Responsible Business
Sustainability Road Map and Modern Slavery Statement
A proud B Corp company
In 2023, we were delighted to receive accreditation as a B Corp company with a high-flying Impact Assessment score of 83.
We are now delighted to share our first Annual Impact Report, which demonstrates our current initiatives and ambitions as we progress on our journey to Net Zero.
Over the past two decades, we’ve built a community united by a love for soulful places. Pursuing B Corp certification formalises our commitment to balancing stakeholder interests with sustainability. Joining over 6,000 B Corp companies dedicated to meeting rigorous social and environmental standards, we believe tourism when founded on ethical principles and with a thoughtful approach, can be a force for good. That’s why we focus on building close bonds within our destinations and investing in both our head office and local teams.
We are proud members of Travel by B Corp and through our long-standing association with the Conservation Collective, we’ve actively supported and promoted numerous environmental projects across the Mediterranean.
The Sicily Environment Fund and the Conservation Collective
At the end of 2022, we were delighted to announce a further consolidation of our partnership with the Conservation Collective, a global network of environmental foundations with affiliates throughout the Mediterranean.
We’d worked closely with several members of the Conservation Collective over the years, including the Ionian Environment Foundation, but we are now taking a more hands-on role: Rossella and Huw, the Founding Directors of The Thinking Traveller, along with a few of our villa owners have been invited to join the steering committee of the newly launched Sicily Environment Fund, an exciting opportunity that allows us to be at the forefront of future projects.
Like the existing affiliate members of the Conservation Collective, the Sicily Environment Fund will offer financial and logistical support to local grassroots initiatives aimed at protecting Sicily’s environment, safeguarding its natural habitats, promoting ecological best practice, and mitigating the effects climate change. At the same time, The Thinking Traveller will continue to raise awareness amongst its clients, participate in local activities, and donate a percentage of each booking made for our destinations in which the Conservation Collective is active.
Here are a few examples of projects financed by the Sicily Environment Fund in 2023:
- Ghost net recovery in Ustica - in collaboration with Mare Nostrum Diving, the Marine Protected Area authorities and local fishermen. Ghost nets continue to trap and kill marine life, and over 150kg of nets have were removed form the seabed in the month of June 2023 alone, helping to restore marine habitats to their natural condition. Operations are continuing and we are looking into opportunities for reusing and recycling the nylon nets.
- Caper plant nursery on Stromboli - in collaboration with the local community. This project aims to promote sustainable food systems while also contributing to the recovery of the landscape damaged by a fire in 2022 that destroyed 1/3 of the island's vegetation. By encouraging maintenance activities of abandoned and uncultivated land, we also hope to help prevent new fires and reduce hydrogeological risk.
- Natural guide training - in collaboration with rewildingeurope.com. The aim is to support the development of environment-based economies and tourism, while at the same time allowing guides to help preserve terrestrial biodiversity by providing data for evidence-based land management, fire prevention and future rewilding measures. Training is delivered by a team of local and international experts using an international standard for wildlife tracking. Thanks to the support of the Sicily Environment Fund the grantee has secured a further €20,000 from the Horizon project IMPETUS for Citizen Science.
- Plastic free schools - wholly funded by a strategic partnership with pop group Depeche Mode. As part of a national campaign to reduce single use plastic in schools, the Sicily Environment Fund is donating 3 water purification plants to schools on the minor Sicilian islands where clean drinking water is not available. To complete the circle, an art installation using the ghost nets recovered from the seabed around Ustica will also be created for Depeche Mode's concerts in Milan in the summer of 2023.
"To partner with The Thinking Traveller was a solid decision for us based on so many things, but one was their commitment to ecotourism. We love that their villas are located in small villages or close by, usually somewhere a little remote and surrounded by nature. We also loved that by staying in these places we got to spend time with locals, usually families who are passionate about sharing all that they love about their home. The Thinking Traveller is heavily invested both personally and financially in their host communities to provide economic and ecological benefits while respecting the local culture and tradition of its people."
-Sheree Commerford of Captain and the Gypsy Kid.
Ecotourism and The Thinking Traveller
The fundamental principles of ecotourism revolve around two basic concepts: benefit and respect.
True ecotourism provides tangible economic and ecological benefits to the host community while at the same time respecting its traditions, its culture and its socio-political climate.
As a travel company operating within the ethos of ecotourism, The Thinking Traveller invests in local economies, participates in conservation projects, and sponsors cultural events. We raise awareness amongst our clientele, provide meaningful insights into our destinations, and promote a sustainable, long-term approach to tourism. Ecotourism is close to our heart, not only because it’s something we passionately believe in, but also because we genuinely love our destinations.
Economic benefits to host communities
Clients of The Thinking Traveller stay in privately owned villas, most of which are located near or in small towns and villages. Those who build, restore and maintain our villas are members of the local community. The restoration of older properties for rental, as well as the construction of new ones, is carried out by local, usually family-run contractors and artisans. They use locally sourced materials and employ traditional techniques that have been passed down over generations. The staff of our villas (maids, cooks, caretakers, gardeners and pool cleaners), and those providing external services on our behalf (drivers, boat suppliers, wineries, masseuses, yoga instructors, etc.) are also locals.
Most of our villas have solar panels for hot water and electricity, and LED lighting (for an 80% reduction is power usage) is very common. A significant number boast organic kitchen gardens, orchards, and olive groves (some are even set in organic farms).
The ingredients used by our in-villa cooks are overwhelmingly seasonal and locally produced, as befits the culinary traditions of our destinations. Shops, restaurants, bars, gelaterie and other local businesses also benefit economically from the presence of Thinking Travellers, who shop and eat out in the villages and towns closest to their villa. All of this benefits local economies, creating employment and supporting businesses.
Ecological benefits and sustainability
As a small-scale specialist operator, we have minimal impact on the environmental equilibrium of our destinations. As mentioned above, we’re part of the Sicily Environment Fund and a committed partner the Conservation Collective, through which we support and fund local environmental groups and their projects.
Our villas
We work closely with the owners of our villas to make their properties as eco-friendly as possible. Many of the properties in our collection have some or all of the following ecological attributes:
- solar panels for hot water and electricity
- LED lighting (for an 80% reduction is power usage)
- double and triple glazing
- water filtration systems
- ecological air-conditioning systems
- refillable dispensers for bathroom products
- rainwater collection
- organic kitchen gardens, orchards, and olive groves (these allow guests to cook with and enjoy healthy, truly 0km ingredients, reduce packaging, and make fewer food shopping trips)
In our destinations, we build relationships with like-minded people who place ecology at the forefront of what they do. Planeta, our in-villa wine delivery partner in Sicily, for example, was one of the two first wine producers in Italy to be awarded SOStain certification. This initiative regards not only the adoption of sustainable, ecological farming practices, but also the well-being of those working in agriculture, the health of consumers, the involvement of local communities, and the promotion and development of surrounding areas.
Raising cultural awareness
One of our founding principles is to provide our clientele with in-depth local knowledge. We have created, and continue to grow, our own comprehensive online destination guides, and the infinite resourcefulness and unrivalled expertise of our on-the-ground Specialist teams (all of whom are either locals or have lived in their dedicated area for many years) are available to our clients throughout their stay.
Our team in London also possesses great local knowledge. Some are originally from our destinations, and all travel to them regularly throughout the year, not only visiting and staying at our villas, but also spending time on the road, visiting towns and beaches, meeting food and wine producers, and participating in local cultural events.
All this innate and accumulated knowledge is at our clients’ complete disposal. We offer insights into our destinations that non-specialist travel companies simply can’t. We know the hidden wonders, the little jewels, and the secret treasures of our destinations, and we encourage our clients to experience them. We arrange real, authentic experiences with people from local communities, whether it be cookery lessons with someone from the village, vineyard tours and wine-tastings, or PhD-qualified guides to reveal the secrets of an archaeological site or a historic town.
Our roadmap to becoming an ever more responsible business
The Thinking Traveller exists to showcase the Mediterranean’s most exceptional villas in the most unique and spectacular locations. As part of this, we recognise our responsibilities to protect and support the natural environments and the local communities in which we operate. Moreover, as a fast-growing company, we are keen to join global efforts to prioritise sustainable development.
Thoughtfulness is already at the heart of everything we do at The Thinking Traveller, and great strides have already been made in our sustainability journey. We acknowledge, however, that we are only at the beginning, and we are committed to maximising our positive impact while at the same time minimising any negative effects of our business. Our decision-making will revolve around these principles at every stage of this process.
As part of our sustainability journey, and so as to ensure we make the most of the local knowledge which sets us apart, we are engaging all our Thinkers through workshops, round tables and regular updates.
We commit to:
- monitoring, and ultimately reducing, our carbon emissions per full-time employee (FTE)
- working only with trusted, responsible, local suppliers
- investing in local grassroots projects aimed at protecting the environment, restoring natural habitats, and safeguarding against climate change in the areas we work in
- working in partnership to reduce the emissions we do not have control over. In the first place, this involves working with our villa owners to ensure that their villas have the smallest environmental impact possible.
Our carbon impact
What we’re doing now:
Working with industry-leading consultancy agencies, we are measuring our scope 1 and 2 emissions (direct emissions and indirect emissions from purchased energy). These take into account: the waste thrown away / recycled in our offices; employee commutes; kilometres driven by our local teams; transport methods used on training trips; the energy usage in our offices. We are a growing travel company, expanding year on year, but we are committed to monitoring carbon emissions per FTE, ensuring these do not increase year on year. We do this by hiring locally, creating specific policies for office sustainability and purchasing, planning transport carefully (including incentives to encourage green commuting), and developing clear guidelines on travel. In 2023, we were proud to trial hybrid and electric vehicles with members of our local teams and are now analysing the future of this moving forward.
What we’re doing next:
We recognise that simply monitoring carbon emissions per FTE is not enough, and we are committed to assessing how we can reduce this figure. To do this, we will be looking at how we can measure our scope 3 carbon emissions (indirect value chain emissions), with the aim of reducing these wherever possible.
Our villas
What we’re doing now:
We are fortunate to already work with partners who promote local hiring, support local businesses, and, often, grow their own produce. Given these partnerships, we are proud to promote the ecological attributes of our villas on our website and we actively seek such features when contracting and onboarding new properties. For properties already in our collection, our local teams share governmental and local eco-initiatives to ensure that our owners are aware, inspired and motivated to continuously improve their properties. We also encourage them to invest in long-lasting villa products (eg furniture and appliances) produced by companies with a circular business model.
From a client point of view, we share recommendations, tips and guidelines on responsible tourism. These cover everything from methods to reduce electricity consumption during a villa stay to local eco-initiatives that clients can visit during their holiday.
What we’re doing next:
We see that clients are making more informed decisions when choosing their villas, and the aspect of sustainability is increasing in importance. By measuring our Scope 3 emissions, we will gain a better understanding of the carbon footprint created by clients staying at our properties. Once we have this information, we will be able to work with our owners and clients to reduce the impact of their stays.
We will be further rolling out our sustainability survey (piloted in 2023) to our owners to understand how their villas can be developed to become more environmentally friendly. This will allow us to champion properties with significant ecological credentials.
As we acknowledge that waste and the disposal thereof is a pertinent topic across our destinations, we are committed to working with both our villa owners and clients in order to reduce their impact of waste.
Our supply chain
What we’re doing now:
We work with suppliers who demonstrate good social, environmental and working practices, and we prioritise suppliers who are local to our destinations. Our suppliers are required to sign contracts which include an Anti-Bribery and Modern Slavery clause. We also request Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) standards when contracting new companies to ensure they meet our high ESG standards and that they share a common approach to business. We have also started to measure scope 3 emissions from our top suppliers.
In 2023, we introduced a preferable purchasing policy, ensuring environmental and social responsibility when planning both purchases and when contracting with suppliers.
What we’re doing next:
We will continue to strengthen our preferable purchasing policy, ensuring a focus on local, likeminded companies.
Our local communities
What we’re doing now:
We are proud to employ many people who live and work in our destinations. They understand the ecological threats to their local areas and the actions required to safeguard them for years to come.
We support the affiliates of The Conservation Collective that are active in our destinations (Sicily, the Ionian Islands, the Argolic Gulf and the Cyclades), and we make a financial contribution for each booking in these regions. Through their funding of local grassroots projects, these affiliates work to protect the environment, restore natural habitats and safeguard against climate change.
At the end of 2022, our relationship with The Conservation Collective was further consolidated when the founders of The Thinking Traveller, Rossella and Huw Beaugié, were invited to join the steering committee of the newly created Sicily Environment Fund. Apart from offering financial support, we also promote The Conservation Collective’s work and projects to our owners and clients, encouraging them to get involved.
In 2023, we introduced our Thinker volunteer program which has already seen many members of our team giving time to the charities they are close to.
What we’re doing next:
We will be working ever more closely with The Conservation Collective by embracing many of their local projects, including, but not limited to: creating in-villa menus and encouraging villa staff to cook these in line with the ‘pick the alien’ project (this promotes the consumption of invasive fish species so as to reduce the consumption of native species); helping to raise awareness about the threat to Posidonia and informing clients about what can be done to protect it; encouraging clients to become involved in ongoing ecological projects during their stay with The Thinking Traveller.
We will also be looking to understand other ways to ‘give back’ to local communities, including projects and initiatives such as beach cleans during our team’s training trips.
Our Modern Slavery Statement
Headquartered in vibrant Brick Lane, in the heart of Shoreditch, London, and with a second office in Athens, we offer exclusive access to the most exceptional properties and the most extraordinary experiences in the heart of the Mediterranean (currently in Italy, Greece, and Corsica). We pride ourselves on our unrivalled local knowledge and our thoughtful service, and we promote a sustainable, eco-friendly approach to travel, investing in the economies of our destinations, participating in local conservation projects, and sponsoring cultural events. At the core of everything we do is the concept of thoughtfulness, which guides us not only in the way we run our company but also, more importantly, in the way we and our team behave towards our clients, our owners and their staff, our third-party suppliers, and each other. We passionately believe that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect and compassion, and we have a zero-tolerance approach towards modern slavery. We are fully committed to acting with integrity at all times and, in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act of 2015, to implementing effective systems and controls to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking have no place in our business at any level.
Our Team
The Thinking Traveller is an equal opportunities employer that embraces diversity and inclusivity. In the hiring, training and welfare of our team, we strictly adhere to the employment legislation of the countries in which we operate. Our team is a multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-talented group of professionals from over 10 countries (and 4 continents) who speak over 20 languages (not to mention several dialects). The majority of our team works at our offices in London and Athens. Other team members, in particular our Local Specialists, live and work full-time in our destinations. Our team receives regular training and constant support both from our Leadership Team and from external experts. Part of our forthcoming training programme will include sessions on modern slavery and human trafficking. Read more about us here.
Our Partners
Our partners can essentially be split into three groups:
- The owners of the villas we rent out on an exclusive basis;
- The companies and private individuals who provide extra services (our Experiences) for our clients;
- The third-party companies who supply products or services to our teams.
Third-party Companies
We regularly employ the services of third-party suppliers, including design and digital marketing agencies, printers, and providers of marketing collateral. We stipulate that all companies tendering for Thinking Traveller projects must operate in conformity with the Modern Slavery Act of 2015.
Extra service providers
Our extra service providers include a wide range of businesses and individuals, from wine producers, boat charter companies and tour guides, to taxi drivers and car rental companies. The Thinking Traveller acts as an agent for these providers but does not contract directly with them. All contracts for extra services booked by our clients are between the service provider and the client.
Villa owners
Some of our owners are resident in our destination countries: Italy, Greece, and France. Others live abroad. Some of them rent more than one property with us. The staff who work at their villas (cleaners, house managers, cooks, gardeners, caretakers, etc) are employed directly by the owners.
How we combat the risks of Modern Slavery in our business and our supply chain
- All staff of The Thinking Traveller are employed in accordance with all aspects of current employment legislation in the countries in which we operate.
- All contracts with villa owners contain a clause regarding modern slavery, in which both parties agree to comply with all applicable anti-slavery and human trafficking laws, statutes and regulations. Another clause requires our villa owners to agree to pay their staff and contractors at least the living wage of the country in which they work.
- All our staff receive training to support them in understanding the risks of slavery and human trafficking, and to encourage them to notify their line manager, a member of our Leadership Team or the Board of Directors if they believe or suspect that a conflict with our Modern Slavery Statement has occurred (or may occur in the future). More detailed training is given to our Local Specialists, who live and work in our destinations and have close working relationships with our villa owners and/or their staff.
