Our Sustainability Policy

Our Sustainability Policy

PURPOSE

Authentik Malta has developed this Sustainable Development Policy to identify, monitor and improve the environmental and social aspects of our small agency. We are committed to following and implementing, as well as promoting sustainability, in order to maximise positive impacts and minimise negative impacts on tourism from our operations, and to influence our partners to do the same.
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The Sustainable Development Policy therefore applies to all Authentik Malta employees and trainees but we also encourage all our partners to join us.

THEMES AND GOALS

1. Internal Management;
2.  Partners (agencies     providing tours, excursions and activities) and Accommodation     Providers; 
3.  Destinations, Excursions and     Activities. 
1. Internal Management
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Authentik Malta commits to internal sustainability management, practised by following actions and principles that ensure environmental protection, enhance community relations, and protect human rights.

(a) Social Policy and Human Rights:
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Authentik Malta commits to:
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• Grant employees the freedom of employment and contract termination with notice (minimum one month) and without penalty;
• Include labour conditions according to national labour laws and a job description in the employment contract;
• The wage rate is to be mentioned in the contract and is equal to or above the national legal minimum wage;
• Determine and compensate for overtime working hours based on agreement;
• Grant employees fixed paid yearly holiday and sick leave and unpaid annual leave allowance if needed;
• Comply with the health and safety policy for employees which complies to national legal standards;
• Operate in a space where a first-aid set is available;
• Obey national regulations concerning the minimum age for employment;
• Create opportunities for foreign students to participate in an internship;
• Ensure that employees are free to enter or leave their employment through their own choice without penalty (in accordance with their contract).
• Prohibit discriminations, with regards to recruitment, conditions of employment, access to training and senior positions, or promotion in terms of gender, race, age, disability, ethnicity, religion/beliefs or sexual orientation;
• Ensure all employees have an equal chance and access to resources and opportunities for personal development through regular training, education.

(b) EnvironmentalManagement actions and principles:

Authentik Malta commits to:
• Switching off lights and equipment when not being used;
• Prefer low energy equipment when buying new items, including considerations of cost and quality;
• Actively reducing the use of disposable and consumer goods;
• Favouring the purchase of sustainable goods and services as well as office supplies;
• Complying with the legislation concerning waste disposal;
• Taking action to replace drinking water in plastic bottles by other systems of water filtration for office use;
• Separating all materials which can be recycled and organising them for their collection and proper disposal;
• Using products twice or three times when possible;
• Avoiding harmful or hazardous products, and giving preference to environmentally friendly alternatives;
• Setting copy and printing machines by default to double-sided black and white printing;
• Avoidoing printing when electronic copies can be made and stored
• Reducing transport-related impacts by telework, tele/video meetings, work-at-home policies or other means;
• Encouraging employees to use environmentally conscious methods of transport when commuting to work, i.e. walking or using public transport;
• Providing sustainability guidance, training and information to all employees;
• Encouraging employee involvement in internal sustainability improvement .

2. Partners  (Agencies that offer tours and activities)andAccommodation Providers

Authentik Malta has developed and is implementing a policy to improve the sustainability of our partners as part of its ongoing operations. Authentik Malta is committed to achieving a tourism supply chain that is fully sustainable and is basing its choice of providers on 3 principle criteria.
1. Benefit thecommunity by hiring local staff, provide fair wages and supportlocally-owned businesses
2. Protect cultural heritage by celebrating cultural diversity alongside the conservation of wildlife and nature. Incorporate elements of cultural heritage in the tours and activities, while respecting the intellectual property rights of the Maltese
3. Be friends of the earth by proactively working towards a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment, with a special focus on : reducing plastic and other waste, waste management as well as water and energy-saving

When selecting partners, preference will be given to agencies and accommodation providers that contribute to two or more of the above-mentioned criteria
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They shall provide supporting information, evidence, or documentation that demonstrates the implementation of these criteria in their tourism policy. A sustainable travel certification is preferred, however, for the moment,  proof of the support of local charities, client reviews … can be accepted as well.

Authentik Malta shall:
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• Comply with all relevant national laws protecting the rights of employees;
• Provide a child protection policy in the rare eventuality that it is relevant to their operations.
• Have Legal registration documents, including those that show that they are legally able to provide the services advertised;
• Provide insurance documents, including those that show that they have the required civil, professional and public insurance to provide the services advertised;
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Authentik Malta commits to making sustainable developmentconcrete to every partner and to stimulating and motivating partners to adopt sustainable practices by:

• Paying attention to the local benefits of communities when selecting partners and accommodation providers;
• Motivating and encouraging partners to become sustainable-certified;
• Evaluating sustainability practices by requesting partners to provide evidence clarifying their sustainability goals and strategies;
• Informing partners about Authentik Malta’s sustainability policy and ensuring that they understad that they are expected to comply with it and communicate it to final customers where relevant;
• Motivating incoming partners to follow Travelife Training documentation, among other sources of training;
• Including standard sustainability clauses in all contracts with accommodation providers;

3. Destinations, excursions and activities

Authentik Malta safeguards the authenticity of the community and the natural environment, and is strongly against harming any form of wildlife and/or polluting the environment, whether it is air, ground or sea. We aim to maximise positive impacts and minimise negative impacts at destinations to ensure the sustainable development of the sites visited.
• 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 is held captive, except for properly regulated activities in compliance with local, national, and international law;
• Not creating partnerships with agencies that offer excursions or activities involving capture, consumption, display, selling, or trade of wildlife species, notably birds;
• Promoting and advising travellers on excursions and activities which directly involve and support local communities by purchasing services or goods, traditional crafts and local food production methods;
• Promoting and advise travellers on excursions and activities which support local environment and biodiversity such as visiting protected areas or environmental protection projects;
• Considering partnerships with agencies that offer excursions and activities which encourage the use of sustainable means of transport;
• Considering sustainability aspects in the selection process of new tours and activities and possibly offering alternative, non-mainstream tours and activities/visiting hours/order of places visited on a tour (eg doing a tour the opposite way around);
• Not selecting destinations in which tourism leads to structural negative local effects;
• Complying with legally based spatial planning, protected areas and heritage regulations;
• Supporting initiatives that improve the relationships between accommodations and local producers.‍