco-settings on dishwashers, using low-flow taps
and dual-flush toilets.
6. To measure, set targets to reduce and offset carbon used in our offices.

3.6 Remote working
At ITG, we embrace remote and flexible working, where appropriate for the role. In addition to ourcommitment to reducing the carbon use of our offices we feel it is our responsibility to include
remote-working emissions in our total business emissions, and inform and encourage staff tominimise their carbon footprint when working remotely.
This section of the policy applies to all ITG employees who work for any length of time from alocation other than an ITG office. This policy is primarily focused on desk work at home, but theguidelines can be applied when working in various locations, such as ground staff working in hotels.
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This policy only applies to the time staff spend working remotely, rather than their entire home life.
We encourage staff to reduce the amount of energy used during working hours by:
1. Switching off lights after use.
2. Switching off and unplugging devices when you finish for the day and setting it to ‘sleep’ or lowpower mode on your breaks.
3. Adjusting heating and cooling with energy consumption in mind.
4. Reducing the brightness level to a minimum comfortable level on devices.
5. Reducing, reuse and recycle office materials (paper, ink, stationary).
6. Using licensed and appropriate organisations to dispose of waste.
7. Taking diligent care of ITG borrowed equipment to prolong its life.
8. Using environmentally friendly cleaning materials.
Staff can find out many other ways to reduce their environmental impact while remote working in
the resources below (internal links):

Resources
Sustainability SharePoint: Remote Working
Working from Home Green Tips 1: Quick Wins
Working from Home Green Tips 2: Medium Term
Working from Home Green Tips 3: Big Impacts
Sustainability Training Modules

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Sustainability Policy (2023)

4

Travel4.1 Staff travel for business
ITG is committed to reducing carbon from business travel. We measure any travel taken for businessreasons and any other travel for business reasons (not including commuting) that is over 10miles(16km). We offset the carbon used for both at the end of each year.
1. To carefully consider if the trip is necessary or if there is a digital equivalent.
2. To make sure that every staff trip counts – that is has a clear purpose and that we get the
expected output.
3. Choose the most sustainable transport option and route.
4. When flying, to choose Economy class as a default option.
5. To consider less frequent, but longer trips (if required).
6. To measure and offset the carbon emissions from business flights and set targets to reduce
every year.

4.2 Commuting
We encourage staff to travel via public, shared or active transport. Our branches have different
programs to help staff travel via these methods. Examples include:••••

Cycle to Work scheme in our UK office
Providing onsite bike lockers and showers in our Australia office
Providing all staff with access to a public transport pass (RTD EcoPass) in our US office
Paying a commutation allowance to staff using public transport in the Japan office

For more information our staff can access the following link: Commuting (internal link).

4.3 Client travel
4.3.1 To destinations
ITG advocates our travellers use the most sustainable option of transport to the destination.
Unfortunately for our destinations, flying is the only feasible way to arrive there.
As most of our clients fly to our destinations, we recommend:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Flying direct and avoiding multiple stopovers.
Flying with an airline with efficient fleets.
Flying in economy or premium economy.
Packing light.

This information will be shared to clients on our website and via their travel consultants and isincluded in our internal Sustainability Training modules.
All clients’ trips include a carbon offset fee in the trip price to offset their international flights andground arrangements within destination (see 3.4)
For more information, see our most up-to-date Climate Action Plan on our website
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4.3.2 Within destinations
All members of staff are trained on the most sustainable option of transport within destinations.
From airport transfers, to excursions, to travelling between destinations, our consultants will
recommend the most sustainable option, but will also take into consideration price, comfort, andpractical considerations. ￼

5

Responsible tourism

5.1 Accommodation
ITG is committed to promoting sustainable accommodation. We specifically look foraccommodations that place a high priority on sustainable practices, aiming at minimising its negative
impacts on the surrounding environment and society and enhancing its positive impacts.
1. We promote accommodations that have environmental policies in place (e.g., Travelife Certifiedones).
2. We assess the social and environmental impact of our accommodation through surveys, publicly
available data and in accommodation inspections.
3. We also provide best practice advice on how to be a sustainable accommodation as part of our
Supplier Code of Conduct.
4. We will audit our core suppliers every three years against our Supplier Code of Conduct, throughdesk-research or in person. We will work with our suppliers to ensure that any failings to comply
to these criteria are addressed.

5.2 Excursions
We actively include excursions that support local communities (by purchasing services or goods,
traditional crafts and local foods and visiting social projects). We also give preference and promote
excursions that have recognised sustainability standards. We offer no activities that harm humans,
animals, plants or which are socially or culturally unacceptable.

5.3 Animal welfare policy
ITG follows the ABTA Animal Welfare Guidelines (2019) and expects all our suppliers to do thesame. These guidelines are based on international criteria and legislation and have been written
through a multi-stakeholder consultation process involving international industry experts, scientists,zoologist organisations, associations, and non-government organisations.
We will not book or promote facilities that include ‘unacceptable practices’, according to the ABTA
Animal Welfare Guidelines. If one of our suppliers provides an ‘unacceptable practice’, we will workwith them to adhere to the guidelines. If there is a serious violation of the criteria, we will terminate
our cooperation with the supplier.
For more information, see our latest Animal Welfare Policy on our website.

5.4 Illegal souvenirs
We do not promote souvenirs which contain threatened flora and fauna species as indicated in the
CITES treaty and the IUCN ‘Red List’. Neither do we promote historic or archaeological artefacts that

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are illegal to buy as souvenirs. Our full-time Field Operations Team are trained on illegal andsustainable souvenirs based on these criteria and destination-specific information.

5.5 Client communication on responsible tourism
We provide responsible travel information and tips in all client documentation prior to their trip. Our
Travel Consultants are also trained on our sustainability practices and responsible tourism throughour internal Sustainability Training modules. We will continue to work to include further information
on responsible tourism in our client communication.
Our Insiders are trained on responsible tourism and our freelance guides are offered access tosustainability training and will be provided with our Sustainability Policy. They will then be able
provide information and interpretation to clients on relevant sustainability matters in thedestination (e.g. protection of flora, fauna, and cultural heritage, resource use), social norms andvalues (e.g. tips, dressing code and photography) and human rights (e.g. sexual exploitation).

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6

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, andprotect them from harm, maltreatment or abuse. ITG are committed to preventing any exploitationof humans that have contact with our business. Our safeguarding policies include child safeguarding
and modern human slavery. We have developed policies around these two areas and have trained
staff on how to spot risks and what to do about them. We include ChildSafe tips in our client
documentation provided to our clients prior to their trip.

6.1 Modern slavery
This is a key human rights issue relates to labour standards in tourism. In line with The Modern
Slavery Act 2015 which requires all companies with an annual turnover of £36 million to publish anannual statement stating the steps that they are taking to combat slavery and human trafficking, wehave published our Modern Human Slavery Statement here. This includes child exploitation, slavery,
servitude and forced or compulsory labour, sexual exploitation, securing services from children andvulnerable persons and removal of organs.
At ITG we are committed to tackling modern human slavery. We are taking steps to address theserisks in our own operations and supply chains:
•
•
•

•
•

We have an appointed Safeguarding Officer who will form part of a Safeguarding Team to
respond to any incidents or concerns
We have a clear reporting procedure for incidents and concerns
We offer training to all staff to educate them on these issues, the signs to recognise, and how torecord and report any concerns or incidents. We also offer further online training via the ABTA
Tackling Modern Slavery e-learning platform and measure the percentage of staff who havecompleted it.
We send our Supplier Code of Conduct to our core suppliers and track the number of suppliers
we have sent it to.
We have a company-wide whistle-blowing policy.

6.2 Child safeguarding
ITG believes that it is always unacceptable for a child to experience any kinds of exploitation orabuse. As a leading tour operator in the industry, we are fully aware of our responsibility to keep
children safe and ensure that our practices and policies are comply with our statutory
responsibilities and best practice.
The measures we have in place are:••••

We have developed A Child Safeguarding Policy
We have an appointed Safeguarding Officer who will form part of a Safeguarding Team to
respond to any incidents or concerns
We have a clear reporting procedure for incidents and concerns
We offer training to all staff to educate them on these issues, the signs to recognise, andhow to record and report any concerns or incidents. We also offer further online training via
the ABTA ‘Every Child, Everywhere’ e-learning platform and measure the percentage of staff
who have completed it.

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Sustainability Policy (2023)
•

•
•
•

•

We have a Safeguarding Code of Conduct for all staff as well as specific guidelines for our
Insiders and staff working directly with children, marketing, and staff attending
familiarisation (FAM) trips.
We will perform necessary background and reference checks for staff that have directcontact with children
All staff working with communities or directly with children are also required to sign a childsafeguarding self-declaration form
We do not promote or sell any trips to orphanages and other children’s centres. We do notpromote or sell any trips to schools without pre-agreed, structured activities with tangible
benefits for students.
We inform our clients about commercial, sexual or any other form of exploitation andharassment, particularly of children and adolescents, through the Childsafe Travel Tips in ourclient documentation.

For more information about the measures, we have in place to safeguard children at ITG, pleaserefer to the latest version of our Child Safeguarding Policy which can be found on our website.

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7

Supply chains

ITG works with numerous suppliers in our destination countries (DMCs, ground agents,
accommodation, and experience providers) and our branch countries (office supplies, marketingoutsourcing). We favour suppliers that have sustainability practices and policies in place. Whenchoosing new suppliers, responsible and sustainable practices are key criteria for ITG.
We send our Supplier Code of Conduct to our core suppliers when renewing contracts or starting
new ones. If we do not have a formal contract with the supplier, we will still send them our Supplier
Code of Conduct with the expectation that they follow our code. We will audit our coreaccommodation suppliers against our Supplier Code of Conduct every three years.
For more information, see a copy of our Supplier Code of Conduct on our website.

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