Sustainability Mission of Gondwana Brasil:

At Gondwana Brasil, our mission is to create authentic travel experiences that inspire transformation and generate positive impact by connecting travelers with local communities and nature. We are committed to promoting sustainable development, conserving biodiversity, and strengthening fair income distribution through responsible tourism. Every action we take is intentional and carried out with joy, seeking to leave a lasting impact on people and the planet. We take pride in showcasing “Brazil with an S,” valuing cultural diversity and engaging in collective initiatives that ensure transparency, representation, and long-term sustainability in everything we do.

1. Introduction

 At Gondwana Brasil, we believe that tourism can be a powerful force for positive transformation. As a brand committed to responsible tourism, we integrate sustainability into multiple layers of our operations, products, partnerships, and experiences. This policy defines our principles and commitments, reflecting international best practices and the social, environmental, and cultural realities of Brazil.

2. Purpose and Scope

This Sustainability Policy serves as a formal guide for our actions, decisions, and relationships. It applies to all areas of Gondwana Brasil, including staff, suppliers, destinations, clients, and communities. It is aligned with the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the standards of Travelife.

3. Sustainability Pillars

Environmental Responsibility: 

We adopt an environmental policy that mitigates impacts and promotes the regeneration of the territories where we operate. We reduce our ecological footprint and protect biodiversity, always encouraging climate-conscious travel. Our office’s carbon offsetting has been completed, and in the second half of 2025, we will begin offsetting travel emissions. We maintain operational partnerships with responsible lodges and experiences located in areas of high ecological value, ensuring that part of the revenue generated by trips is directly reinvested in the conservation of visited ecosystems. Additionally, we allocate an annual percentage of our profit to conservation projects in the Brazilian biomes where we operate, prioritizing the protection of fauna and flora, habitat restoration, fire prevention, and the strengthening of conservation units. These fronts consolidate a consistent environmental management, integrated into strategic decisions and aligned with our vision of a conscious, ethical, and regenerative tourism.

Social Inclusion and Equity:  

Our policy on social inclusion and equity promotes fair labor practices, ensures health and safety in the workplace, and values diversity and local empowerment. We pay special attention to women, youth, traditional communities, Indigenous peoples, and peripheral territories, continuously seeking to expand opportunities for these groups in our operations and partnership networks. Gondwana Brasil fosters a culture of internal promotion, shared responsibility, and active listening. Our team is mostly composed of women, including in leadership positions, reflecting our commitment to gender equity and genuine representation.

Cultural Respect and Integrity:  

We co-create meaningful experiences that celebrate Brazil’s diverse cultural heritage, promoting authentic narratives that value local identity in its depth, beyond stereotypes. We work in partnership with communities, artists, and masters of popular culture, recognizing the central role of culture as a living expression, a force of belonging, and a vector of transformation in tourism.

In every itinerary, we seek opportunities for genuine connection with local knowledge, ways of life, and cultural expressions, respecting their rhythms, contexts, and territorialities. We ensure that these experiences strengthen the cultural pride of host communities while providing travelers with enriching learning. 

We commit to adopting careful approaches that respect the cultural rights and intellectual property of the communities involved, always with consent, active listening, and continuous dialogue. Authenticity, respect, and reciprocity are the principles that guide our relationship with the tangible and intangible heritage of Brazil.

Economic Responsibility: 

We value fair and inclusive income and job generation through long-term partnerships with local suppliers, community-based tourism, and the strengthening of regional economies. We practice fair trade in all our relationships with suppliers and clients, ensuring balanced prices and margins that benefit everyone involved. Our economic responsibility policy promotes the redistribution of value along the tourism supply chain, making money circulate where the trip takes place and driving the sustainable development of host territories.

4. Legal Compliance

 We fully comply with national and international laws, regulations, and codes of practice applicable to our activities, including the General Tourism Law (Law No. 11,771/2008), which governs tourism in Brazil. We operate in accordance with the standards that regulate Cadastur registration, the provision of transparent and high-quality tourism services, the protection of consumer rights, and respect for the sociocultural diversity and natural and cultural heritage of the country. We also adhere to labor, environmental, tax, and safety regulations, always striving to align with the criteria of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the standards of the Travelife certification.

5. Transparency, Internal Conduct, and Workplace Sustainability

 Sustainability begins at home. Therefore, we adopt internal conduct based on transparency, fairness in labor relations, and coherence between speech and practice. We fully comply with Brazilian labor legislation, ensuring formal contracts, freedom of association, decent working conditions, and fair compensation—always equal to or above the market average for equivalent positions, with an additional variable linked to collective results.

We maintain open channels for internal transparency: goals, financial results, and strategic decisions are shared regularly with the entire team. Internal practices also include clear policies for promotion, collective decision-making, and the encouragement of professional development through courses, capacity-building trips, and continuous feedback programs.

We promote a healthy and safe work environment, with proper office infrastructure (Casa Gond) and initiatives for physical and mental well-being. Sustainable practices are implemented at our headquarters, from efficient energy and waste management to selecting suppliers who share our commitment to ethics, inclusion, and environmental responsibility. This ensures that our internal culture aligns with the same values of conscious tourism we offer to travelers.

6. Suppliers and Partners

 We maintain a structured policy for relationships with suppliers and partners, based on evaluating social, environmental, cultural, and ethical criteria. We conduct systematic mapping of our supply chain and use sustainability questionnaires to classify partners according to their level of alignment with our principles.

We prioritize local businesses committed to responsible tourism and good labor and environmental practices. We seek long-term relationships based on transparency, shared responsibility, and positive impact in the territories where we operate.

We sign contracts or terms of commitment that include sustainability clauses, human rights, and child protection. Key suppliers are informed about our policy and encouraged to share these values with their teams and clients. We also promote ongoing dialogue, guidance, and exchange of best practices as part of building a network committed to transforming tourism in Brazil.

7. Products and Operations

 Our travel experiences are planned and operated based on sustainability criteria, from design to delivery to travelers. We take an approach that integrates environmental responsibility, cultural respect, social inclusion, and the strengthening of local economies in each itinerary and activity offered.

We prioritize local accommodations that are responsible and committed to good environmental management practices, cultural appreciation, and fair labor relations. We choose modes of transportation based on energy efficiency, safety, economic viability, and minimal environmental impact.

We do not offer activities that exploit wildlife, damage ecosystems, or disrespect local cultures and knowledge. We work with rigorous ethical and integrity standards in designing experiences, ensuring the well-being of destinations and host communities.

Our operations are planned with careful attention to the socio-territorial context of each region, generating positive impact in visited territories, promoting genuine connections between travelers and communities, and amplifying recognition of an authentic, diverse, and vibrant Brazil. For this reason, we prioritize local suppliers, promote the geographical distribution of trips, and support community projects that increase income and value local culture.

8. Communication and Client Protection

We communicate our sustainability values clearly and transparently to travelers before, during, and after each trip. We share educational materials, guidelines on responsible tourism practices, and detailed information about destinations, local cultures, and relevant socio-environmental issues.

Our commitment to client protection includes providing accurate information about products and services, sharing emergency contacts, and actively supporting travelers throughout their journey. We ensure that clients have access to open channels for questions, suggestions, or incidents, prioritizing their safety, well-being, and right to information.

We encourage engagement with local businesses and sustainable initiatives in the destinations visited and promote active listening through structured feedback collection, which informs our continuous improvement process.

9. Monitoring, Impact Report, and Continuous Improvement

Our Sustainability Coordinator oversees the implementation of this policy and our biennial Action Plan. We use the Travelife platform to manage tasks, track deadlines, and document progress. As a brand commitment, we publish our annual Impact Report, which monitors achieved results, presents data transparently, shares lessons learned and challenges, and sets new improvement commitments for the following years. We also conduct formal reviews of this policy every two years, complemented by informal meetings and quarterly internal updates that strengthen our culture of responsibility and continuous evolution.

10. Team Involvement

 At Gondwana, sustainability is a cross-cutting value and a shared responsibility among all areas of the company. Team members from operations, products, sales, communication and marketing, and finance work together to implement the commitments defined in this policy and the Action Plan.

Responsibilities are distributed according to each area’s competencies, with clear deadlines, targets, and designated leads. The team actively participates in building and revising processes, taking part in trainings, alignment meetings, and collaborative decisions.

We foster a culture of listening and shared responsibility, strengthening a sense of belonging, encouraging innovation, and making sustainability part of daily life. In other words, it is not an isolated department but a way of operating, deciding, and relating to the world.

11. Sustainability Policy Management

 Sustainability management at Gondwana is guided by a biennial Action Plan that organizes company commitments into measurable tasks, with clear responsibilities, deadlines, and alignment with Travelife certification criteria. All areas of the company are involved in this process, and performance updates are periodically shared with the team.

This policy is a living document that guides our daily decisions and practices. It is reviewed at least every two years—or sooner if there are significant changes in the company’s context, international standards, or based on internal assessments. It is also available on our website and shared with employees, suppliers, clients, and other stakeholders as part of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.