ENVIRONMENTAL & COMMUNITY POLICY

Environmental Policy, Declaration and Overview

Written by: Ryan Connolly, Environmental Manager
Reviewed & Updated by: Dagný Björg Stefánsdóttir (CEO), Scott Drummond (General Manager), Emily Bridger (Operations & Guide Manager) and Sarah Sommariva (Sales Manager)
Last updated: October 23, 2023

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 150% 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 150% 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 investment initiatives we have chosen also act as charitable donations within a mixed portfolio which includes; Kolviður (land reclamation and tree planting),  the Icelandic Wetland Fund (ended in January 2023 – creating wildlife habitats), 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. Beginning in 2023 and incorporating emissions for 2022, all donations/ investments will favour local initiatives as noted in section 2. 

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 employee at Hidden Iceland to purchase environmentally friendly products and services that aid reduced emissions, such as for travel to work. 

3. Provide electric vehicle charging stations at the Hidden Iceland office for all employees.

HOW WE DO IT:

1. In late 2022 we created an Environmental & Community Action team to research and reach out to local organisations to more effectively share resources. To date, we have focused on donations and gift drives, such as for Votlendi (Wetland Restoration), Barnaheill (Save the Children) and Loftur Gunnarsson (homeless charity) but are continually opening ourselves up to other opportunities. 

2. Kolviður (land reclamation and tree planting) will replace all international donations / investments for offsetting emissions in 2022 and 2023. 

3. In April 2024, Hidden Iceland ran their first Community Clean up day, collecting trash around the Grandi area. Over 35 volunteers showed up from Hidden Iceland and other local businesses.

4. As of July 1st, 2023 – Hidden Iceland will provide all employees who have worked for more than 6 months, with a pro-rata Entitlement Fund that can be partially used for environmentally friendly products and services, like more environmentally friendly methods of travel to work. 

5. In 2022, 4 electrical charging stations were added to the Hidden Iceland car park that are free to use for any employee with an electric or hybrid vehicle.

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 and that no bad practices have appeared since the last audit. 

HOW WE DO IT: 

1. Hidden Iceland was awarded a Gold Class Certification from the official Tourism quality and environmental body, Vakinn in 2021. This required extensive monitoring, auditing and reducing of our environmental impact in order to gain this award. This is to be reviewed and independently audited every 3 years by iCERT (or equivalent) with the Environmental Manager liaising with the Management team and external auditors, to confirm our standards have not dropped and that our greenhouse gas calculations are accurate. 

2. A yearly Environmental Report is to be completed by the Environmental Manager. 

3. Actions and monitoring is delegated to relevant managers 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 in line with our Safety Management Plan 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). Additionally, as part of onboarding and ongoing training, Hidden Iceland guides are expected to show their ability to effectively manage groups in various terrain.

2. Our sample itineraries are considered best practice when trip planning with a good balance between safety, guests satisfaction and environmental impact. When bespoke itineraries are created, our Trip Planning Guidelines have been designed to incorporate Safety, Guest Satisfaction and Environmental Impact, with an onus on reduced daily driving time. 

3. The operations team must consider significant environmental impact when reviewing and managing the day, as noted in the Dispatch Company Policy.

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 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. Our Fleet Manager works closely with the Operations team to monitor booked vehicles and allocates the most appropriate vehicle for a trip, favouring our own vehicles whenever possible without sacrificing the guests comfort and service expectations. 

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 and reduction of rapid acceleration and deceleration.

3. Hidden Iceland’s first full electric vehicle was purchased in 2022, with preliminary trials for usage on tours. As of writing, fuel based cars are considered the best option for full day tours with informal research on hybrids being completed. 

4. Hidden Iceland vehicles, when necessary, are treated with a ceramic coating 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 | 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.

7 | Choose local and review activity operators 

POLICY: 

1. Hidden Iceland is to purchase locally for all physical goods, whenever possible.

2. When any new supplier is being assessed as part of the approval process, Hidden Iceland should provide our own environmental policy and request access to their own environmental policy as part of our initial assessment.

3. When an existing supplier requires price updates or changes to terms, Hidden Iceland should provide our own environmental policy and request access to their own environmental policy as part of ongoing discussions.

HOW WE DO IT:

1. Hidden Iceland favours locally sourced products whenever possible. This is in regard to all operational purchases like bulk buying flyers, equipment and clothing. Locally sourced meals at restaurants and cafés are to be favoured.

2. When an assessment is being completed for a new activity operator, we provide our Safety Management Plan and Environmental Policy as a way to share best practices throughout the industry, while also asking for theirs. 

3. When pricing updates or changes to terms and conditions of any supplier, we provide our Environmental Policy as a way to share best practices throughout the industry, while also asking for theirs.

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. Employees are expected to provide adequate waste options and knowledge sharing to external stakeholders and guests when outside of Hidden Iceland’s office such as recycling on the go, toilet facilities, and how to minimise waste. 

3. Single use plastic use products are no longer to be included in Hidden Iceland tours as standard.

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. Plastic rubbish bags were removed from the Hidden Iceland vehicles as these have been deemed an ineffective way of collecting and sorting recycling. 

4. 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. 

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.

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:

1. Held within Hidden Iceland’s yearly Environmental Report, there are 33 potential Actions that are being reviewed with the expectation to be implemented when feasible/ possible. This can be shared upon request. 

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