Sustainability
Our goal and vision is to be the leading actor for sustainable, nature-based travel experiences in Jotunheimen, Valdres, mountain regions in Southern Norway and along our bus routes. Here is why and how.
SUSTAINABILITY AT JOTUNHEIMEN TRAVEL – THIS IS WHY WE CARE
At Jotunheimen Travel, we are true nature lovers. Whether we are out hiking, skiing or biking, we appreciate our beautiful surroundings and everything in it. It is therefore of utmost importance to us to be active in engaging ourselves and to take responsibility to protect our planet for generations to come. On this page, you can read everything about our vision, goals and ventures regarding sustainability.
This is an ongoing work in progress, as we embarked on a years-long journey to develop into a more and more sustainable business. Frequent updates will follow here – take a look what we are up to!
3 REASONS WHY OUR TRIPS ARE SUSTAINABLE
1. ECO-FRIENDLY TRANSPORT
We prioritize the most eco-friendly transport options for guests and business travel – considering distance, cost, route, and comfort. All our packages and activities already include or can have public transport as an add-on. So we create a real alternative to exploring our region without vans or cars to reduce your carbon footprint.
2. WE ARE LOCAL
We prioritize activities that benefit local communities and support traditional arts and culture. We partner with local businesses, who themselves often set great importance to local sourcing. Our accommodations for example serve food with mainly ingredients from our region.
3. ACTIVITIES WITH LOW EMISSION
When you embark on one of our trips, you will mostly move in an environmentally friendly way. Hiking, biking, dog sledding, skiing or snowshoeing for example are all nature-based activities that have incredibly low impact on environment and leave only few traces behind you.
CERTIFICATIONS
Why are certifications important? Certifications in sustainability demonstrate an organization’s genuine commitment to responsible tourism. They lead to operational savings, legal compliance, market differentiation, and increased demand from sustainability-conscious travelers. These certifications also play a critical role in supporting broader goals of climate action, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development.
Our Certifications
Our Valdres region is part of the Sustainable Destination network in Norway. This indicates that there is systematic work to develop sustainable tourism, and a requirement to document substantial improvement every 3 years. It includes not only environmental improvements, but also improvements in terms of the impact on the local community and the preservation of cultural heritage.
The Eco-Lighthouse (Miljøfyrtårn) certificate is a recognized Norwegian certification for businesses committed to environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. It signifies that a company meets strict environmental standards in areas like waste management, energy efficiency, transportation, procurement, and health and safety. The Eco-Lighthouse is aligned with international standards like ISO 14001. JVB has been certified since 2023 and will be newly assessed in 2026 by independent supervisors.
Our Suppliers
To us it is very important that our partners are just as invested in being sustainable as we are. We are proud to say that many of our suppliers have already set examples on being a radiant actor by getting certified. It is our goal at Jotunheimen Travel to have as many certified partners in our supply chain as possible. In the future, we will prioritize suppliers certified by independent corporations such as B Corp, Eco-lighthouse, Green Key, or ISO.
Below you will see a list of our suppliers who have already been certified, including certificate and link for more information. Note that this list will be updated regularly as more suppliers get certified.
| Name of Company | Type of Supplier | Certificate | Year of Certification | Info Link |
| Thon Hotels | Accommodation | Miljøfyrtårn | 2015 | ⇒ |
| Gomobu Fjellstue AS | Accommodation | Miljøfyrtårn | 2021 | ⇒ |
| Ruten Fjellstue | Accommodation | Green Key | 2021 | ⇒ |
| Bygdin Høyfjellshotell AS | Accommodation | Miljøfyrtårn | 2024 | ⇒ |
| DNT Oslo og Omegn | Accommodation | Miljøfyrtårn | 2003 | ⇒ |
| Preikestolen Fjellstue Drift AS | Accommodation | Miljøfyrtårn | 2018 |
“At JVB Travel, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure that our guests can explore nature in a way that not only preserves but also enhances our natural environment and local communities. Our goal is to create positive impacts for society while minimizing our ecological footprint.”
OUR PARTNERS: CREATING A STRONG NETWORK TOGETHER
Sustainability cannot be achieved alone. Only a common effort as a team and as a strong network can really facilitate change and make a difference in the Valdres and Jotunheimen region. Whether it is accommodations, transport companies, destinations, or guides: We strive to be good influencers and raise awareness when it comes to environmentally friendly practices, to make sure we all work towards the same goals.
Here are some relevant partners in the network of Jotunheimen Travel:
Accommodations
Guides
Activity Providers
Destinations
Transport
Local Food Producers
Heritage Places and Sights
PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH – WHAT WE CONTRIBUTE IN DAILY OFFICE LIFE
We don’t use “sustainability” as a buzzword – we demonstrate it in practice. Even though it is great when you strive to make big changes, the small things matter too! Here are some sustainability practices that we have incorporated in our everyday lives in the office:
- Since our welcome packages for our customers include a branded beeswax cloth for your lunch pack, we have grown very fond of that wrap too. Many of our empolyees use it every day instead of using single use wrapping paper.
- We have a strict waste separation management system.
- We prefer public transport for our business travels.
- For our Jotunheimen Travel branded clothing items for employees, we chose the Swedish sustainable brand Houdini.
Quo Vadis - Our Sustainability Goals for the Future
We are not perfect and a lot of big changes take time. But we have our goal in mind to be the leading actor for sustainable, nature-based travel experiences in our region. And we have big plans.
Here is a list of tangible goals we are working on at the moment, on our way to become the most high standard, environmentally friendly company we can be:
- Complete our certification with Travelife, an initiative for tourism companies committed to reaching sustainability
- Work on carbon offsetting on all of our products. There are many companies on the market offering offsetting services, so we are currently in an extended researching process and will choose a company in Jan/2025.
- Sustainability communication to our guests: Determine CO2 emissions of their purchase
- Measure and compensate for unavoidable transport emissions included in package prices
- Hosting an annual open partner event where sustainable tourism is one of the main topics
Experience Jotunheimen with us!