Sustainability Policy | Ace the Himalaya

Introduction

Ace the Himalaya is a responsible trekking and tour operator that aims to leave a positive impact on the environment, culture, economy, and society.

Therefore, we are committed to promoting sustainability. Concern for the environment and promoting a broader sustainability agenda are integral to our company’s professional activities and management.

We aim to contribute to economic, environmental, and social progress to achieve sustainable development and to help our clients achieve responsible trips. Therefore, we follow and promote good sustainability practices, to reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities and to help our clients and partners to do the same.

Ace the Himalaya is committed to delivering excellence in sustainability and our sustainability policy is based upon the following principles:

To address the customer needs and serve them accordingly to make their trip memorable of their lifetime
To comply with, and exceed where practicable, all applicable national legislation, regulations, and codes of practice.
To integrate sustainability considerations into all our business decisions.
To ensure that all staff are fully aware of our Sustainability Policy and are committed to implementing and improving it.
To maintain and enhance the quality of the environment where we operate.
To make clients and suppliers aware of our sustainability commitments, and encourage them to adopt sound sustainable management practices.
To review the current performance and continuously move forward to improve our sustainability performance.
To ensure accountability and transparency in our sustainability performance.

This Sustainability Policy identifies our core values and areas of sustainable practices throughout our business operations.

Our Core Values

Human Rights and Labour Standards

Our company supports human rights as described in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and we follow national labor standards across our operations. We have a Human Resource policy that describes our internal employment standards in detail.

Environment

Our company aims to boost the positive impact on the environment through our continuous sustainable practices. We are responsible for avoiding the potential negative impact on the environment through our operational activities.

Fair Business Practice

Our company is committed to fair business practices through accountability and transparency in its activities. We apply high standards of honesty and integrity consistently across our operations.

We operate according to our corporate values and are committed to preventing corruption and bribery in all its forms and do not tolerate it in our business or in those with whom we do business.

Giving Back to Locals

We have broader objectives to give back to the local people where we operate. We empower the local people, focus on the optimum utilization of local resources, and support the community through community homestays, charities, and donations.

We take it as our responsibility to promote education standards by helping to build schools and hostels, distributing stationery supplies, organizing teachers’ training programs, and child sponsorship.

Sustainability Management in the Company

Our company considers sustainability as part of its structure.

Sustainability Coordinator

Our company has appointed a Sustainability Coordinator, who actively works with the management team, to coordinate, and implement the sustainability policy and the action plan. The coordinator updates the management team on the progress of the implemented policies and actions, and the status of the objectives and formulates recommendations for the next steps.

Name: Nijesh Budhathoki

Job title: Sustainability Coordinator

Contact: +977 9803235725, +977 9767798309

Roles and Responsibilities of the Coordinator:

Prepare plans and actions to improve the sustainability of the product that we offer.
Ensure a general understanding of sustainability and our Company policy among all company employees.
Research the product development and ensure it meets the requirements of sustainability principles.
Conduct the meeting among the administrative team, guides, and other employees for the group discussion and decision-making on sustainability operations.
Prepare policies for administrative teams, guides, porters, accommodation providers, transportation providers, and other supply chains.
Oversee our Company action plan and gain input and support from colleagues for its implementation
Report regularly to the management on sustainability progress and challenges within the Company
Support internal and external communication regarding our Company’s Sustainability Policy and actions.

Access to the Policy

The sustainability policy is properly analyzed by the company management team and is accessible to all employees, suppliers, and the general public.
Sustainability is a standard topic on the agenda of our office meetings.
A summary of our sustainability policies is communicated on our website.

Sustainability Action Planning

Sustainability is a dynamic process. With clear targets, actions, measures, responsibilities, and time planning, our company has different action plans periodically. These action plans are developed after discussion among all the employees. Every employee can take the initiative in developing action plans.

Monitoring

The responsible sustainability coordinator organizes the meeting once a month with the internal management team and twice a year with guides and other field members including cooks and porters under the supervision of the Managing Director to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the sustainability policy and action plan and discuss any new ideas.

The company also holds post-trip meetings with the clients for their feedback on behalf of the company. During the meeting we discussed the service from our guides and porters, the implementation of the sustainability agenda from our guide, porters, accommodation providers, and Transport Company.

Corrective measures

In case we identify any discrepancies between planned targets and actions, such as delays or obstacles, we will discuss with our team what measures we can take to overcome these and achieve the desired result. We will make an alternative plan and continue accordingly.

Sustainability in Office Operation

Energy

Energy supplied to our office from the main grid is predominantly generated by hydropower.
Our office follows a strict “switch off” policy, and all staff are responsible for turning off lights and electrical equipment when not in use.
We use energy-saving light bulbs (CFL / LED) throughout the office and only switch on lights when genuinely necessary.
Automatic sensor lights have been installed in washroom areas to ensure lights switch off automatically when not in use, further reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

Water

The office supplies purified drinking water in 20L bottles for office staff and clients.
We measure the number of drinking water bottles we consume every month.
Glasses and water bottles are available at the office and also brought by the staff themselves.
We inform all our staff not to adopt water-wise methods.
Our guide drinks water from natural sources after purifying them or boiling water from teahouses instead of bottled water and we recommend doing the same to our clients as well.
Whenever we use water for washing dishes or cleaning the office, we reuse this water for flushing the toilet.
We place towels in basins instead of paper rolls.
We have installed flush toilets that have the option of half and full-flush
The wastewater is properly supplied to the government drainage system.

Paper

We primarily use electronic mail to send documents, trip dossiers, invoices and other information as PDF files, reducing the need for printed copies.
Our company only works with FSC and/or ISO-certified paper, and we prefer Lokta paper where possible (e.g. for visiting cards and special prints)
A bulk purchasing policy is adopted to minimise packaging waste and transport impact related to paper products.
We use paper carrying bags and envelopes when transporting documents, files or small kitchen items instead of plastic bags.
Client and staff feedback forms have been switched to digital formats to further reduce paper use.
Whenever printing is necessary, paper is used on both sides (double-sided printing is the default setting).
Guided by our internal reminder “Save the Environment – Think Before You Print”, we encourage staff and clients to print only when absolutely necessary.

Waste

Our office minimizes waste in all possible ways.
Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable waste is separated and sent to Kathmandu municipality.
Place dustbins in all the working areas to collect plastic and waste.
Minimum use of plastics and non-biodegradable waste as far as possible.
A local private recycling company collects paper, glass, and plastic.
For all other waste, our office makes use of the government waste collection system.
The “reduce, recycle and reuse” policy has been adopted partnering with Doko Recyclers for recycling paper, plastic and E-waste.
The usage of batteries is kept to a minimum.

Health & Safety

Ensuring safe working conditions for staff, guides, and porters.
Emergency protocols for unforeseen events and natural disasters.
Insurance for the employees and travel insurance are mandatory for the visitors.
A fire extinguisher is available in the office in a place accessible to all staff.
First aid kit is available in the office in a place accessible to all staff.
All our employees are insured with Ajod Insurance Ltd.
All our guides are first-aid trained so that they can initiate the first step in case our customers are sick or injured.

Training and Education

All our guides are certified license holders and eligible to assist tourists as Trekking Guides.
Wilderness First-aid training is practiced each year.
Our guides are provided with a pair of garbage bags to collect waste during the trek.
Our clients are informed about sustainable trekking practices before and during treks.

Giveaways

We helped build many houses, hostels, and schools in the Gorkha District of Nepal where most houses and schools collapsed during the devastating earthquake in 2015.
We provided food, construction equipment, and tents to earthquake-stricken people and staff during the 2015 earthquake.
We provide Duffle bags, neck gaiter, and sun hats to every client as a souvenir.
Helped build and repair houses, hostels and schools in the Gorkha District after the 2015 earthquake, and provided food, tents and construction equipment to affected communities and staff.
Donated cultural dresses, stainless steel utensils, cooking equipment, tent, serving sets, dining tables, buffet sets and a sound system to the Salghari Women’s Committee to support cultural programmes and community events.
Supported education at Bhairabi Primary School by providing student clothing and school bags, stationery and storybooks, and contributing towards a teacher’s salary to improve teaching quality
Contributed to NGO Sambhav Nepal for long-term projects in mountain communities, including safe housing, school and lab improvements, and basic health and education initiatives.
Made donations to Rotary International and partnered with the Rotary Club of Mount Everest, Lalitpur on tree plantation and community cleanliness programmes.
Provide duffle bags, neck gaiters and sun hats to every client as a practical souvenir and reminder of responsible travel.
Proud members of the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund and the CO₂ Neutral Website programme, underscoring our commitment to environmental conservation and climate responsibility.

Transportation

We regularly inspect all company vehicles through the Department of Transport Management and use them only once they have been issued a Green Sticker.
All drivers are oriented on our sustainability policy and code of conduct, including safe driving, respectful behaviour, and fuel-efficient practices.
Vehicles are sent for servicing on a regular schedule and are checked before every drive/ride to ensure safety and efficiency.
We have introduced electric vehicles (EVs) for domestic airport and hotel transfers, including TIA and Ramechhap airport pickups and drop-offs, and plan to gradually replace fossil-fuel vehicles with EVs.
In 2025, we added new vehicles, contributing less pollution registered under tourist number plates to maintain a modern, safe, and compliant fleet.
For office staff, we minimise official travel where possible and encourage carpooling (e.g., from Budanilkantha), cycling, and the use of public transport.

Food

Preference is given to locally produced and organic food wherever possible.
Our company has its own kitchen, where fresh lunch is prepared and served every day with a different meal each day to offer variety and balanced nutrition.
When we use external catering, it is selected based on varied, nutritious and hygienically prepared food.
For catered meals, we provide reusable food boxes for transport to avoid plastic, aluminium, and paper wrapping.
Food waste is kept to a minimum through careful planning of quantities and responsible use of leftovers.
Team dinners are organised every 2–3 months and on special occasions, often using locally owned restaurants and community-run eateries.

Tea & Coffee

Our office serves Nepalese tea and coffee, which are widely available and appreciated by staff and guests.
Wherever possible, we choose organic and/or fair trade tea and coffee products.
We serve our own coffee brand, “Alaya”, produced from locally grown beans and available freely for staff to enjoy in the office.
In collaboration with local NGO Sambhav Nepal, we organised a coffee farming campaign and had 15,000 coffee plants in the ground by August 2019.
In 2024–25, we further strengthened this initiative by setting up nurseries and planting an additional 4,980 coffee plants, supporting local farmers and long-term sustainable livelihoods.

Cleaning Materials

Where possible, our office is cleaned with mild detergent and only water.
Necessary detergents are used to ensure hygiene and sanitation in the office.
We minimize and substitute the use of harmful substances, including pesticides, paints, and cleaning materials, with harmless products and processes.
Storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals (if any) are properly managed.

Sustainability and Public Relations

Our company aims to properly communicate its sustainable practices and achievements to partners, stakeholders, suppliers, clients, and the general public.

Sustainability Practices

Our company takes an account of different policies to ensure sustainable practices throughout its operations. Here are some of the specific policies that we follow. The detailed information is available in separate documents.

Kindly check the link for the Sustainability Report

For more information on our sustainability and CSR policies, please contact

Mr. Nijesh Budhathoki

Sustainability Coordinator

marketing@acethehimalaya.com

Ace the Himalaya

A1 Business Complex, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: +977 1 4523719, 4523720
E-mail: info@acethehimalaya.com

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