In recent years, the FTI GROUP has already taken numerous sustainability measures and pursued projects for responsible travel and greater social justice in a wide range of business areas. Following the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility Department in 2022 and the creation of an overarching strategic approach based on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, the tour operator group is now pursuing a holistic overall concept. At the centre of this approach are measures for climate protection, sustainable travel, resource conservation and social responsibility.
FTI GROUP CEO Karl Markgraf says: "We promote responsible travel and take a broad approach to this: in our product lines, our internal processes and raising awareness among customers and partners. Sustainability is an agenda that we can only realise together with our employees, partners and customers."
The revised concept comprises four divisions that act as clusters for all initiatives:
- The Group bundles all projects that make the product portfolio and sales more sustainable under the "Business" pillar.
- The "Planet" banner summarises measures that promote more sustainable corporate management in the Group's own processes and at its locations.
- The "People" area includes guidelines and initiatives that support and strengthen a fairer, value-orientated approach.
- This is smoothly followed by "Corporate Governance", which includes FTI's own code of conduct "OUR WORLD" and the FTI GROUP's "Business Partner Code of Conduct", a catalogue of standards and values developed in cooperation with other companies.
Cooperations for more sustainability and the development of more sustainable travel
Branchendialog Tourismus für nachhaltige Entwicklung
The FTI GROUP is involved in the Branchendialog Tourismus für nachhaltige Entwicklung - a multi-stakeholder forum that aims to promote sustainable developments in the tourism industry. This important forum includes representatives from business, civil society, science and public institutions as well as various industry initiatives and associations. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) acts as host, while the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) heads the secretariat.
Deutscher ReiseVerband e.V. (DRV)
At the German Travel Association Deutscher ReiseVerband (DRV), the FTI GROUP is an active member of the Sustainability Committee and various working groups as well as the Working Group for Child Protection in Tourism.
Futouris e.V.
The FTI GROUP has been a member of Futouris e.V., a German tourism industry's sustainability initiative, since September 2016. Together with other market participants, the FTI GROUP works in industry and sector initiatives to, for example, prevent waste and food waste or to secure animal welfare.
Among other things, the Group is currently involved in the development of climate footprints in communication, sales and advertising materials and is a member of a pilot project to develop concepts and tools for more climate-friendly product design among tour operators. The FTI GROUP is also involved in an initiative of Futouris e.V. and the Round Table of Human Rights in Tourism. In this initiative, joint industry training courses for business partners are being developed with a view to the requirements of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG). Further information under "People".
Klimalink e.V.
In October 2022, the FTI GROUP founded the KlimaLink association together with the German, Austrian and Swiss travel associations DRV, ÖRV and SRV, the sustainability initiative Futouris and other associations and market participants. The aim of the alliance is to develop a uniform, digital industry standard for determining the carbon footprint of all travel components of a holiday package so that it can be evaluated and compared by companies and customers.