Our Sustainability Policy

As an experienced DMC and tour operator, Golden Foundation Tours feel that we have the responsibility to lead the sustainable practices in the market where we operate and influence on our suppliers and clients to participate in sustainability. We align our manner and practices for sustainability and to bring cultural, social, environmental, and economic benefit to the destinations and the visitors. We expect that our business partners and suppliers can be in compliance with the same manner and standards to ensure sustainability.

Objectives and commitment

• ◆ Comply with the practices which are compliance with the law and regulations.
• ◆ Cooperate with partners and suppliers following the sustainable value and practices in priority.
• ◆ Inform and ensure that each employee is fully aware of the company sustainability policy and implement in the practices.
• ◆ Encourage the employees to propose the products and practices with less negative impacts on the community and destinations.
• ◆ Minimize the environmental impacts caused by our practices.
• ◆ Merge the cultural and social elements and experience in our activities to improve the cultural inheritance and social development.
• ◆ Give back to the community by donating to the underprivileged groups.
• ◆ Manage with measurable standards, review our sustainability performance, and aim to annually improve in practices.

We commit to sustainability management, practiced by these following actions:

• ◆ To have an appointed employee who is responsible for sustainability coordinator tasks.
• ◆ To have a sustainability mission statement that is communicated to customers, partners and suppliers.
• ◆ To have an accessible and written sustainability policy that aims for a reduction of the negative social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the company’s activities; and includes employee related health and safety aspects.
• ◆ To collaborate and actively involved in external forums and working groups which are supportive to sustainability in tourism.
• ◆ To conduct baseline assessment of the company’s performance on sustainable practices.
• ◆ To have sustainability guidelines and assessment system in place to identify the sustainability performance of key suppliers/partners.
• ◆ To have sustainability action plan with clear targets, actions, measures, responsibilities and time planning.
• ◆ To develop documented procedures to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the sustainability policy, objectives and targets.
• ◆ To ensure company’s transparency in sustainability by public reporting and communicating.
• ◆ To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.

We commit to complying with all national legislation, regulations and codes of practice.

To be positive to protect the environment and be realistically sustainable, Golden Foundation Tours Corp. has the Internal Management Guidelines with the practices which follow 3R principles: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The guidelines include the practices not only to employees but also to our clients and stakeholders.

The objective is to protect the ecology and reduce the negative impacts on the earth as much as possible by:

• ◆ Minimizing resource consumption, waste production, and carbon emission.
• ◆ Complying labor laws to increase awareness of human rights.
• ◆ Promoting responsible tourism to current and potential employees, partners, and customers.

The company is committed to the following principles:

Labor Conditions

The company follows the national Labor Standards Act in Taiwan, which has clearly shown in the clauses of the human resources documents under Organization Management. The content is reviewed and updated based on the current regulations.

Sustainable Purchasing Policy

We give preference to sustainable products & services when the quality, services, availability, and cost are able to meet the request. When selecting our providers, we apply the following procedure:

• ◆ We give preference to products with a recognized environmental or sustainability certificate or proved sustainability qualities.
• ◆ We prefer products which is locally produced.
• ◆ We prefer local suppliers when possible.
• ◆ We prefer to work with suppliers and service providers who have a sustainability reputation or who is willing to practice sustainability.
• ◆ When purchasing paper, we prefer paper made with recycled materials when the quality and cost are to meet the request.
• ◆ When purchasing electric devices, we prefer the power-saving and efficient models and which can be recycled.
• ◆ When purchasing cleaning materials, we prefer products which is non-hazardous to the environment.
• ◆ We investigate possible sustainable alternatives and compare these alternatives on price, quality and availability before purchasing.

Reduce Energy Consumption

• ◆ Turn off the devices such as lights, projector, and coffee machine when they are not in use.
• ◆ Put the reminder of “Turn off when you’re not using it” next to the switches of devices.
• ◆ Turn off the monitors during breaks. Turn off the desktops, monitors, and air conditioners during office-off hours. The last leaving person has to check that all air conditioners and lights are turned off before leaving the office.
• ◆ Set the desktops and printers under power-save mode and automatically change to stand-by mode after being still for 20 minutes.
• ◆ Defrost the freezer in the first week of every month to maintain the refrigerator’s efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
• ◆ For the outdated devices, such as the lights, desktops, monitors, printers, air conditioners, they will be gradually replaced with energy saving and efficiency model.
• ◆ Open windows and use fans for fresh air when outside air temperature and conditions permit during winter and dry season.
• ◆ Educate and encourage employees, guides and stakeholders to be energy-conscious and to offer ideas about how energy can be saved.
• ◆ Ensure all guides and vehicle operators are aware of energy conservation measures such as turning off engines when waiting for clients.

Reduce Water Consumption

• ◆ Encourage employees to provide suggestions, and occasionally consult with external experts where possible.
• ◆ Put the reminder of “Saving water” in the restrooms and pantries.
• ◆ When encountering any water leakage, report to the Building Management immediately.

Waste Management

• ◆ Order drinking water in buckets from the supplier who recycle and reuse the buckets.
• ◆ Reduce the use of one-time utensils.
• ◆ Use environmental-friendly or natural cleaning products to reduce pollution.
• ◆ Set both-side printing as default.
• ◆ Recycle one-side printing paper for internal document printing and reuse.

Separate the waste based on the material types before disposals and recycle.

As a professional and experienced tour operator, Golden Foundation Tours (GFT) is aware of the responsibility we have towards the host destinations, their cultures and its locals, service providers, and communities. GFT aims to commit the sustainable standards for corporate conduct and ensures compliance with them at all times. It acts in an ethical and sustainable manner to ensure that GFT and its service providers protect the interests of the society and the environment.

The Sustainability Standards for Service Providers specify the requirements demanded of all service providers of Golden Foundation Tours Corp. The compliance with human rights and labor standards, protection of the environment and animal welfare are key criteria which we apply in selecting our service providers and assessing new and existing business relationships. We expect all our business partners and their employees to ensure compliance with these requirements.

Golden Foundation Tours shall reserve rights to review compliance with sustainability standards with the help of self-assessment questionnaires and/or audits conducted in the business sites of the service providers. The service providers shall be obligated to support this process. Golden Foundation Tours reserves the right to terminate the contract with a service provider without notice if it obtains knowledge that service providers strictly violate the standards below.

Compliance with the law Service providers shall comply with all laws to their company, irrespective of whether or not compliance is monitored by government authorities.

Protection of children against sexual exploitation Service providers shall ensure that their business operations or premises are not used for the purpose of child prostitution, child sexual exploitation, or any forms of child abuse to procure children for sexual purposes, or produce, disseminate or store pornographic material involving minors.

Suspicious conduct by guests, employees, employees of a service provider’s business partners or other persons that is observed on the premises of the supplier or during excursions or brought to the attention of the supplier must be reported by the supplier to the local law enforcement authorities.

Golden Foundation Tours reserves the right to terminate the contract with a service provider without notice if it obtains knowledge that service providers facilitate or tolerate criminal acts, such as sexual exploitation of children.

Respect for human rights and compliance with social standards Service Providers shall comply with the fundamental employee rights defined under prevailing national laws, Labor Standards Act.

Environmental standards Service providers shall comply with national laws, regulations and standards relating to protection of the environment.

Services providers shall act responsibly in order to protect the environment. They shall minimize potential negative impacts of their business activity on the community, environment and natural resources and encourage measures to reuse and recycle resources. Service providers shall continuously improve protection of the environment in their business processes. In this regard, we view the existence of suitable environment management systems as an advantage.

Animal welfare Animals must be treated as sentient beings and be accorded the necessary respect and protection so as to ensure their well-being. Animals in captivity must be kept under conditions that are appropriate to their species and allow them to behave normally, and must not be abused or forced into unnatural behavior. Suppliers must fulfill the minimum requirements for keeping animals in a manner appropriate to their species, as defined by the national law, Animal Protection Act.

Golden Foundation Tours has joined Travelife Management System and on a mission to be accredited as a Travelife Certified tour operator. We conduct internal environmental reviews to assess our progress towards an improved environmental performance. GFT also likes to encourage service providers such as hotels, restaurants and destinations to participate with us.

• ◆ The company has a questionnaire checklist for accommodation providers regarding how they apply and plan to improve sustainable practices to protect the environment.
• ◆ Golden Foundation Tours prefers to cooperate with sustainable accommodations. Due to the few certified accommodations in Taiwan, our objective is to design more tours staying in certificated accommodations and contract with certified accommodations as many as possible.
• ◆ Based on the hotel questionnaire, we may find out more accommodations who are doing or practicing sustainable practices following the national sustainable standards to contract and cooperate.
• ◆ Working with accommodations and restaurants that incorporate elements of local art, architecture, or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities.
• ◆ Golden Foundation Tours prefers accommodations and restaurants that incorporates elements of local art, architecture or cultural heritage; while respecting the intellectual property rights of local communities (taken into account price, comfort and other selection criteria).
• ◆ Terminating cooperation with accommodation in case of clear evidence that contracted accommodations jeopardize the provision of integrity of basic services such as food, water, energy, healthcare, or soil to the neighbouring communities.

Tourism activities bring changes and influences on the destinations including the locals, community, environment, and ecology. To help minimize the negative impact and raise the awareness of sustainability, Golden Foundation Tours develops our CSR to support sustainable tourism and improve our sustainable practices.

Social and Cultural

Traveling creates opportunity for the interaction between different cultures. It can bring development for the local community as well. With mutual understanding, tolerance, respect, and appropriate behaviors, it may enhance the positive effect on both visitors and locals. As a professional tour operator, Golden Foundation Tours has the following practices to maximize the positiveness:

• ◆ Provide the Must-Dos and Not-Dos including appropriate behaviors and taboos to the guests in advance for their understanding.
• ◆ Have the tour guides to give briefing of Must-Dos and Not-Dos before entering the destinations, especially the aboriginal villages and cultural heritages, in order to avoid inappropriate conducts and negative impression caused.
• ◆ Regularly make sponsor or donation to the local social welfare organizations with good reputation and transparent financial statement over 5 years.

Environmental

To minimize the negative impacts on the destination and protect the environment for the future generation, Golden Foundation Tours has the following practices:

• ◆ Designs, develops, and operates tour products with sustainable consideration.
1. 1．Design and develop tours with destinations putting efforts on sustainable practices.
2. 2．Design tours utilizing public transportation in priority when availability, and service quality allow.
3. 3．Arrange local transportations in priority when quality, service, availability and price allow.
4. 4．Utilize the public transportation in priority when quality, service, availability and price allow.
5. 5．GFT encouraged guests using their own water bottles/containers for travel.
• ◆ Teach the guests with the necessary wildlife knowledge, appropriate behaviors, and taboos before visiting the natural destinations.

We aim to maximize positive impacts and minimize negative impacts at destination to ensure the sustainable development of the places that we operate in.

We commit to this by:

• ◆ Consider sustainability aspects in the selection process of new destinations and possibly offer alternative, non-mainstream destinations.
• ◆ Support initiatives that improve the relationships between accommodations and local producers.
• ◆ Influence and support local government (when possible, together with other travel companies and stakeholders) concerning sustainability, destination planning and management, use of natural resources and socio-cultural issues.
• ◆ Support biodiversity conservation, including protected areas and areas of high biodiversity, through financial contribution, political support, and integration in product offers.
• ◆ Not promote souvenirs which contain threatened flora and fauna species which is provided by from our government which are Forestry Bureau and Ocean Conservation Administration.
• ◆ We will build a sustainable destination database in Taiwan and integrate the process for internal staff to design the itinerary.

Customer’s welfare and information are very important to us. We ensure clear and constant communication and high protection to our clients by the following practices:

• ◆ Ensure that customer privacy is not compromised.
• ◆ Comply with relevant standards and voluntary codes of conduct in marketing and advertising messages, and not promise more than is delivered.
• ◆ Make product and price information clear, complete and accurate, with regard to the company and its products and services.
• ◆ Provide Information to consumers about the natural surroundings, local culture and cultural heritage in the holiday destination.
• ◆ Keep a contact person and a telephone number permanently available for emergency situations.
• ◆ Train personnel and keep guidelines available, on how to deal with emergency situations.
• ◆ Provide clients with documented guidelines and/or codes of conduct for sensitive excursions and activities, to minimize negative visitor impact and maximize enjoyment.
• ◆ Provide customers with information about commercial, sexual or any other form of exploitation and harassment, particularly of children and adolescents.
• ◆ Motivate clients to use local restaurants and shops (where appropriate).

For more details, please refer to the appendix “Customer Communication and Protection”