Sustainability

The Eco Travel Boutique Sustainability & Conservation Initiatives

At the Eco-Travel Boutique, we are genuinely committed to making our trips as sustainable as possible. While “Sustainable Travel” or “Responsible Travel” are often used as marketing terms, we aim to make a real difference. Our goal is to ensure our team – as well as the travel suppliers we work with – are genuinely working toward long-term environmental, social, and economic responsibility, protecting our destinations and helping them thrive for generations to come. We work with local partners who support initiatives such as the below.

* Conservation through park fees and private reserve protection *

* Creation of local employment, training, and encouraging local entrepreneurship *

* Education and healthcare projects in surrounding communities *

* Research into endangered species *

* Local supply chains that keep money in the region *

🌿 Green Seat – How your trip with us makes a difference

All out trips include a ‘Green Seat’, which in essence, is a contribution to one of several projects, as outlined below. So when you choose to travel with us, you’re not only discovering incredible destinations -you’re also helping protect them.

Where possible, one of our friendly Meet & Greet team members will welcome you at the airport. We’re a small, hands-on company, so this depends on arrival times and location – but we do our best to be there.

If we meet you in person on arrival, each traveller will receive a Green Seat Badge – a handmade token, created from recycled materials, representing your contribution to a better future.

Through your Green Seat, your journey becomes part of something much bigger – protecting ecosystems, uplifting communities, and ensuring the magic of Africa endures for generations to come.

💚 Your Green Seat contribution Supports several projects, among which Trees for Tourism; The Endangered Wildlife Trust and the African Home Community Project.

PEOPLE

Empowering communities through sustainable tourism, creating livelihoods, and supporting local artisans like African Home Community Project.

Based in Woodstock, Cape Town, this creative community project creates the Green Seat Badges. from recycled bottle caps and glass. Your donation supports fair wages and ethical craftwork, providing meaningful income and skills training.

PLANET

A project of the South African Reforestation Trust, this initiative plants indigenous trees in degraded ecosystems across the Western Cape. Trees are selected carefully based on local climate conditions and are maintained for at least 10 years.

Project partners include Platbos Conservation Trust, Grootvadersbosch Conservancy, and others. Visits to these conservancies can be arranged on request.

WILDLIFE

Protecting endangered species through vital conservation efforts, safeguarding biodiversity and ensuring wildlife thrives for generations.

One initiative is with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), focused on the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin. This project gathers essential data on population trends and reproduction. The insights help shape conservation efforts for this little-known and critically endangered marine mammal.

Further ways the Eco-Travel Boutique makes a difference

We believe the greatest impact of what we do comes from the accommodations and experiences we select for our travellers. Therefore our portfolio is carefully curated based on personal experience as well as a set of sustainability criteria. Evaluating sustainability is complex and ongoing – it requires real commitment, regular checking, and transparency. We aim to follow the below processes and guidelines when selecting and checking our travel services.

🤝 Local Projects

Most of our lodges support or run conservation and community projects—from wildlife research to education and human-wildlife conflict resolution. By booking these lodges, your stay directly contributes to these efforts.

🌍 Carbon Footprint

We encourage lodges to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. While few can be fully net-zero, many aim to be carbon-neutral through reduction strategies and offsetting. We continue to work with our partners on improving transparency and tracking.

🏅 Certifications & Awards

Eco-certifications are a big plus, especially if backed by the GSTC. However, we don’t rely on these alone – there are many outstanding lodges which may not be certified yet still follow responsible tourism practices.

✅ Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria

We consider whether accommodations and activities operate in line with the GSTC pillars, which include:

* Sustainable management *

* Socio-economic impact *

* Cultural impact *

* Environmental practices *

How you as a traveller can make a difference

Finally, a few tips / guidelines on how you yourself can travel more responsibly:

* Limit long-haul trips to one per year, and travel locally when possible *

* Stay longer in fewer places (slow travel) *

* Avoid cruises, which have a high environmental cost and little community benefit *

* Travel by train where available *

* Use sustainable travel products to reduce single-use waste *

* Buy local souvenirs and support community-owned businesses *

OUR COMMITMENT TO WILDLIFE & NATURE CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY UPLIFTMENT