Sustainability policy of Meeting Point Croatia

Purpose

The company is committed to minimizing its impacts on the environment and on the local communities it operates in. The purpose of this policy is to establish some principles relating to sustainable travel as well as sustainability procedures in all our office buildings. This includes a commitment on animal welfare, waste management, energy management, water management, and social policy and human rights.

This policy will apply to all business operations, all staff, suppliers, and partners are expected to fully uphold the objectives of this policy whenever possible within prevailing budgets.

Sustainability management & legal compliance

Sustainability commitment

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 regarding compensation, promotion, distribution of benefits, and professional development opportunities.
• Meeting Point Croatia supports both career-related and job-related professional development activities.
• Meeting Point Croatia 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.
• Tour leaders, local representatives, guides, and other local staff, contracted by the company, are paid at least a living wage that is equal to or above the legal minimum.
• The business ensures that tour leaders, representatives, guides and other locally active staff, contracted by the company, understand the terms and conditions of their employment including remuneration.
• Meeting Point Croatia is committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace/work culture where all employees can perform their duties/to recognise their potential.
• Meeting Point Croatia 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.
• Meeting Point Croatia 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 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, and energy

• Procure office supply. locally, seasonally, fair trade, in bulk, with limited packaging, sustainability
  certified whenever possible.

• Print only when necessary, and when printing, always print double-sided on grayscale.

• Paper must always be FSC or equivalent certified, with preference for the highest percentage postconsumer materials.
• Energy saving measures are in place in all common areas.
• All equipment and lighting are 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.
• Cleaning materials are non-hazardous, non-eutrophic, biodegradable and eco-labelled, when locally available.
• 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 municipality.
• Noise, light, and air pollution is minimised.

Meeting Point Croatia is committed to managing environmental impact as an integral part of our operations.

It is our policy to always assure the environmental integrity of our processes and products 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, and paper.

• 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.

Land use laws

• Meeting Point Croatia offices are in an urban 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.

Water

• The company has implemented a policy with specific goals to reduce its water consumption, which is monitored and based on a water risk assessment. In areas of high-water risk, context-based water stewardship goals are identified and pursued.

Energy

• The company has an equipment shut off policy and a light shut off policy in all its offices.

• The company has LED lightning and has instruct the team to switch off all computers and lights when they leave their desks.

• The company has a policy to purchase low energy equipment and when applicable, equipment is set by default to the energy-saving mode.

General suppliers’ policy

Meeting Point Croatia 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.

Meeting Point Croatia 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.

Meeting Point Croatia 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, Meeting Point Croatia prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or ISO.

Meeting Point Croatia expects its suppliers to adhere to our Code of Conduct, 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 Meeting Point Croatia

Accommodations

• Meeting Point only works with accommodations that adhere to the company’s Code of Conduct.

• Meeting Point considers the sustainability practices of an accommodation by considering their sustainability management and social and environmental footprint.

• Meeting Point favours the selection of accommodations that respect and protect land use, as well as respectfully highlight elements of local architecture, customs, and traditions.

• Meeting Point´s accommodation contract and code of conduct includes clauses which enable the DMC to end the contractual agreement prematurely if the accommodation supplier does not take adequate measures to prevent sexual exploitation of children.

• Meeting Point Croatia does not contract directly or indirectly accommodations which are involved in compulsory labour or which employ children to complete work which is normally undertaken by adults. There are special working times and conditions for children (<14 years) working within the business, in accordance with the UN convention on the Right of the Child and/or the ILO convention 138. This condition mentioned in the contract with the accommodation. 

Activities & Excursions

• Meeting Point Croatia only works with excursion providers that adhere to the company’s Code of Conduct.

• All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Meeting Point Croatia respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.

• Meeting Point Croatia commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.

• Meeting Point only offers wildlife featuring activities in which captive wildlife is held are not offered, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law. In case of living specimens of protected and wildlife species these are only kept by those authorised and suitably equipped to house and care for them humanely

• Wildlife species are not harvested, consumed, displayed, sold, or traded, except as part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilisation is sustainable and in compliance with local, national, and international law. 

• Excursions which include interactions with wildlife comply with relevant (e.g. Travelife) codes of conduct. Considering cumulative impacts, they do not lead to any adverse effects on the viability and behavior of populations in the wild. Any disturbance of natural ecosystems is minimized, rehabilitated, and there is a compensatory contribution to conservation management.

• Meeting Point Croatia gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animal welfare, and support environmental protection.

• Meeting Point Croatia has clear guidelines and 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.

• Meeting Point Croatia provides excursion and attraction providers opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.

Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides

• Meeting Point Croatia 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 Meeting Point Croatia.

• Our leaders, local representatives, guides, porters, and other local staff, contracted by the company, are paid at least a living wage that is equal to or above the legal minimum or relevant industry standard.

•  Meeting Point Croatia understands that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying the appropriate behavior to them. Therefore, we make sure that all guides hired by or leading tours on behalf of Meeting Point Croatia 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. Guests are informed on ways to report suspicious activities during their travel.

• Tour leaders, local representatives and guides provide information and interpretation to clients on relevant sustainability 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) and human rights (e.g. sexual exploitation).

• Meeting Point Croatia provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics including providing free access to the Travelife online learning platform.

• Clients are motivated to buy locally, to use local restaurants and shops. 

Destinations

Sustainable destinations

• Meeting Point Croatia prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.

• In selecting new destinations, we consider the reachability through more sustainable means of transport.

• Meeting Point Croatia aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas to avoid over tourism.

• Meeting Point Croatia does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.

Contribution to local communities / local economic network

Meeting Point Croatia 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

Meeting Point Croatia 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 to ensure:

• Legal compliance in all regards
• Customers and their data are protected.
• Customers know how their information is being used.

Marketing and communication

• Meeting Point Croatia strives to be always truthful in all situations. We offer products and services that do what we claim in our communications.

•  Destination information, including sustainability aspects, is factually correct, balanced, and factual.

• Product and price information is clear, complete, and accurate regarding the company and its products and services, including sustainability claims.

• Information is provided to consumers about the natural surroundings, local culture, and cultural heritage in the holiday destination.

• 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 consider cultural, religious, and ethnic sensitivities.

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
  • Transport
  • Shopping
  • Sexual exploitation
  • Children in tourism
  • Satisfaction and complaints

• Meeting Point Croatia maintains open lines of communication with our customers and encourages feedback at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.

• The Company has clear procedures in case of complaints from clients.

Emergency Situations

• Guidelines are available and relevant personnel are educated on how to deal with emergency in the destination.

• A destination contact person is permanently reachable by phone 24/7 for any emergency situations in various languages including English and German.

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, Andrej Matacin, who can be reached at  andrej.matacin@meetingpointcroatia.com.