Sustainability
At Fat Tire Tours, we care about the impact that we have on our environment. Having started as a bicycle tourism company, our ethos has always included aspects of eco-friendly tourism. We’ve grown over the years, and the inclusion of activities that use buses or trains along with our general company’s growth has forced us to examine our resource usage.
In an effort to be a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable company, we have divided our sustainability goals into five categories:
Social Impact: Staff
Social Impact: The Local Community
Environmental Impact: Waste Reduction
Environmental Impact: Resource Conservation
Environmental Impact: Carbon & Toxins Reduction
We have then examined our impact in each of these categories across all of our destinations. Below is a summary of our three-step process:
- What Fat Tire Tours is already doing well and pledges to maintain in order to act sustainably.
- Reasonable targets for Fat Tire Tours to strive to attain in 2024.
- Future efforts that Fat Tire Tours plans to undertake in order to increase our company’s sustainability.
Fat Tire Tours Sustainability Report Card
The below information will serve as both our report card and our goals list for the following year. We are committed to reexamining our business practices annually so as to continually fine tune our strategy to minimize our negative impact socially and environmentally.
2024 Goals
- Family day tours for staff and their families
- Continue to engage with our neighborhoods
- Help locals with small fixes free of charge
- Participate in neighborhood get togethers
- Be mindful of our noise, especially early in the morning and late at night
- Shut down electronics every evening
- Switch to bio cleaning products & bio chain lube
- Adopt transfer pricing for all cities to guarantee local profit
Social Impact
Staff – Where We Stand
- We are committed to creating friendly working environments where team members are encouraged to work together, take on new challenges, and voice their opinions/concerns to management. Group outings are scheduled regularly. Staff undergo annual evaluations and have access to tour feedback. Regular meetings are held to discuss operational changes.
- We are committed to paying a living wage in each of our cities as well as allowing guides to retain their individual gratuities
Staff – 2024 Focus
- Continued staff development – skills training
- Implement a program that grants all staff access to a bicycle
Social Impact
The Local Community – Where We Stand
- Whenever possible, we partner with locally owned businesses, such as cafés, wine cellars, transportation services, etc. to help complete our tour offers
The Local Community – 2024 Focus
- Implement discounted/free tours for local schools, charities, neighbors, etc.
- Organize at least one community service and involve the entire team, i.e. trash cleanup, volunteering, etc.
- Organize at least one charitable donation, i.e. shirts, bicycle parts, etc. or set up our offices as a collection point for a coat drive or something similar
- Implement an essential worker discount
Environmental Impact
Waste Reduction – Where We Stand
- On average, we recycle 77.5% of recyclable materials
Waste Reduction – 2024 Focus
- Implement a solution to recycle/reuse inner tubes
Environmental Impact
Resource Conservation – Where We Stand
- We encourage commuting to work by bike, foot or train where possible
Resource Conservation – 2024 Focus
- We are committed to providing biodegradable/multi-use options to our guests when it comes to ponchos, water bottles, etc.
- Commit to reduce paper use/go paperless
- Commit to purchase more locally
Environmental Impact
Carbon & Toxins Reduction – Where We Stand
- We rely on trains for 3 tours across Europe (out of 70+), but we do not current use any vans, trucks, or buses. 96.88% of our tour meeting points are within 5 minutes walk from Public Transport.
Carbon & Toxins Reduction – 2024 Focus
- Seek out alternative energy options in each of our offices
- Transition to biodegradable cleaning products & maintenance products
Future Goals
- Trash cleanup of monuments or riverbank
- Bike parts to Calais refugees for artwork
- Switch to dynamo lights
- Charity donations, collaborations, or sponsorships
Fat Tire Tours is constantly working to use less and do more. Thank you for supporting us as. Our cities are our homes, and we want to keep them beautiful.
