Sustainability Policy of Aventura do Brasil

Purpose
The company is committed to nature conservation, cultural respect, fairness, empathy, and social responsibility. The purpose of this policy is to integrate environmental, social, and economic considerations into all aspects of our operations, ensuring that tourism contributes positively to the well-being of both people and the planet.

Scope
This policy applies to partners, colleagues, and clients.
Our whole team is responsible for implementing the company’s sustainability policy.

Sustainability management & legal compliance

Sustainability commitment

Aventura do Brasil 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

Aventura do Brasil 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.
Aventura do Brasil 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

Aventura do Brasil supports both career-related and job-related professional development activities.
Aventura do Brasil is committed to the principle of fair and equal pay for work and for work of equal value for all its employees, and contractors, regardless of gender/sex, race, national origin, marital status, age, religion.
Aventura do Brasil is committed to fostering a safe, healthy, and inclusive workplace/work culture where all employees are able to perform their duties and recognize their potential.
Aventura do Brasil is committed to a zero-tolerance policy for acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights, including forced labor, human trafficking, and all rights of children.
Aventura do Brasil further expects this commitment from all partners and suppliers.

Internal management: environment

Environmental management of office operations

Aventura do Brasil 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.
Practicing 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.
Minimizing 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

Aventura do Brasil is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and endeavors to reduce the amount we travel as much as possible by:

Monitoring and measuring our carbon footprint with the aim of reducing as much as possible and offsetting remaining amounts.
Encouraging remote work whenever possible, and when it is not possible, making it easier for employees to limit their carbon footprint by using eco modes of transportation.
We commit to offsetting our remaining direct and indirect carbon from travel and fossil energy use.
Installing energy-efficient equipment and appliances [where appropriate/possible]

Land use

Aventura do Brasil office is located in an urban area and abides by all local land use laws, respects local cultural and natural resources in our business operations, and favors sustainable architecture and design.

General suppliers policy

Aventura do Brasil is committed to sourcing its products and services responsibly and avoiding harmful impacts on society, culture, and nature as much as possible. We expect the same level of engagement and commitment from our suppliers.
Aventura do Brasil prefers to work with partners that share the company’s commitment to 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.
Aventura do Brasil prefers to work with suppliers 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, Aventura do Brasil prefers to select partner companies that comply with tourism-specific, internationally recognized (GSTC-accredited) certifications, or other sustainability certifications like B Corp or ISO.
Aventura do Brasil offers incentives for partners that are actively engaged in sustainable operations.
Following a zero-tolerance policy, Aventura do Brasil will immediately terminate any relationships with suppliers that violate our policies, specifically through acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights.
Aventura do Brasil raises awareness amongst its suppliers to adopt sound social and environmental practices, and to minimize their carbon footprint.
Aventura do Brasil 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.
Aventura do Brasil 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.

Inbound partner agencies

In the entire process of developing and operating our travel packages, Aventura do Brasil expects partner agencies to act in the best interests of the surrounding communities and environment as well as our guests.
Aventura do Brasil provides partner agencies opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.

Transport

When selecting transport for guests and business-related travel, Aventura do Brasil commits to choosing the most environmentally friendly options available for traveling to, from, and within the destination – taking into consideration distance, price, route, and comfort.
Aventura do Brasil has clear guidelines for reducing GHG emissions from transport and selecting the most environmentally friendly transport options, including:

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
Offering sight-seeing tours by bicycle or as Walking Tours

Accommodations

In the accommodation selection process, Aventura do Brasil considers the sustainability practices of an accommodation by taking into account their sustainability management and social and environmental footprint.
Aventura do Brasil favors the selection of accommodations that respect and protect land use, as well as respectfully highlight elements of local architecture, customs, and traditions
Aventura do Brasil favors locally owned and family-run accommodations, that work with local staff

Activities & Excursions

All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Aventura do Brasil respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
Aventura do Brasil commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, the environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.
Aventura do Brasil gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, support community based tourism, respect animal welfare and support environmental protection.
Aventura do Brasil has clear guidelines 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.
Aventura do Brasil provides excursion and attraction providers with opportunities for sustainability learning and management, including free access to the Travelife online learning and reporting platform.

Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides

Aventura do Brasil 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 suppliers hiring local staff on behalf of Aventura do Brasil.
Aventura do Brasil understands that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying appropriate behavior to them. Therefore, we make sure that all guides hired by or leading tours on behalf of Aventura do Brasil are trained, certified by local institutions, 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.
Aventura do Brasil provides guides with learning opportunities on sustainability topics, including providing free access to the Travelife online learning platform.

Destinations

Sustainable destinations

Aventura do Brasil prefers to work in destinations that have committed to sustainability as an integral part of community and destination development.
Aventura do Brasil aims to send visitors to secondary or lesser-known tourist areas to avoid overtourism.
Aventura do Brasil does not support destinations that have a questionable human rights track record.

Contribution to local communities / local economic network

Aventura do Brasil commits to contribute positively to the destinations in which we operate, by:

Sourcing locally and responsibly, as well as 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, labor rights, etc.) as well as land rights
Supporting activities and planning itineraries of Community-based tourism

Environmental stewardship in destinations

Aventura do Brasil 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 behavior

Customer communication and protection

Privacy

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

Aventura do Brasil 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 honor our explicit and implicit commitments and promises.
We are anti-greenwashing and stand behind our sustainability claims 100%.
We endeavor 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 (if available at the destination)
Activities and excursions that benefit the local communities and protect the environment
Responsible shopping and illegal souvenirs
Water use in arid regions

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

Aventura do Brasil maintains open lines of communication with our customers and encourages feedback at any time and on any topic using a customized questionnaire

Contact / Responsible person

All staff are responsible for the ownership and implementation of this policy.
For specific questions, please contact Michael Krämer, Managing Director of Aventura do Brasil

Definitions

“Self drive Tours" is defined as car rental tours, that do not include domestic flights

"Travel by Land Packages" are defined as tours that do not include domestic flights, but local or public transport

"Community Based Tourism" is defined as a form of tourism that directly involves and benefits local communities in the destinations visited, emphasizes the empowerment and participation of local residents in the planning, development, and management of tourism activities.

Effective date
This policy is effective from 01 June 2024.

Revision history
This policy was revised on 15 July 2024 by Sarah Stadlbauer.