Sustainability Policy of Meeting Point Egypt

    Purpose

     

    The company is committed to minimizing its impacts on the environment. 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 to animal welfare, waste management, energy management, water management, and carbon management.

    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


    Meeting Point Egypt´s 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


    Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    Meeting Point Egypt 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 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 Egypt supports both career-related and job-related professional development activities.
    • Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    • Meeting Point Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt 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, energy, and carbon.
    • 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.
    • 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
    • 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, and waste to landfill] and is disposed of properly by a municipality.
    • Noise, light, and air pollution is minimised.
    • Meeting Point Egypt 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, 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

    • Meeting Point Egypt 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 measuring carbon footprint with the aim to reduce as much as possible and offset remaining amounts.
      • Employees can work remotely in case of there is need to that to making it easier foremployees to limit their carbon footprint by use of eco modes of transportation.
      • Implementing procedures such as following proper maintenance for vehicle fleet.
      • Installing energy efficient equipment and appliances where appropriate

    Land use

    • Meeting Point Egypt offices are in an urban area and abides by all local land uselaws, respects local cultural and natural resources in our business operations and favours sustainablearchitecture and design.

     

     

    General supplier’s policy

     

    • Meeting Point Egypt 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 Egypt prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment 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 Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt expects its suppliers to adhere to a [Code of Conduct/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 Meeting Point Egypt

    Our complete FTI Code of Conduct is available here

    • Following a zero-tolerance policy, Meeting Point Egypt will immediately terminate any relationships with suppliers that violate the MP Code of Conduct, specifically through acts of
      bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
    • Meeting Point Egypt raises awareness amongst its suppliers to adopt sound social and environmental practices, and to minimise their carbon footprint.
      Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    • Meeting Point Egypt maintains open lines of communication with our suppliers and partners and encourages feedback from our stakeholders at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.

     

    Transport

     

    • Meeting Point Egypt only works with transport providers that adhere to the company’s Code of
    • When selecting transport for guests and business-related travel, Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    • Meeting Point Egypt has implemented clear guidelines for reducing GHG emissions from transport and selecting the most environmentally friendly transport options, including the following measures:
    • Using appropriate vehicle sizes for group sizes and purchasing the most efficient vehicles available

     

    Accommodations

     

    • Meeting Point Egypt only works with accommodations that adhere to the company’s Code of Conduction
    • In the accommodation selection process, Meeting Point Egypt considers the sustainability practices of an accommodation by considering their sustainability management and social and environmental
    • Meeting Point Egypt favours the selection of accommodations that respect and protect land use, as well as respectfully highlight elements of local architecture, customs, and traditions.

    Activities & Excursions

     

    • Meeting Point Egypt only works with excursion providers that adhere to the company’s Code of
    • All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Meeting Point Egypt respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
    • Meeting Point Egypt commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, the environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.
    • Meeting Point Egypt gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animal welfare and support environmental protection.
    • Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    • Meeting Point Egypt 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 Egypt 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 Egypt.
    • Meeting Point Egypt understands that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural 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 Meeting Point Egypt 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.
    • Meeting Point Egypt provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics including providing free access to the Travelife online learning platform.

    Destinations

     

    Sustainable destinations

    • Meeting Point Egypt prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.
    • Meeting Point Egypt aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas to avoid over-tourism.
    • Meeting Point Egypt does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.

    Contribution to local communities / local economic network

    • Meeting Point Egypt 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
      • Collaborating with other local tourism stakeholders [including local government, other tourismbusinesses, academia, community groups] to further the sustainable tourism development of the
      • Respecting and advocating for all human rights (i.e., children’s rights, women’s rights, labour rights, as well as land rights)

     

    Environmental stewardship in destinations

    • Meeting Point Egypt 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 Egypt strives to be always truthful in all situations. 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 consider 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
      • Activities and excursions that benefit the local communities and environmental protection.
      • Responsible shopping and illegal souvenirs
      • Animal welfare

     

    Saving water immediate actions:

    • Install water-efficient taps with a flow restrictor.
    • We have a weekly maintenance check for all Taps to prevent and Fix leaking taps.
    • Fix leaking toilets immediately.
    • For planting using the A/C drained water to reduce the planting water consumption
    • Include water-saving policies and procedures in staff induction.

     

    Recycling immediate actions:

    • Use recyclable containers to refill liquid soap.
    • Avoid drinks in paper cups, bottles, and cans, and give preference to (refillable) bottles, and mugs.
    • Raising awareness among colleagues of the need to reduce printed paper to reach our goal of 100% double-sided printing.
    • Recycle all paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, aluminium cans, glass, Printer cartridges, and batteries at their head office.

     

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