At Justravel Asia, we believe meaningful travel can enrich lives, protect heritage, and contribute to a better world. As a boutique, female-owned Destination Management Company operating in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, we are committed to growing responsibly, prioritizing the well-being of our environment, our communities, and the people who travel with us.
We recognize that sustainability is not a one-time effort but a continuous journey. This policy guides our practices and goals as we seek to reduce our environmental footprint, promote inclusive local development, and create long-lasting positive impact through tourism.
We are committed to minimizing our environmental impact, supporting local communities, and promoting inclusivity in every journey we design. As a boutique, owner-run DMC, we strive to provide high-quality, personalized service while championing fair business practices, reducing resource use, and preserving the rich heritage of the destinations we serve.
Through continuous learning and improvement, we aim to grow responsibly and inspire both our partners and travelers to join us in building a more sustainable tourism industry
I. GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY POLICY:
- Encourage our team to adopt and uphold sustainability practices and values.
- Monitor and actively reduce energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation.
- Prioritize office supplies that are locally sourced, low-impact, and minimally packaged.
- Maintain a workplace that is safe, inclusive, and respectful for all employees.
- Report annually on our sustainability performance and progress.
1. Saving Energy:
- Strive for efficient use of energy through monitoring and periodic reviews.
- Promoting adoption of renewable energy sources where feasible.
- Encourage energy-saving behaviors among all employees.
- Switch to LED lights to reduce energy consumption.
- Consider using lights that can be recharged by solar energy.
- Turn off lights when not in use and consider installing sensor-activated lights to optimize usage.
- Use air conditioning efficiently by ensuring all doors and any gaps that may cause air leakage are closed.
- Set the temperature at a level that is not significantly lower than the outside temperature.
- Always check that the air conditioning and the lights are switched off before leaving the office
- Perform regular maintenance to prevent leaks and ensure optimal performance quarterly
- Conduct monthly checks on consumption to manage usage and detect unusual spikes early.
- Hybrid mode – combine WFO (Work from Office) and WFH (Work from Home), allowing staff to choose to go to the office two or more days per week.
- Set up meetings through online channels, such as phone calls or virtual meetings.
- Travel together for business trips to reduce the use of personal vehicles.
- Prioritize using rechargeable batteries, as well as products and household appliances that offer the option to use rechargeable batteries.
- Collect used batteries weekly and send them to an organization that is qualified to recycle them quarterly
2. Saving Water
- Aim to reduce overall water consumption by identifying key usage areas.
- Implement water-saving fixtures and processes in new and existing facilities.
- Monitor water use and address leaks or inefficiencies promptly.
- Plan to switch to smart and sensor faucets to regulate water consumption.
- Frequently check all faucets to ensure there are no water leaks and monitor water consumption every month to make timely repairs and adjustments when needed.
- Perform regular maintenance to prevent leaks and ensure optimal performance.
- Conduct monthly checks on consumption to manage usage and detect unusual spikes early.
3. Waste Reduction
- Focus on the hierarchy of reduce, reuse, and recycle across all operations.
- Minimize single-use materials and packaging.
- Engage staff in waste-segregation practices and awareness programs.
- Set up two trash bins to separate recyclable and non-recyclable products and label them accordingly to ensure proper waste disposal.
- Separate electronic products, as the recycling process is complex and requires qualified organization.
- Encourage staff to use personal cups or bottles at the office and at home to reduce plastic waste and avoid single-use products.
- Prepare cups, glasses, and bottles for staff use in the office.
- Prioritize single-use products made from biodegradable materials such as paper, coffee grounds, or bagasse.
4. Sustainable Purchasing
- Prioritize sustainable products and household appliances that have an energy label.
- Prioritize sustainable products and household appliances that use new technology to reduce energy consumption, such as LED lights and solar panels.
- Buying office supplies made from recycled materials (e.g., paper, pens, folders). Using suppliers that offer recyclable or compostable packaging.
- Choosing biodegradable cleaning products (dishwashing liquid or detergent water) that reduce water pollution.
- Collect product boxes quarterly and deliver them to approved recycling facilities.
- Partnering with vendors who ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and no child labor
- Including women-owned or minority-owned businesses in the supply chain
- Selecting suppliers who use electric or hybrid vehicles for delivery and travel.
- Seek opportunities to reduce packaging, materials, and transport impacts.
5. Reducing Disposable and Consumable Goods
- Replace single-use coffee cups and water bottles with durable, reusable alternatives for every team member.
- Ordering bulk office supplies in refillable packaging to cut down on plastic waste.
- Plan to switch to refillable pens, markers, and toner cartridges to extend the life of each product.
- Track the consumption of paper, cleaning wipes, and other disposables, setting clear reduction targets quarterly.
- Plan to provide training on best practices for reuse and proper disposal to ensure all staff follow the sustainability policy.
6. Pollution Reduction
6.1 Within company:
- Encourage low-emission travel options, such as public transport, cycling, and carpooling.
- Optimize delivery and logistics routes to reduce fuel use.
- Selecting electric or hybrid vehicles for travel.
- Trying to plant more trees in the office that can thrive in an enclosed space, adding green areas and improving air quality.
- Open windows and doors whenever weather permits.
- Ban indoor and outdoor smoking
- Travel together for business trips to reduce the use of personal vehicles.
- Plan business trips and arrange inspection sites based on location and timing to optimize the itinerary and minimize travel.
6.2 With transport suppliers:
- Arrange vehicles based on the number of guests in each group and avoid using large vehicles for small groups.
- Encourage the vehicle suppliers to activate the air conditioning only five minutes before guest board to minimize energy consumption.
- Regularly check with our transportation suppliers regarding vehicle age and limit the use of outdated vehicles to reduce emissions.
- Request that suppliers perform regular maintenance to keep vehicles in good condition, lower fuel consumption, and minimize air pollution in support of environmental protection.
- Regarding train travel, we frequently seek opportunities to offer this option to our guests whenever it aligns with their interests, itineraries, and schedules.
7. Child Labor and Sexual exploitation of children:
- We comply with all applicable international conventions and national laws prohibiting child labor and Child Labor and Sexual exploitation of children.
- No person under the age of 15 (or local minimum working age, if higher) will be employed or engaged in our operations.
- We conduct risk assessments of our suppliers to identify and remediate any instances of child labor and Child Labor and Sexual exploitation of children.
II. ACCOMMODATION SUSTAINABILITY POLICY:
- Prioritize working with accommodation suppliers who care about sustainability, have sustainable policies or regulations, implement eco-friendly practices.
- Prioritize working with and supporting accommodation suppliers who are committed to local communities by minimizing environmental damage during construction, creating jobs for local residents, and helping improve their quality of life.
- Prioritize collaboration with accommodation suppliers that integrate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage, while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities to promote cultural identity and support community well-being.
- Encourage local suppliers to develop and implement sustainable practices as much as possible, while adhering to available procedures set by the local government.
- Including women-owned or minority-owned businesses in the supply chain
- Where requested and possible, open to supporting collaborative initiatives with other tour operators and stakeholders to promote sustainability among accommodations in various destinations.
- Ensuring basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare or soil to the neighboring communities. Accommodation suppliers must adhere to stringent environmental and community protection standards in accordance with local authorities’ regulations, as these services form the foundation of a sustainable and healthy living environment.
- Follow up with suppliers annually to update their plan or their process of sustainable practices.
- Following up on their sustainability practices through both offline and online channels. For offline follow-up, conduct periodic site visits; for online, review activities on their website and other available social media platforms.
- Accommodation suppliers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations established by local and national authorities, including but not limited to those related to the sexual exploitation of children, child labor, labor rights, the protection of local heritage and culture, sustainability, and environmental conservation.
III. EXCURSIONS SUSTAINABILITY POLICY:
- Prioritize working with suppliers who care about sustainability, have sustainable policies or regulations, implement eco-friendly practices.
- Prioritize working with and supporting suppliers who are committed to local communities by minimizing environmental damage during construction, creating jobs for local residents, and helping improve their quality of life.
- Encourage local suppliers to develop and implement sustainable practices as much as possible, while adhering to available procedures set by the local government.
- Including women-owned or minority-owned businesses in the supply chain.
- Ensure that no excursions are offered that may harm humans, animals, plants, or natural resources (e.g., water and energy), or that are socially or culturally conducted in violation of legal standards. Additionally, avoid any activities associated with private organizations that lack proper licenses for animal captivity.
- For animal-related activities and excursions, collaborate only with national parks, government agencies, or reputable international organizations that are qualified and professionally recognized in animal welfare and conservation.
- Any harvesting, consumption, display, sale, or trade of wildlife species protected under local, national, or international law is illegal. All activities or excursions from suppliers involving such actions are strictly prohibited and may result in contract termination.
- Following up on their sustainability practices through both offline and online channels. For offline follow-up, conduct periodic site visits; for online, review activities on their website and other available social media platforms.
- Excursion suppliers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations established by local and national authorities, including but not limited to those related to the sexual exploitation of children, child labor, labor rights, the protection of local heritage and culture, sustainability, and environmental conservation.
IV. CUSTOMER PRIVACY TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
- Clearly specify the personal data collected, including all information related to guests and their trip (e.g., names, passport details, contact information, health conditions, religion, and payment data) used for booking services, travel insurance, or itinerary planning. Ensure that all data handling complies with applicable legal standards.
- All information will be provided by the guests with their understanding and consent regarding the use of their data.
- Obtain explicit consent for collecting and processing personal data.
- Disclose that third-party data sharing (e.g., with airlines, hotels, insurance providers) is limited to the scope of services provided by each supplier and ensure that these partners also comply with applicable privacy standards. Such disclosures are made solely for the purpose of service preparation. For example, passport details may be shared with accommodation providers, but payment information is excluded—unless guests are required to pay directly for additional services not included in the trip or covered by the agreement with the company.
V. RISK & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
1. Identification of Risks & Emergency: Common risks include:
- Health emergencies (illness, injury)
- Accidents during transport or excursions
- Natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, storms)
- Political unrest or civil disturbances
- Lost documents or theft
- Communication breakdowns or missed connections
2. General Procedure Setup for Risks & Emergency: For each identified risk, develop a clear and actionable response plan that includes:
- Immediate steps to ensure guest safety
- Communication protocol with local suppliers, local authorities and emergency services
- Evacuation or relocation procedures if needed
- Backup transportation or accommodation options
- Guest notification and support process
3. Plan to train staff: Developing a training plan to prepare staff for the following actions in response to future risks and emergency situations:
- Emergency response protocols relevant to their role
- First aid basics and guest care
- Communication procedures with central operations
- Use of emergency contact lists and reporting tools
