Sustainability

AKSA TOURISM ENTERPRISES SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT

Dear Guests, Esteemed Business Partners

Aware of its responsibility for a secure future, Aksa Tourism has adopted sustainability as a business model. Our operations closely monitor a wide range of sustainability issues, from social impacts to environmental impacts, from climate change to commercial sustainability.  

 

Our Sustainability Strategy

Aksa Turizm İşletmeleri shapes its business and sustainability strategy; in line with its vision of being a responsible company, the Company approaches sustainability under the headings of "Environmental Sustainability, Energy", "Employees" and "Social Responsibility".

 

Our Sustainability Approach

Aksa Tourism operates its business model in line with an integrated vision that encompasses economic, social and environmental aspects. To this end, the Company evaluates its existing business processes within the scope of sustainability and takes care to integrate the concept of sustainability into the focus of all its activities and services.

As Aksa Tourism continues its investments in line with its growth target, Aksa Tourism has adopted sustainability as a business model, which it addresses with a holistic approach.

Not content with implementing responsible and sustainable development principles not only in its current operations, Aksa Tourism develops environmental and social initiatives with a wide range of impact, with the aim of becoming an effective stakeholder in the regions where it operates and creating long-term value for future generations.

Aksa Tourism Operations ensures that all business strategies are in line with the sustainability approach. Thanks to its strong organizational structure and dynamic governance model, Aksa Tourism continuously increases the added value it generates in social, environmental and widespread economic areas.

Sustainability goals are communicated to all of our businesses through effective communication.

Aksa Tourism continuously monitors its performance towards these goals through audit practices.

 

Sustainability Management

The importance of sustainable business processes is increasing every year on both a national and global scale. With the light and motivation of these current developments, Aksa Tourism evaluates existing risks and considers sustainability awareness as a priority approach in all its operations. Aksa Tourism aims to turn its sustainability approach, which it addresses under the headings of "Environmental Sustainability, Energy", "Employees" and "Social Responsibility", into an advantage and increase its competitive power by taking important steps in this area.

Aksa Tourism has a Sustainability Committee that works to develop strategies and policies for more sustainable implementation of all business processes, to take steps towards their implementation, to monitor, audit and improve them, and to ensure that these strategies and policies are implemented.

 

Our Sustainability Certificate

Environmental Policy

Our commitment

As Aksa Tourism Management, we understand the importance of protecting the environment and are committed to managing our business in a way that minimizes and mitigates our impact on the environment.

Our Objectives

1) Reduce our carbon emissions, water use and waste generation by 20% by the end of December 2023 by implementing the following steps:

Regularly recording and monitoring the amount of energy and water we use and the waste we generate.

Evaluating the impact of the damage we cause to the environment within the framework of legal regulations. Developing methods to minimize and mitigate.

Increasing the use of low-energy lighting throughout the facility.

Minimizing food waste and maintaining zero waste practices.

Finding more sustainable products to replace single-use plastic products.

To minimize the amount of hazardous waste and to dispose of it.

To ensure the continuity of our waste separation system in our hotel.

 2) To minimize all kinds of pollution from our business activities by implementing the following steps:

Wherever possible, constantly reviewing and replacing the cleaning chemicals we use with environmentally friendly alternatives.

Striving to conserve water, energy and all natural resources and sharing our sensitivity with our employees.

We aim to provide our employees with continuous training on the environment and to increase their sensitivity in this direction.

Carrying out activities to ensure the participation of our guests and employees in our environment.

We regularly train all our employees and inform our guests, suppliers and partners to encourage them to support our environmental management system and contribute to our progress.

Energy Policy

Aksa Tourism complies with national and international legal regulations and legislations at all its locations, procures the necessary resources and operates within the scope of an energy management system based on continuous improvement.

Through continuous improvement activities, the Company reduces the consumption of energy resources by the targeted amount, increases energy efficiency and reduces energy losses.

For this purpose

We will strive to continuously improve our energy performance,

That we will provide the necessary information and resources to achieve our goals and objectives,

We will comply with applicable legal terms and requirements regarding energy use, consumption and efficiency,

We are committed to documenting and implementing energy management procedures that include the best facility management standards and practices to ensure sustainable energy management conditions.

 

Occupational Health and Safety Policy

At Aksa Tourism, we aim to continuously improve by reducing risks so that the workforce we employ can work in healthy and safe environments.

In order to ensure that Occupational Health and Safety practices are adopted and implemented by all employees, including contractor employees, we provide information, conduct monitoring-measurements for improvement and hold regular review meetings by the management.

In line with the vision and policies, we aim to ensure that the Occupational Health and Safety Management System becomes a continuously developing corporate culture and our business aims to be an organization that creates value for all stakeholders.

For this purpose

Ensure a safe working environment for employees in all processes,

Comply with legislation and other relevant obligations,

To make Occupational Health and Safety awareness a culture through training activities,

Taking remedial actions with the goal of zero lost time accidents,

To improve OHS performance,

To evaluate the risks in our activities with participation at all levels,

we are committed.

 

Quality Policy

In line with its vision, Aksa Tourism carries out its operations and services in compliance with local laws, contractual requirements and investor demands, while respecting its employees, local communities and the environment.

It aims to increase its efficiency, retain its competitive advantage, improve and develop its existing structure and new investments by adhering to its principles.

All our managers know and embrace the requirements of our management systems and take responsibility for their dissemination to all staff.

Adopts a risk management-oriented approach in all operational and managerial processes. All components of the system are regularly reviewed to determine the road map for realizing our targets and this information is shared based on the principle of transparency. Announces our business policies and principles to our suppliers and all other business partners with whom we cooperate in our activities and services, and encourages them to work in accordance with them.

It is aware of its interaction with the public, employees, local government agencies and all other stakeholders in its locations and is aware of its responsibilities.

With this awareness, we are committed to meet the expectations and demands of our stakeholders in all locations where we operate and to continue our activities by aiming to continuously improve our processes.

 

Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

Aksa Tourism operates with the principle of sustainable growth and carries out its activities by fulfilling its responsibilities in economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Within the scope of Corporate Social Responsibility Management,

To act within the framework of financial discipline and accountability, to manage our company's resources and assets with efficiency and savings,

Taking responsibility for social development,

Establishing good relations with the people in the immediate environment and the region affected by the activities,

To take into account the needs and demands of the people of the region in the areas of activity,

We are committed to implementing the best service and environmental solutions beyond legal obligations, to support all kinds of initiatives that will increase environmental awareness, and to fulfill our social and environmental responsibilities towards the society in all our businesses in which we operate; in harmonious cooperation with public and non-governmental organizations.

Community Cohesion Policy

Our commitment

Aksa Tourism Management is committed to supporting and working with the local community in which we operate.

We are committed to conducting our business in a way that helps preserve and promote the culture and heritage of the destination and the local economy.

We believe it is crucial to maintain an ongoing dialog with our local community to ensure that we are contributing to their well-being and habitat.

Our Objectives

Supporting initiatives that develop the community.

Support the local economy.

Respect and protect local culture, traditions and way of life.

Support and protect access to basic resources and services.

What we do to achieve our goals:

We encourage our guests to discover the destination's history, culture, traditions and local community, as well as the local products and services on offer.

We give preference to local and regional products and services as outlined in our procurement policy.

We pay attention to the employment of local and regional people in the recruitment process, as outlined in our recruitment policy.

We regularly assess the impact of our business on the local community and communicate with affected stakeholders.

We maintain an ongoing dialog with local and indigenous people, through regular meetings of the local association and chamber of commerce, to ensure fair and equitable treatment.

We support the protection of local resources and facilities and ensure their accessibility.

We protect local culture and traditions and do not allow discrimination based on opinion, ethnicity, beliefs, etc.

 

Employee and Human Rights Policy

Our commitment

Aksa Tourism Management is committed to managing its services in accordance with nationally and internationally recognized labor standards and human rights.

We are aware of our responsibility to respect and protect these rights in our relations with our employees, guests, suppliers, local community and all other business stakeholders.

Aksa Tourism does not tolerate any discrimination or harassment, including discrimination based on gender, age, nationality, skin color or activity.

We ensure the protection, support and promotion of fair labor practices and human rights in general by

Regularly assessing the human rights impacts of our business and engaging with affected stakeholders.

We choose regional and local suppliers and partners that share our values.

We regularly train our employees on labor standards and human rights issues and how they can help us support our objectives (annual training on topics such as anti-discrimination, gender diversity and equality, health and safety, harassment and child protection).

We implement a fair and transparent recruitment policy based on diversity, equality and inclusion.

Wherever possible, we offer our employees promotion opportunities and annual salary reviews.

We communicate our grievance and disciplinary procedures to all employees when they start work.

We offer all our employees training opportunities for personal and professional development.

We collect employee feedback to improve their well-being at work.

We provide equal, standardized and safe working conditions.

We continuously monitor job performance and provide the opportunity to make a professional career plan.

We make our employees feel safe and protect their personal data.

Child Rights Policy

Our commitment

Aksa Tourism Management is committed to protecting children against both general and sexual exploitation.

We understand our unique position to help identify, prevent and report incidents of child abuse and exploitation occurring in or around our hotel.

It is our fundamental responsibility to recognize them as individuals, respect their rights and protect them against all forms of psychological, physical and commercial abuse.

For this

We provide environments/opportunities where children can express their thoughts, wishes and feelings freely, feel free and comfortable, and contribute to their development.

We celebrate their achievements on every occasion, encourage them, and guide them in their communication with other children in a way that enables them to understand each other's feelings.

We teach our team about all forms of child abuse (physical, sexual, neglect) and provide training on child abuse reporting practices and our social obligations in this regard.

We make sure that our little guests are supervised by adults during activities.

We make sure that parents' contact information is available in the environments where we take care of children (mini clubs, etc.).

We provide trainings to raise awareness on the protection of children's rights and support relevant projects in this direction.

 

Accessible Tourism Policy

As Aksa Tourism Enterprises, we advocate for all our guests and employees to live a life integrated with the society and fight against all kinds of practices and policies that may lead to isolation; we carry out the necessary work to ensure that all public or private living spaces and services are accessible to everyone in accordance with the principle of universal design.

We organize activities in the fields of education, art, culture, cultural promotion, health, informatics, technology, agriculture, environment (nature) and sports in tourism areas and diversity by accelerating integration into social life. 

In these areas, we ensure that all individuals can easily benefit from all kinds of accessibility, comfort and all kinds of opportunities and reach a high quality of life.

Transportation, accommodation, communication and fully accessible tourism is our mission.

Freedom of rest and travel is a fundamental human right. Accessible tourism for all is our vision.

 

Purchasing Policy

Aksa Tourism's procurement process consists of two steps: raw material procurement and supply of goods and services.

Within the scope of our responsible purchasing practices Supplier Management, the companies we supply raw materials to are evaluated by our relevant departments.

Our purchasing contracts include responsible procurement principles.

We work with suppliers that comply with all legal regulations. We encourage our suppliers to grow and develop with us within the framework of the requirements of our Quality Management System.

We prioritize 14001 Environmental Management System Certification for suppliers and ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System Certification for food suppliers.

We buy from nearby regions as much as possible. Thus, we aim to reduce environmental impact by minimizing the CO2 emissions of supplier companies' delivery vehicles and support local employees.

We fulfill our responsibility to offer quality, reliable, sustainable and diverse products to our business partners and guests, to ensure the traceability of these products and to protect local flavors.

By incorporating traceability into our supply chain processes and ensuring the food safety and quality of our products, we both aim for transparency in the supply chain and encourage our guests to consume responsibly. We make sure that the products they purchase are traceable throughout their life cycle.

We care about supporting localism and local development. We encourage the use of local products, sustainable agricultural practices and the spread of geographically marked products in order to pass them on to future generations. By supporting small producers, cooperatives and women's employment, we create an economic model where everyone wins. We offer sustainable solutions for local development.

The sustainability of fish, an important food source for humanity, is at risk due to overfishing. For the continuation of fish species, we comply with hunting and size bans and support fishing with the right methods in a way that respects nature.

Sustainable Packaging and Single Use Plastics

One of the most important environmental impacts of our industry is packaging waste and plastic use. Preferring environmentally friendly packaging, reducing and recycling packaging at source is of great importance in reducing the environmental footprint. Aware of our responsibility in this regard, we develop solutions for sustainable packaging and single-use plastics. We aim to increase the use of more environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic in our own-brand single-use products.

Principles

Minimizing unnecessary purchasing

Minimizing waste

Minimizing habitat destruction

Minimizing soil degradation

Minimize greenhouse gas emissions

Maximizing energy efficiency

Maximizing water efficiency

Maximizing health and safety elements

Ensure the purchase of Eco-Labeled/Eco-friendly products and services

Planning trainings to raise awareness of sustainability opportunities in procurement processes

Creating fair trade opportunities

 

Social Responsibility Policy

At Aksa Tourism, we consider all individuals and organizations that are directly or indirectly affected by our operations as our stakeholders. We aim to continue creating value for our wide stakeholder network, which we approach with this understanding and a sense of social responsibility.

We carry out Corporate Social Responsibility management within the framework of the principles set out in our policy; while working to minimize the negative impacts of our activities, we monitor the possible consequences that may arise from these impacts; we take the necessary steps by listening to the opinions and suggestions of the local community. We also work to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of the local communities in the impact area of our operations.

 

Contribution to Local Economy and Employment

We take care to employ local and regional people as much as possible. In this way, we contribute to the economic recovery in the region through the multiplier effect of the economy. At the same time, we help the people of the region to stay in their own region rather than looking for work outside the region.