Introduction and scope

Bureau Veritas UK was commissioned by TUI Travel PLC to provide independent assurance of the following activities reported within its 2007/08 Sustainable Development Report:

• A review of TUI Travel PLC’s process for the setting of its sustainable development ambitions and targets, and whether these address the organisation’s material issues, are challenging and promote performance improvement; and
• A review of TUI Travel PLC’s progress against its 2007/08 sustainable development targets (for the period 1 October 2007 to 30 September 2008 as reported in the table in the Sustainable Development Report).

Methodology

Bureau Veritas used a range of standards and guidelines to undertake this assurance exercise. These included the AA1000 Assurance Standard (2003); the International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 (ISAE3000); and the criteria within the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). 

Our conclusions and overall opinion have been made on the basis of supporting objective evidence and review of TUI Travel documentation. We were in attendance at the externally facilitated Sector Coordinators meeting in June 2009, which set TUI Travel’s sustainable development ambitions and targets, and we reviewed the outcomes and associated strategy documentation. However, we did not attend or undertake any external stakeholder dialogue sessions directly.

Opinion

Based on the assessment described above, it is our opinion that:

• TUI Travel has a good understanding of its direct and indirect, global and local impacts across all aspects of its operations. It has a range of mechanisms for engaging with internal and external stakeholders. TUI Travel’s ambitions and targets were formed on the basis of an inclusive process and do address its material issues;
• TUI Travel continues to strive to be a leader in sustainable development and identify innovative solutions to complex sustainable development challenges for the industry. This is reflected in TUI Travel’s  ambitions and targets, which are challenging, address issues at a strategic level, and should promote long-term performance improvement; and
• Progress against the 2007/08 targets is accurately described in TUI Travel’s Sustainable Development Report. There has been a focus on the development of TUI Travel’s vision, strategy and associated policies and governance processes that demonstrate Board-level commitment. Good practice has also been demonstrated in a number of specific initiatives such as the development of carbon management and offsetting guidance and sustainable destinations projects, e.g. the leadership development project in Costa Rica.

Summary Recommendation

• TUI Travel should continue to focus upon putting processes in place for embedding and implementing its Sustainable Development Policy and associated ambitions and targets. TUI Travel should ensure that it has adequate processes to measure, monitor and report performance against its targets and key performance indicators in a timely manner;
• TUI Travel’s targets should continue to evolve to be less management focused and more performance based to allow stakeholders to determine its overall impacts, trends in performance and areas of strengths and weaknesses; and
• TUI Travel should further formalise its external stakeholder engagement processes to better capture and report the specific outcomes of its stakeholder engagement processes and consider how it can continue to work with its stakeholders and partners to find solutions to its sustainable development challenges.

Limitations

The scope of the assurance was limited to the above and Bureau Veritas did not check the accuracy of any other sustainable development information, statements and performance metrics or data reported.

The opinion above has been formed on the basis of, and is subject to, the inherent limitations outlined below in this independent assurance statement. The assurance work was planned and carried out to provide reasonable, rather than absolute, assurance and we believe it provides a reasonable basis for our conclusions.

This independent statement should not be relied upon to detect all errors, omissions or misstatements that may exist within the Report.

Statement by Bureau Veritas of Independence, Impartiality and Competence

Bureau Veritas is an independent professional services company that specialises in quality, environmental, health, safety and social accountability with over 180 years history in providing independent assurance services, and an annual turnover in 2008 of €2.55 billion.

Our assurance team has extensive experience in conducting assurance over environmental, social, ethical and health and safety information, systems and processes in accordance with best practice. Bureau Veritas has implemented a Code of Ethics across its business which ensures that all of its staff maintain high ethical standards in their day to day business activities.

London, July 2009