ENVIRONMENTAL & COMMUNITY POLICY

Environmental Policy, Declaration and Overview

Written by: Ryan Connolly, Marketing Director & Head of Sustainability
Reviewed & Updated by: Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir (CEO), Scott Drummond (Managing Director), Emily Bridger (Operations & Guide Manager) and Sarah Sommariva (Sales Manager)
Last updated: August, 2025

Hidden Iceland is an integral part of the Icelandic community, and we take our responsibility to act with integrity seriously. This is true for our impact on the local community and the wider environment. 

We believe in Sustainable Tourism and continuously work to reduce waste, reuse products, share best practices in the industry, educate our guests, help in the local community and minimise the impact from all our tours. 

Although Hidden Iceland has a robust donation / investment policy, it is our belief that simply offsetting against our impact on the environment should not be used as a justification for bad practice or unnecessary environmental impact. It is our hope that we can continue to reduce our impact and innovate throughout the years.

Adherence to this policy document is the responsibility of the Environmental Manager, who may delegate monitoring and actions to other Managers or the Environmental & Community Action team.

Hidden Iceland have focused on the following key areas to maintain a sustainable tourism company. Scroll down for a more detailed explanation of each:

Environmental & Community Principles

1 | Investment in climate positive initiatives amounting to a minimum monetary equivalent of 200% of direct emissions.

2 | Support local initiatives to improve the local community & environment

3 | Receive independent audits & maintain our Gold Class Environmental Accreditation

4 | Run tours with small groups and thought-out itineraries 

5 | Appropriate vehicle choice, usage and maintenance

6 | Educating guests on their impact and best practice

7 | Choose local and review activity operators 

8 | Reduce, reuse, recycle

9 | Environmentally friendly chemical & cleaning use 

10 | Continued improvement Plan

1 | Investment in climate positive initiatives amounting to a minimum monetary equivalent of 200% of direct emissions. 

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland must adequately monitor and calculate all direct emissions and allocate a corresponding monetary equivalent for donation/ investment in climate positive initiatives. In addition to direct tour related emissions, this calculation also includes some notable non-direct emissions too, specifically the estimated fuel usage for Self-Drive itineraries and any sold helicopter tours through partner operators. 

HOW WE DO IT:

1. The investments we have chosen often act as charitable/ community led donations too within a mixed portfolio which, over the years, has included; Clean Water & Cooking in Guatamala, Kolviður (land reclamation and tree planting), the Icelandic Wetland Fund (creating wildlife habitats) and international initiatives that include: Gyapa Efficient Cookstoves in Ghana (reducing charcoal use by 50%), Orb Solar Panels in India (saving more than 50% on energy bills locally), Bondhu Chula Clean Cookstoves in Bangladesh (reducing fuel use and harmful smoke inhalation) and global renewable energy projects such as wind, solar and hydro. 

2 | Support local initiatives to improve the local community & environment

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland is to take proactive steps to contribute to the local community and protect the local environment. This can include sharing of physical and financial resources, expertise and time.
2. Provide a comprehensive fund for each full-time salary employee at Hidden Iceland to purchase local and environmentally friendly products and services.
3. Provide electric vehicle charging stations at the Hidden Iceland office for all employees.

HOW WE DO IT:

1. Creation of an Environmental & Community Action team.
2. Donating of resources and money to local charities.
3. Yearly community litter picking days.
4. Sustainable transportation benefits as part of an employee’s Entitlement Fund.
5. Four electrical charging stations were added to the Hidden Iceland car park that are free to use for all employees.
6. Educating and facilitating the giving of blood (quarterly blood giving project and company policy)

3 | Receive independent audits & maintain our Gold Class Environmental Accreditation

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland is to monitor their operations internally and be independently audited every 3 years to confirm that the company is still running a sustainable tourism business.

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. Hidden Iceland was awarded a Gold Class Certification from the official Tourism quality and environmental body, Vakinn in 2021 and again in 2024. This required extensive monitoring, auditing and reducing of our environmental impact in order to gain this award. 
2. A yearly Environmental Report is to be completed by the Environmental Manager. 
3. Actions and monitoring is delegated to relevant employees to maintain standards throughout the company.
4. An Environmental & Community Action team was created to carry out actions throughout the year related to this document. 
5. This document is enforceable and disciplinary action can be taken due to non-adherence. 

4 | Run tours with small groups and thought out itineraries 

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland must not exceed 12 guests per guide in a wilderness or glaciated area and must get Management or Supervisor approval for groups larger than 16 in rural areas. In all cases, management must consider whether the guide can maintain adequate group control or instruction, without adverse effects on the environment as part of the decision making process. 
2. Hidden Iceland’s office staff should consider significant environmental impact when planning trips or making changes, while still achieving customer satisfaction and safety. Significant Environmental Impact focuses on but is not limited to; irreparable damage to the local environment as a consequence of actions taken by Hidden Iceland and/or excessive driving that exceeds the time considerations in Hidden Iceland’s trip planning guidelines.

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. Maximum guest numbers per guide are noted in our Safety Management Policy and must be adhered to. These maximum numbers are set for safety, guest satisfaction and environmental impact (managing the group).
2. During onboarding and ongoing training, Hidden Iceland guides are to show effective group management skills, before being approved to run tours.
3. Standard itineraries were created to reduce driving time, with a good balance between safety, guests satisfaction and environmental impact.
4. When bespoke itineraries are made, our Trip Planning Guidelines are used to reduce any environmental impact, with an onus on reduced daily driving time.
5. The operations team must consider significant environmental impact when reviewing and managing the day.

5 | Appropriate vehicle choice, usage and maintenance

POLICY: 

1. Owned and rented vehicles are to be appropriate to the guests’ needs without unnecessarily utilising larger vehicles. Hidden Iceland’s well-maintained vehicles should be favoured over rentals when possible.
2. Guides should maintain an eco-friendly driving practice to minimise environmental impact and adhere to safe driving practices as set out in our Vehicle & Driving Safety document. 
3. Hidden Iceland’s owned vehicles are to be maintained for longevity and to reduce environmental impact. 

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. The Fleet Manager allocates the most appropriate vehicle for a trip, favouring our own vehicles.
2. During onboarding, guides are assessed on driving skills, with discussion on eco-friendly driving styles, e.g. reducing idling time, speed limit adherence, smooth driving, maintaining a constant speed, breaking early and slowly, reduction of rapid acceleration and deceleration, preserving momentum and respecting the rules of the road.
3. Hidden Iceland owns one fully electric vehicle, with preliminary trials for usage on tours.
4. Hidden Iceland vehicles are treated with a ceramic coating and transparent stickers in high-impact areas of the vehicle, to protect the paint and body of the vehicle, improving longevity and reducing the overall need for chemical cleaning on our vehicles.
5. Hidden Iceland vehicles, when possible, are to favour recycled green diamond tyres for winter driving, over the more damaging studded tyres (3-7 Gallons of Oil saved per tyre). 
6. Speed limiters have been added to all vehicles with tachograph cards. Reduced overall speeding optimises fuel consumption (below 104kph).

6 | Educating guests on their impact and best practice

POLICY: 

1. Guides and office staff are to be aware of the impact they are having on the environment and are well versed on the changing landscapes. This is an integral part of our educationally focused trips. 
2. All staff members are to review and understand our Environmental Policy and best practices during onboarding. This includes sharing best practices for interacting with the environment without undue damage. 

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. Provide adequate time for all employees to review and comment on our Environmental Procedures during onboarding and receive updates when material changes are made. 
2. Guides are to be aware of, and share Hidden Iceland’s environmental practices with guests while on tour, when appropriate. 
3. Make the Environmental Policy and associated blog posts and articles available on the Hidden Iceland website for guests to view. 
4. Explicit discussion about each area must be delivered prior to approaching new places. This covers areas that can be entered, appropriate conduct, freedom of movement, toilet and recycling facilities. It is the guide’s responsibility to leave each area as they found it.
5. If the statement above does not represent the experience and knowledge of new or existing staff then it is the responsibility of the Management team to provide further training and resources.

7 | Choose local and review activity operators 

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland is to purchase locally for all physical goods, whenever possible.
2. Continuously assess new and existing key suppliers’ environmental focus through; written documentation, sharing best practices, in-person assessments and/ or informal reporting.

HOW WE DO IT:

1. Purchasing locally is to be favoured, e.g. bulk buying flyers, equipment, clothing and locally sourced meals at restaurants and cafés.
2. When an assessment is being completed for a new or existing activity supplier, we provide our Safety Management Plan and Environmental Policy as a way to share best practices. In the same exchange, we request their Safety Management Plan and Environmental Policy.
3. In-person / live assessments of our partners include a section for assessing environmental impact.

8 | Reduce, reuse, recycle

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland is to provide comprehensive recycling options for office employees and guides returning from a tour, to adequately separate all collected waste. 
2. Adequate waste options to be provided on all routes, either through direct waste collection or providing waste disposal throughout the journey.
3. Single use plastic products are not to be included on Hidden Iceland’s standard tours.
4. Office computers set to sleep mode after no more than 15 minutes.

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. The operations team are charged with managing the recycling facilities in the Hidden Iceland offices, including separating waste that can easily be recycled. This also includes effective transportation of all waste and recycling to the local recycling plant.
2. Guides are to encourage guests to recycle and share best practices with guests, and utilise recycling options while on the road. Any residual waste should be separated and recycled at Hidden Iceland’s office at the end of each tour.
3. Equipment purchased by Hidden Iceland is to be repaired or repurposed as a priority over replacement. An equipment inventory and tagging system provides the operations team with an adequate database for assessing useability. 
4. Energy Recommendations are applied to the personal computers. Many computers sleep after only 3 minutes. This reduces our desktop greenhouse gas output by an estimated 12.5% while increasing the longevity of our devices.

 

9 | Environmentally friendly chemical & cleaning use 

POLICY: 

1. In-house vehicle cleaning is to be prioritised to allow for appropriate monitoring of best practices, water usage and environmentally friendly cleaning products. 
2. Environmentally friendly chemicals are prioritised above others for the cleaning of company vehicles and of office cleaning. 

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. Vehicles are cleaned using an in-house foaming station utilising a PH-neutral, waterway friendly  detergent to reduce reliance on multiple chemicals and excessive water usage. 
2. Environmentally friendly chemicals are prioritised over alternatives with the majority of our cleaning products being considered environmentally friendly.
3. General office cleaning to prioritise the use of  Biosativa, Bacoban and Grön Balance products (or equivalent). External office cleaners are Swan accredited.
4. Contracted office cleaners are Swan accredited.

10 | Continued Improvement Action Plan

POLICY: 

1. Maintain a regularly reviewed list of future actions and policy changes with a view to incorporate these into existing policy and practice.

HOW WE DO IT:

• Held within Hidden Iceland’s yearly Environmental Report, there are 35 potential Actions that are being reviewed.

These are actionable, with timelines and allocated to either the Environmental Manager, another delegated Manager or the Environmental & Community Action Team.

Our Environment & Community Achievements

Carbon Offsetting
Since 2020, we’ve gone beyond carbon neutral offsetting twice our total emissions every year.

Environmental Impact
We’ve reduced our annual emissions year-on-year despite growing sales, with a 3.3% reduction in 2023 and a 6.6% reduction in emissions in 2024.

In 2025, we expect even greater reductions as we discontinue our Small Group Tours to focus solely on luxury private tours, resulting in nearly 50% fewer tour departures and a major drop  in driving hours and emissions.

Community Engagement
We regularly donate to a range of charities and community groups including Barnaheill, GeTa, Red Cross, SOS Barnaþorp, Björgunarsveit, Bleika Slaufan, and our local women’s Roller Derby team.

We held two blood drives in November 2024 and April 2025 and organised two clean-up events in Grandi, Reykjavík’s historic harbour area, with over 30 volunteers from the Hidden Iceland team and the wider community lending a hand.

Certifications
We have been awarded Gold Class Certification from Vakinn for the second time, in recognition of our environmental and sustainability performance. We have proudly held this certification since 2020.

Operational Sustainability
Our office has transitioned to paperless invoicing and contracts, with a goal to go fully paperless by the end of 2025.

To find out more about eco-friendly travel then read our blog on sustainable tourism in Iceland.

Or if you want to experience the magic of Iceland on an unforgettable trip then explore our luxury tours here.