Vakinn and responsible tourism
The policy of the company is to ensure that production and service always meet the expectations of customers and that the company consistently delivers the agreed quality at the stipulated time while maintaining good relationships. We work according to the quality system Vakinn as well as the horticulture quality manual, where all employees actively participate in continuously improving the quality system.
Since 2017 we have been using a quality system called Vakinn, which is the official quality and environmental certification for Icelandic tourism run by The Icelandic Tourist Board. We also use the ‘quality handbook of horticulture’. All our employees participate in continuously improving this quality system so that it can facilitate us in the best way possible in regards to providing high quality produce and services. See our Vakinn certificate here
We understand that all companies affect the environment and society with their activities. Our company is no exception, and therefore at Friðheimar, we want to offer environmentally and socially responsible services to our guests. We also want to set a good example for our colleagues within the tourism industry by taking responsibility and promoting sustainable business practices.
On this occasion, Friðheimar has signed a declaration of intent on responsible tourism which is supported by the Icelandic Tourism Cluster and FESTA (Center for Corporate Social Responsibility). Friðheimar also has the Vakinn certification, which is a quality and environmental system for tourism.
The goals we have set for ourselves can be seen below.
Tryggja öryggi gesta okkar og koma fram við þá af háttvísi
- Improve the training plan for our staff
- We establish values and work according to them
- Set up an emergency response plan and train our staff in first aid, maintaining this training every two years
Respect the rights of employees
- Improve annual employee interviews.
- Enhance the training process for new employees.
- Adopt the Fairtrade philosophy of “fair trade” as a guiding principle in our procurement and production.
- Follow the Equal Pay Policy of Friðheimar and maintain an Equal Pay Verification
Have a positive impact on our local community
- Shop locally.
- Support fundraisers in the local community.
- Donate all the money collected as gratuity annually to a charity chosen collectively by the employees.Recommend other interesting places nearby to our guests, to increase the likelihood that people will stay longer in the area.
- Maintain the history of horticulture in Iceland with an informational wall.
Take good care of and respect nature
- Sort waste as effectively as possible.
- Use eco-friendly products whenever possible.
- Improve packaging to be as environmentally friendly as possible without compromising the quality of the food.
- Consider participating in the Kolviður project, which involves carbon offsetting the company by planting trees.
- Promote paperless transactions as much as possible.
