Byways of Italy believes in a more responsible way of traveling, committed to minimizing the impact of travel on the environment, local communities, and cultural heritage by embracing sustainable practices, sharing them openly, and inspiring others to follow.

Scope

This policy applies to all activities, services, and operations carried out by Byways of Italy, including travel planning and internal business practices. Local provider partners are expected to align with the objectives of this policy whenever possible.

The company’s founder is responsible for implementing and overseeing the sustainability policy.

Sustainability management & legal compliance

Sustainability commitment

Byways of Italy leadership is wholly committed to the company's sustainability performance and endorses the company's sustainability mission statement and policy.

We will use the Travelife platform to report on our sustainability progress and to monitor and evaluate progress. We are committed to (publicly) communicating our sustainability performance (by means of the Travelife report) every two years.

Sustainability management & legal compliance

Byways of Italy commits to continuous improvement of sustainability practices, including the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of our sustainability policy, with dedicated personnel and resources to achieve our sustainability goals.

Byways of Italy follows all local, regional, national, and international regulations as they relate to human resources, human rights, children’s rights, land rights, environmental management, wildlife, and land use. We follow a strict Code of Ethics, including a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, bribery, forced labor, and discrimination.

Internal management: social policy & human rights

• Byways of Italy recognizes and complies with the national collective labor agreement (CCNL) for the tourism sector.
• Byways of Italy is committed to a zero-tolerance policy for acts of bribery, corruption, discrimination, and violation of human rights, including forced labour, human trafficking, and all rights of children.
• Byways of Italy further expects this commitment from all partners and suppliers.

Internal management: environment

Environmental management of office operations

Byways of Italy is committed to keeping the direct footprint of our business operations as minimal aspossible and actively follow [circularity/the 5Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose,recycle) /sustainability/ environmentally-sound principles.

We have the following measures in place:

• Follow all local and national regulations concerning environmental law
• Print only when absolutely necessary, and when printing, always print double-sided on grayscale. Paper must always be FSC or equivalent certified, with preference for the highest percentage postconsumer materials
• Energy saving measures are in place in all common areas (we switched to all LED bulbs)
• All equipment and lighting is energy-efficient and turned off/unplugged/on sleep mode when not in use
• Water saving measures are in place in all common areas
• Waste is separated into the following categories: [plastic, organic, paper products, metal, hazardous, glass, e-waste, waste to landfill] and is disposed of properly by a private company (AMA)

Carbon management of office operations

• We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by minimizing travel whenever possible, and when travel is necessary, we prioritize public transport such as trains or buses.

General suppliers policy

Byways of Italy prefers to work with suppliers in destination areas who are locally owned or managed, use local and seasonal products and services, and contribute to the local community by hiring locally, promoting equity, and ensuring fair working conditions.We maintain open communication with our suppliers and partners, and we actively encourage and raise awareness about adopting sound social and environmental practices where they are not yet in place.

Transport

When selecting transport for guests and business related travel, Byways of Italy commits to choosing the most environmentally friendly options available for travelling to, from, and within the destination – taking into consideration distance, price, route, and comfort.

Accommodations

• Byways of Italy favors the selection of accommodations that are locally owned or operated, such as boutique hotels, agriturismos (farmhouses), or alberghi diffusi (widespread hotel in small towns). For some travelers, we may also select hotels that are part of international chains, always aiming—when possible—to favor those with a clearly defined sustainability policy.
• Byways of Italy does not work with accommodation facilities that employ children under 14 and practice forced labour.

Activities & Excursions

• Byways of Italy gives preference to excursions and activities that benefit local communities, respect animalwelfare and support environmental protection
• All excursions and activities run by or on behalf of Byways of Italy respect local customs, traditions, cultural integrity, and natural resources.
• Byways of Italy commits to not offering any excursions that harm humans, wildlife, environment, or natural resources such as water and energy.
• Excursions and attractions in which captive wildlife is held are not offered, except for activities that are properly regulated and are in compliance with local, national, and international laws. Excursions that include interactions with wildlife, comply with relevant codes of conduct. Any disturbance of natural ecosystems is minimized.
• Wildlife species are not harvested, consumed, displayed, sold, or traded, except as part of a regulated activity that ensures that their utilisation is sustainable and in compliance with local, national and international law.

Tour leaders, local representatives, and guides

• Byways of Italy commits to hiring qualified local guides, porters, drivers or other local staff, paying them living wages and providing safe and fair working conditions.
• We understand that guides are the intermediaries between the guests and the socio-cultural and environmental context of the destination, conveying the appropriate behavior to them. Therefore, we make sure that all guides hired by or leading tours on behalf of Byways of Italy hold a professional license and adhere to the professional code of ethics of their profession.

Destinations

Sustainable destinations

Byways of Italy is committed to promoting, beyond the most well-known destinations, secondary or lesservisited areas to help avoid overtourism whenever possible and to provide a more enjoyable and authentic travel experience.

Contribution to local communities / local economic network

Bywyas of Italy commits to positive contribution to the destinations in which we operate, by:

• Sourcing locally and responsibly, and supporting local and traditional arts and culture
• Encouraging guests to shop responsibly and educating them about illegal/prohibited/forbidden souvenirs

Environmental stewardship in destinations

Byways of Italy is committed to environmental stewardship in all the Italian destinations where we operate by:

• Ensuring that natural resources are preserved and remain intact
• Educating our travelers on the principles of responsible travel and visitor behavior
• Providing a "Responsible Travel Guidelines" document before the start of each trip to encourage mindful and respectful exploration

Privacy

Our customer protection is our priority. Therefore, we maintain a clear privacy policy https://bywaysofitaly.com/privacy-policy/ to ensure:

• Legal compliance in all regards
• Customers and their data are protected
• Customers know how their information is being used

Marketing and communication

Byways of Italy strives to be truthful in all situations, offering products and services that match our communications, while also endeavoring to ensure our marketing is inclusive, representative, and respectful of cultural, religious, and ethnic sensitivities.

Sustainability communication

Travelers are informed about the social and environmental impact of their journey. Byways of Italy provides a "Responsible Travel Guide" before the start of each trip, which includes best practices to help minimize their impact while traveling.

Customer experience

Byways of Italy aims for all customer experiences to be positive, and follows strict health and safety, marketing, and excursion policies to ensure customer satisfaction. These policies cover specific topics of (but not limited to):

• Health and safety
• Emergency procedures
• Privacy
• Group numbers
• Greenhouse Gas emissions and offsetting
• Transport
• Shopping
• Satisfaction and complaints

Byways of Italy maintains open lines of communication with our customers and encourages feedback at any time and on any topic, particularly sustainability.

Contact

If you have any questions about our sustainability policy or practices, please contact us at info@bywaysofitaly.com

Our management team responsible for implementing the policy will be happy to assist you. (Please address the email to the attention of Manuela Mocci.)

Thank you!

Effective date

This policy is effective from December 15, 2025.

Revision history

This policy was revised on 15/12/2025.

This policy will be revised by 15/12/2026