Our Sustainability Commitment

Ecotourism Australia is committed to embedding sustainability across the way we operate, govern, make decisions and support the tourism sector. As Australia’s peak body for sustainable tourism, we recognise that credible leadership requires us to voluntarily hold ourselves to a high standard and apply the same principles of transparency, accountability and continuous improvement to our own organisation that we promote through our certification programs, destination programs and sector partnerships.

Our approach to sustainability is grounded in four interconnected pillars of sustainability: environmental stewardship, respect for culture and communities, responsible and resilient business, and strong governance. We seek to reduce negative impacts and contribute to positive outcomes through practical action, evidence-based decision-making and transparent reporting.

This commitment is informed by our first public-facing Sustainability Impact Report, which establishes a practical baseline for annual reporting and identifies improvement priorities across our organisational operations, internal policies and practices, staff initiatives, emissions profile, major event impacts, member-facing support and selected sector contribution activities. It reflects what we can currently evidence, while recognising that our data, reporting boundaries, systems and measures will continue to mature over time.

We are committed to:

Measuring and Reducing Our Environmental Impact

We are committed to understanding, measuring and continually improving our own sustainability performance. In FY2025–26, we commenced the development of an annual organisational Sustainability Impact Report, establishing baseline data across key environmental, social, cultural and governance indicators. This baseline provides a foundation for measuring progress over time and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

Our Sustainability Impact Report will evolve each year as our data, systems and understanding mature. Over time, we will introduce measurable objectives, performance indicators and targets to support transparent reporting, demonstrate accountability and guide decision making. By publicly reporting on our own sustainability journey, we aim to lead by example, celebrate progress, identify areas for improvement, and ensure we hold ourselves to the same principles of continuous improvement that underpin our certification programs.

Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing tourism, nature and communities. We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of our own operations by prioritising practical measures to reduce emissions, improve resource efficiency and minimise waste before considering carbon offsetting. We will continue to identify opportunities to strengthen our operational performance, including through low-emissions travel and meeting practices where appropriate.

Beyond our own operations, we recognise our role in supporting the tourism industry’s transition to a more resilient, low-carbon future. Through our certification programs, advocacy and industry leadership, we will continue to promote practical climate action that protects natural assets, strengthens tourism businesses and contributes to resilient destinations and communities.

Respecting Culture and Communities

We recognise that environmental sustainability cannot be separated from cultural and social sustainability. We are committed to fostering respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, supporting tourism that celebrates and protects Australia’s cultural heritage, and ensuring our work contributes positively to local communities. We will continue to build our understanding through engagement, learning and continuous improvement.

Creating Positive Social and Economic Impact

We recognise that sustainable tourism should create lasting benefits for people, communities and local economies. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, safe and supportive workplace, strengthening the capability of tourism businesses, and contributing positively to the communities in which we work. Through collaboration, education, advocacy and responsible business practices, we seek to support resilient tourism destinations, encourage local procurement where practicable, and promote tourism that delivers meaningful social and economic value alongside environmental and cultural outcomes.

We will continue to build partnerships, share knowledge and support initiatives that strengthen the long-term sustainability and resilience of Australia’s tourism industry, recognising that thriving businesses, healthy communities and protected natural and cultural assets are fundamentally interconnected.

Responsible Business and Governance

We recognise that long-term sustainability depends on strong governance, ethical leadership and resilient business practices. We are committed to embedding sustainability into our governance, strategic planning, risk management and decision-making processes, ensuring environmental, social, cultural and economic considerations are integrated across our organisation. The Board supports this commitment through clear corporate governance and lower-impact ways of working, including the use of online meetings where appropriate to maintain oversight while reducing avoidable travel. Through transparent reporting, responsible procurement, continual improvement and accountability, we aim to maintain the high standards we promote through our certification programs and demonstrate that sustainable business practices create long-term value for our members, partners, communities and the environment.

We focus our commitment through:

• Walking the talk: applying high standards to our own operations, governance, events, travel, procurement and partnerships, including through staff-led improvement mechanisms such as our regular “Walking the talk” discussions.
• Reducing our environmental impact: improving resource efficiency, reducing waste, using energy and materials responsibly, and prioritising emissions reduction before considering offsets or other residual-impact measures. As Scope 3 emissions are our largest reported emissions source, we will continue to focus on flights, commuting, accommodation, rental vehicles, contractor travel and event-related activity, while also reviewing renewable electricity options and improving emissions data quality.
• Making travel purposeful and efficient: using online and hybrid engagement where suitable, clustering audits and other regional travel where feasible, prioritising lower-emissions transport and certified accommodation where practical, and planning necessary travel carefully to reduce avoidable emissions while maintaining effective sector engagement, advocacy and assurance activities.
• Delivering more sustainable events: applying sustainability principles to event planning and delivery, including responsible venue and supplier selection, reduced waste, reusable service items, lower-impact catering choices, group transport options, accessibility, delegate engagement and nature or community contributions where appropriate.
• Respecting culture and Country: continuing to build our cultural capability and seeking opportunities, through appropriate consultation, to strengthen respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism businesses, communities and stakeholders.
• Supporting communities and responsible tourism: using our certification programs, destination programs, applicant pathways, coaching, resources, independent audits, sector partnerships and member support to encourage practical sustainability action, conservation contribution, local benefit, responsible visitor experiences, business capability and resilience.
• Supporting conservation and community contribution: encouraging tourism businesses and destinations to strengthen their support for conservation, community and place-based stewardship initiatives, while also supporting staff participation in approved volunteering, learning and contribution opportunities.
• Strengthening governance and accountability: integrating sustainability into organisational planning, policy review, risk management, procurement, travel, events, digital systems, accessibility, certification integrity and decision-making processes, supported by clear standards, consistent processes, independent assessment, conflict-of-interest management and continuous review.
• Building a sustainable organisation: maintaining strong governance, effective business processes, financial sustainability, staff and Board capability, wellbeing, professional development and the systems needed to support long-term resilience and impact.
• Measuring, learning and improving: reviewing our sustainability performance annually, reporting publicly through our Sustainability Impact Report, acknowledging limitations and improving our data, reporting boundaries, systems, objectives and measures over time.

Sustainability is an ongoing responsibility, not a fixed destination. We will continue to measure our progress, share what we learn, recognise where further improvement is needed and adapt our approach as expectations, evidence and best practice evolve. We will also continue to balance responsible management of our operational footprint with the face-to-face engagement needed to advocate effectively, support credible certification, build trust and contribute to meaningful change across the visitor economy.

Examples and Initiatives that Support Our Commitment:

The following examples demonstrate how Ecotourism Australia puts its Sustainability Commitment into practice. They complement the Commitment by providing practical examples of the initiatives, systems and everyday practices that support our ongoing sustainability journey and commitment to continuous improvement.

Operational sustainability and resource efficiency

• Our whole staff team contributes to sustainability improvement through regular “Walking the talk” discussions.
• We maintain a minimal-print approach, use 100% recycled paper where printing is required and recycle ink cartridges through Planet Ark.
• We reduce waste through reuse, recycling and composting, and maintain an e-waste and assets register to support responsible purchasing, reuse, repair and end-of-life management.
• We reduce avoidable energy use by switching off computers, lights and air-conditioning when the office is unattended.

Responsible purchasing and supplier choices

• We prioritise suppliers that demonstrate credible environmental and sustainability practices, where suitable options are available.
• We support local businesses when this aligns with quality, value and sustainability objectives.
• We purchase second-hand office furniture when suitable and use preferred sustainable printing providers for business printing.
• We source frames, plaques and other materials from suppliers using recycled or repurposed materials when suitable options are available.

Travel, emissions and audit planning

• We use online and hybrid meetings where suitable, while recognising that some engagement, advocacy and onsite assurance activity requires in-person participation.
• Where feasible, we plan regional audit clusters to reduce unnecessary travel, accommodation nights and non-audit days.
• We prioritise lower-emissions transport options, direct flights where air travel is necessary, and ECO or Sustainable Tourism Certified accommodation where available.
• Staff are encouraged to travel with reusable water bottles, coffee cups and shopping bags to reduce single-use products.

Sustainable events and engagement

• We select certified venues, accommodation and operators where suitable options are available and aligned with event needs.
• We reduce avoidable event waste through reusable service items, minimal merchandise, digital programs and reduced reliance on printed materials.
• We consider catering choices, including local sourcing, seasonal produce and vegetarian or plant-based options.
• We use group transport where practical and consider accessibility, delegate communication and inclusive participation in event planning.
• We look for opportunities to support nature, conservation, culture and community initiatives through events, partnerships and speaker recognition.

Conservation, community and cultural contribution

• We support tourism businesses and destinations through certification programs, destination programs, applicant pathways, coaching, resources, independent audits and capacity-building initiatives.
• We encourage tourism businesses and destinations to strengthen their contribution to conservation, community and place-based stewardship initiatives.
• We develop and share practical resources that support better sustainability and environmental stewardship in tourism practice.
• We provide staff with access to cultural learning opportunities and continue to strengthen respectful engagement with culture and Country over time.
• Our paid Volunteer Leave Policy supports eligible staff to contribute to approved conservation, cultural, educational or community organisations.

Accessibility and digital communications

• We continue to improve the accessibility of our digital and written materials, including website usability, accessible communication practices and inclusive content design.
• We apply accessibility considerations to branding and communications, including improved colour contrast, accessible font choices and clearer logo presentation.
• We support more accessible website content through plain language, image captions, alternative text, accessibility content sections and usability improvements informed by user feedback.
• We improve digital communications by using accessible social media practices, such as camel case hashtags, plain language, alternative text for images and closed captions for video content.

Responsible use of artificial intelligence

As artificial intelligence becomes more common in sustainability, ESG reporting and organisational efficiency, Ecotourism Australia recognises the importance of being clear about where AI does and does not belong in our work.

• We do not use, and will not use, AI to assess certification compliance, make certification decisions or replace the professional judgement, independence and integrity required within our certification system. Certification assessments remain grounded in clear criteria, evidence-based review, independent auditing, human judgement and accountable decision making.
• At the same time, we recognise that AI may offer opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden and support better use of information where this is appropriate, secure and carefully governed. Ecotourism Australia is therefore exploring practical uses of AI for internal productivity and operational improvement, but only where these uses align with our ethical standards, confidentiality obligations, privacy responsibilities and commitment to certification integrity.
• AI will not be used in place of robust assurance processes, transparent governance or responsible human oversight.

Governance and continuous improvement

• We review and update policies, management systems and operational processes to support responsible decision-making and continuous improvement.
• We maintain governance processes that support certification integrity, including clear standards, consistent processes, independent assessment, conflict-of-interest management, complaints handling and ongoing assurance.
• The Board supports lower-impact governance practices by holding most meetings online via Teams, reducing avoidable travel while maintaining regular oversight, discussion and decision making. The Board met face to face once during the reporting period to support relationship building and effective governance.
• We support staff wellbeing, capability and professional development as part of building a sustainable organisation.
• We will continue to report publicly on our progress through annual Sustainability Impact Reports, acknowledging limitations and improving our data, measures and reporting boundaries over time.