As part of our sustainability work, we have drawn up a comprehensive sustainable tourism development plan, which is updated annually or whenever necessary. The plan also sets clear goals for the development of our sustainability work.
Sustainable tourism development plan 2024-2026
Taigavire Oy
Updated: 27.11.2023
Sustainability officer: Terhi Taikavaara
We act responsibly for the benefit of the environment, people and local communities
The Finnish forest, the fells of our area and the clean waters act as an enabler for our business. Local culture and local products bring their uniqueness to our operations. Equality, respect for the environment and continuous development of sustainability are the cornerstones of our company. We also want to communicate these cornerstones to our customers and offer them experiences where sustainable development and responsibility are part of all activities. As a partner of Metsähallitus' Nature Services, we are also committed to the principles of sustainable tourism. We operate according to the same principles of responsibility in all our operations, both in nature activities and in accommodation.
Financial sustainability and social responsibility
Financial sustainability and business profitability create the basis for the entire company's operations. In Taigavire's operations, we consider compliance with various laws, regulations and other requirements to be the minimum level, and we are committed to exceeding the current laws and regulations related to sustainable development. Our work environment is safe and it is further developed together with occupational health care. The occupational health service conducts a workplace inspection every 3–5 years and whenever necessary, the last inspection was done in 2022. All of our employees have accident insurance and we train staff in occupational safety if necessary.
A risk assessment and an action plan in case of crisis situations have been made for Taigavire. The entrepreneurs have undergone the Travel Industry Safety Passport training and we also offer our personnel the opportunity for similar training. We require that our subcontractors and partners comply with the legislation on employee rights. The majority of our partners are small, local companies whose operating methods we know and know to be reliable. We are committed to anti-corruption activities and we demand this from our partners as well.
We treat everyone equally. Our premises are a harassment-free zone and we are committed to combating commercial, sexual or other exploitation of children, teenagers, women, minorities or other vulnerable groups.
We make purchases responsibly and minimize environmental impact. As a rule, we buy products from regular, proven partners. We buy products from small, reliable operators in the nearby area, which makes it possible to figure out the production chain. In investments, we take environmental and socio-economic effects into account.
Sociocultural sustainability
Taigavire actively participates in regional sustainable tourism planning and development. We are a member of the Posio Tourism Association, which was the first Finnish destination to receive Visit Finland's Sustainable Travel Finland label in 2020. We are also a member of the Syöte Tourism Association and the Taivalkoski Tourism Association, both of which are constantly developing their sustainability work and moving their activities towards the Sustainable Travel Finland destination label. In addition, we belong to the Wild Taiga Tourism Association, which is a pioneer in sustainable development. We train our personnel in work-related environmental and responsibility issues and offer personnel opportunities to participate in external trainings on the subject as well.
Inclusivity is taken into account in our operations and we treat all customers equally and respectfully. We always serve international customers in at least English. We also offer our services to special groups. The availability of labor in our region is a big challenge, so our number one principle of recruitment is the person's customer service attitude and necessary areas of expertise (e.g. Hygiene Passport). We have had people of different ages working, and we have also looked into the possibilities of hiring people with disabilities. In addition, we cooperate with various educational institutions and offer internships to international students as well.
We are committed to promoting local culture. We offer our customers the opportunity to purchase souvenirs from small local producers. In our catering services, we use products from local natural resource producers, such as garlic and spice mixes, fish from nearby areas and organic beef produced nearby. In our program services, we talk about local culture and our customers get to learn about, for example, reindeer husbandry and farm operations.
Environmental sustainability
We are committed to measures to curb climate change, reduce our carbon footprint and minimize the harm caused by our operations to the environment. We have calculated our company's carbon footprint, which in 2022 was a total of 5 thousand CO2e. We are constantly working to reduce our carbon footprint and strive to take climate actions to cover the emissions that we cannot yet eliminate.
We do continuous development work to reduce the environmental impact of our operations. We monitor water consumption in our accommodation and try to reduce it by, for example, adjusting water taps, monitoring possible leaks and using water-saving cleaning methods. The cleaning materials and hygiene papers are eco-labeled, and cleaning is constantly being developed in a chemical-free direction. The electrical energy we use is environmentally friendly, certified EKOEnergy, and our accommodation has an Air Heat Pump and a fireplace with a hearth.
We currently recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, metal, batteries and other hazardous waste. We strive to reduce the amount of waste and promote recycling through, among other things, good planning and customer guidance. We reduce food waste with clear operating instructions and good planning. We do not use single-use items except in exceptional cases and we only use individually packaged products for hygiene or special dietary reasons. We buy used equipment whenever possible and sell unnecessary equipment on.
We encourage our customers to arrive in the area by public transport and to move around the area with their muscles - this also applies to our staff. We avoid unnecessary driving by centralizing transactions and ordering goods centrally from wholesale. In our company's car, we use biodiesel whenever possible, and our goal is to change the car to a more environmentally friendly hybrid, fully electric or biogas car as soon as it is practically possible in our area.
For purchases, we use a reliable wholesaler, mainly Wihuri's Metro wholesaler, which is committed to sustainability in terms of product offering and other operations. In souvenir sales, we only purchase products from reliable suppliers, almost all of the products we sell are domestic and a large part of the products come from nearby, which makes it possible to reliably determine the origin of the product.
We are constantly developing our sustainability and we encourage both our customers and our partners to act responsibly. We set measurable goals for the development of responsibility every year and monitor their implementation.
The goals of our sustainability work for 2024-2026
We develop information for our customers about responsible actions
Goal: In accommodation, recycling and energy saving become more effective, customers know about public transport options and other responsible choices
Completed: 3/2024
Covering emissions with climate actions
Goal: To cover our company's carbon dioxide emissions with climate actions implemented through a responsible operator
Completed: 6/2024
Communication and customer guidance on responsible actions in several languages
Goal: Helps our international customers to act responsibly and give instructions on e.g. recycling, water and energy saving in their own language (English, German, Italian)
Completed: 2024
Investigating and purchasing solar panels and an electric car charging point for accommodation
Goal: To reduce the emissions of electricity consumption in accommodation and the emissions caused by our customers by offering the possibility to charge an electric car
Completed: Survey 6/2024, purchase 2025
Bio-waste collection in accommodation (in cooperation with entrepreneurs in the area)
Goal: Reduce the amount of mixed waste and promote recycling at the Taigalampi cottage
Completed: 2024
Customers have the opportunity to cover the carbon footprint of their trip with climate actions
Goal: Increase customers' awareness of the carbon footprint of travel, covering the carbon footprint caused by travel with climate actions
Completed: 2025
Changing the company car to a low-emission hybrid or electric car
Goal: Reducing the carbon footprint caused by logistics
Completed: 2026