1. Review through the complete set of instructions before Applying for STEP and attempting to complete the Self-assessment Application.
2. Complete and submit a STEP Application. Review our Rates for information on STEP pricing. After you submit payment, you will have six months to complete the STEP Self-Assessment Application.
3. Determine if you want your company to be Self-assessed, Eco-assessed or Eco-certified as detailed below and follow the related instructions. Please note that there is no additional expense for a Self-assessment, whereas Eco-assessments require a desk assessment and Eco-certification requires an on-site audit. Review our Rates for more information.
4. If you want your company to be Eco-assessed or Eco-certified, download complete and sign (as applicable) the following five documents: Affidavit, Confidentiality Agreement, Logo Licensing Agreement, Reference Form, and a STEP Feedback Form. If you only want your company to be Self-assessed, you do not need to complete these forms.

Option 2: Eco-assessed

Applicants who wish to apply for 1-2 stars and the corresponding "Eco-assessed: Self-Assessment Completed" eco-label only need to comply with the “Required” criteria. Note that you must submit written evidence or documentation to STI to support how your company is meeting these criteria.

• Submit the signed forms detailed under number 4 above, the documentation for all of the “Required” criteria to STI via email, fax 866-624-8303, or mail to Sustainable Travel International, 835 SW William Drive, White Salmon, WA 98672, USA.  Be sure to label all of the information you submit, clearly indicating which criterion it applies to. Failing to do so, may result in a delay in processing and a surcharge of US$150 per hour. 
• Once STI receives your completed Self-assessment Application and documentation for all of the “Required” criteria, we will respond with corrective actions or award you with a 1-2 star "Self-Assessment Completed” rating within 30 days.  
• If a 1-2 star "Eco-assessed: Self-Assessment Completed" rating is awarded, your company will receive eco-label logos and information on marketing and communications support from STI. 

Option 3: Eco-certified

Applicants who wish to apply for 3-5 stars and the corresponding “Eco-certified: Professionally Audited” eco-label are required to provide STI with documentation for all of the “Required” criteria as detailed above, as well as “score” their company for all of the other criteria in each tab starting with “Business Model”.

• Submit the signed forms detailed under number 3 above, the completed Self-assessment Application, and the documentation for all of the “Required” criteria to STI via email, fax 866-624-8303, or mail to Sustainable Travel International, 835 SW William Drive, White Salmon, WA 98672, USA.  Be sure to label all of the information you submit, clearly indicating which criterion it applies to. Failing to do so, may result in a delay in processing and a surcharge of US$150 per hour. 
• Upon completion, contact STI and we will refer you to a STEP Accredited Auditor. On-site audits are mandatory for “Eco-certified: Professionally Audited" status as they ensure compliance with STEP and prevent greenwashing.
• The STEP Accredited Auditor will assess your operations to verify your performance and documentation and compare their findings with the information submitted in their Self-assessment Application. During the on-site audit, applicants must provide their auditor with evidence and documentation to support compliance with any given STEP criteria.
• After the audit, you will receive a scored version of the Self-assessment Application, which will include a new column with the Auditor’s score for each Practice (a “Practice” includes up to three similar criteria in each Row), as well as comments and / or corrective actions required if the Auditor’s score differs from your score. If you disagree with the Auditor’s score or if you would like to increase your score, you have 60 days to address the Auditor’s concerns and implement any corrective actions. See STEP FAQs and Rates for more information.
• If a 3-5 star “Eco-certified: Professionally Audited” rating is awarded and approved by STI's Evaluation Committee, your company will receive eco-label logos and information on marketing and communications support from STI.  

1. Save a separate clean copy of the Self-assessment Application, in case something happens to your file and you need a back-up.
2. Open the Self Assessment Application (Note: Macros must be enabled*)
3. In the Self-assessment Application, enter information about the business that is being assessed in the "Client Data" tab*. Fill out the six fields, including selecting the appropriate Business Sector in the drop down menu. Once you choose your Business Sector, do not switch to another Business Sector. If you do, you will automatically lose all of the data you’ve entered in the Application. If you previously selected the wrong Business Sector, you will need to save the partially completed Application as a separate file so that you can refer to your answers and then begin again with a new copy. If you are a travel provider that qualifies for more than one business sector (e.g. if you are an accommodation provider that also offers tours), then then contact STI for further instructions.
4. In each tab starting with “Business Model”, expand the criteria using the plus sign icon (+) one the left-hand side of the page. To guide your progress, create an online file or purchase a binder and label it “STEP Policies and Procedures”. Then create a separate page in the binder for each of the criteria detailed in all eight tabs in the Application. Now you have a place to record and document how your company complies with each individual criterion.

*Note: This file operates in a Microsoft Excel format. When you open the file in the Client Data tab, there may be a pop-up notice that “Macros must be enabled.” If this occurs, follow the below appropriate instructions for enabling macros:

For Excel 2003 and older

1. Go to Tools and select Security. 
2. Select either the ‘Medium’ or ‘Low’ option.
   (If you choose the ‘Low’ option, you will be prompted you every time you open the program to allow macros)

For Excel 2007:

1. Click the round ‘Office Button’ in the upper left of the screen. 
2. Select ‘Excel Options’
3. Choose ‘Trust Center’ button on the left, and at the bottom right, select ‘Trust Center Settings’
4. Choose ‘Macro Settings’ from sidebar, and then select ‘Disable all macros with notification’.   
   (This option keeps macros disabled but notifies users when macros attempt to run, and allows you to enable macros on a case by case basis
5. For the new settings to take effect, it will be necessary to close Excel and reopen it. (A security warning dialog box should appear beneath the Office ribbon the next time you attempt to run a spreadsheet that contains macros)
6. When the notification appears, click the ‘Options’ button, and choose ‘Enable this content’ to allow macros to run within the current spreadsheet.

1. As you scroll over each criteria cell in the Self-assessment Application, you will see the “Comments” field pop up.** The “Comments” field defines the Objective of each criterion, as well as the evidence and documentation which will be required of you in order to receive credit for that particular criterion. This is also meant as a template for implementing relevant policies and procedures operationally. If you would like any particular “Comments” pop-up to remain visible, then right click over the cell, and you will have an option to “Show/Hide Comments”.** Likewise, when you are ready to “Hide” the Comments field, repeat this process.
2. Eco-certification is based on systems that have been implemented, rather than a specific activity. Thus, for every criterion that the company wants to claim, they are required (at a minimum) to have a written procedure stated in present tense that stipulates the policy or requirements of the practice, as well as the steps or procedures they have taken to implement it. 
3. Use the “Notes” fields in each row (column J) to explain or clarify your company’s position as it relates to any specific criterion, to provide STI with constructive feedback, or to indicate that a Practice is Not Applicable (N/A) to their company.  
4. For any Practices you wish to declare as not-applicable, you must enter “N/A” into the relevant blue highlighted Cell in Column C. Applicants who submit “N/A” are required to submit arguments in writing (Use the Notes Cell in Column J). If you wish to fill in N/A for a particular criteria instead of the entire Practice (Row), you need to detail the specific Cell that is N/A in the related Notes field, not in the blue highlighted scoring Cell. That way, you can still score yourself in the blue Cell for the other criterion if they are relevant. Note that you must provide supporting evidence for any “N/A” declarations, which will be reviewed on a case by case basis. For example, if you cite a Practice as N/A because it conflicts with existing local regulations, you should have a copy of the relevant local regulation as evidence.  

** Note: If you are having trouble viewing the text in a particular Cell or Comments box, try to resize the view, either by using the zoom scroll bar in the bottom right corner of the screen, or by going to ‘View’ and using the ‘Zoom’ function.

Also note that where you are not able to view all of the text in any given Cell due to length, you can increase the length of the Formula Bar at the top (above the first row and below the Tool Bar, next to the “fx”), which contains all of the text.  To do so, hold the “control”, “shift” and “u” keys on your keyboard simultaneously.

1. Starting with “Business Model”, complete all eight tabs in the Application, which are designed to address each aspect of your company’s operations. 
2. Each Row is defined as a single Practice, and the individual criteria in any given Row represent similar themes and an increasing level of sustainability for each Practice as you move across the Row from left to right. 
3. Consider each Practice, meet with the staff responsible for any given Practice, assess whether your company complies with the requirements of each individual criterion, and then enter the numerical “score” that you feel applies to your company’s level of accomplishment in the appropriate blue cell. 
4. Unless indicated otherwise, each “Incubator” criterion is worth 1 point, each “Initiative” criterion is worth 3 points, and each “Integrated” criterion is worth 9 points. The higher point values that represent more sustainable business activities also tend to be more challenging to implement, so it is best to begin with the required and lower point criteria and work your way up. Partial credit is available for individual criterion, but can only be given by the auditor. You may not give yourself partial credit for any criteria (though you may suggest that you deserve partial credit in the “Notes” Cell) 
5. Ignore any blank Cell if there are no criteria included, even if a Comments box appears as you scroll over the blank Cell. These criteria are not intended for your sector.  
6. If the criterion is “Required” as noted column F in each tab, and if the criterion has been achieved, click in the gold cell (column B) to give yourself a checkmark (√). Checkmarks can be removed by clicking another cell and then reselecting the gold cell. If you enter N/A for a “Required” criterion, you should still enter a “check” (√) into the associated gold cell.
7. Review the results of your self assessment in the "Graphs" tab. Applicants will be scored based on their cumulative points as a percentage of the overall points possible, so if you are applying for certification, it is in your best interest to apply for as many criteria as possible.

** Note: If you are having trouble viewing the text in a particular Cell or Comments box, try to resize the view, either by using the zoom scroll bar in the bottom right corner of the screen, or by going to ‘View’ and using the ‘Zoom’ function.

Also note that where you are not able to view all of the text in any given Cell due to length, you can increase the length of the Formula Bar at the top (above the first row and below the Tool Bar, next to the “fx”), which contains all of the text.  To do so, hold the “control”, “shift” and “u” keys on your keyboard simultaneously.