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Certified B Corporation

Since 1939, YHA has been owned by its members - not shareholders.

Profit goes back into the places you stay, the communities around them, and the environment they're part of.

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 Becoming a Certified B Corporation didn't change who we are. It verified it. Getting certified required work and getting better is the goal.

Wait - you've been doing this since 1939?

Most travel brands discovered “purpose” recently. YHA was built for it. From day one, the idea was simple: travel should be open to everyone, and it should change how you see the world. That belief still shapes who owns us; members, where profit goes (back into the network), and how we define success.

B Corp certification put that structure under the spotlight. In some areas, we were already ahead. In others, we had to step up - tightening standards, formalising commitments and measuring outputs we hadn’t tracked before. That’s accountability.

Because good intentions aren’t enough, our commitment to people, communities and the planet is written into our constitution - voted in by our members. It isn’t a campaign or a policy that can be quietly softened. It’s an ongoing structural commitment. We weren’t retrofitted for this movement. We were built for it and we’re still pushing ourselves to do better.

 

So what is B Corp, actually?

 

B Corp certification exists for one reason. To ensure businesses that claim to be a force for good are independently measured and required to prove it.

B Lab. The global not-for-profit behind the movement, sets the standards and oversees the assessment. Businesses don’t mark their own homework.

Not just the easy parts - everything! To get certified, the entire business is assessed across five areas. Certification isn’t a one-time win. Standards evolve, scores are public, and businesses are reassessed every three years . It isn’t a badge to hang on the wall; it’s an ongoing commitment to operate responsibly and transparently. 

More than 10,000 companies globally have chosen to be measured this way. YHA is Australia’s first owned and operated accommodation network to join them.

Overall B Impact Score: 87.2

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    Where you stay shapes what travel supports.

    Travel is personal. Where you book says something about what you back.

      

    You don’t have to choose between travelling responsibly and travelling affordably. At YHA, doing good and spending less go together - not as a compromise, but as the point.

    Because we’re member-owned, your money funds the mission rather than shareholder returns. Profit is reinvested into our network and the communities connected to it. From our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) with First Nations communities, to our Travel to Learn Foundation opening access for young travellers, who can’t afford to participate in their school excursions, to our Sustainable Properties Fund improving environmental performance across every property.

    You get more than a place to sleep. You get spaces that spark conversations, activities that connect you to place, and a culture built around curiosity rather than just check-in and check-out. That’s not marketing spin - it’s what happens when travel is built around people, not profit.

    Booking with YHA places your stay inside a global movement of businesses working toward a more equitable and inclusive economy. One where how a company operates matters as much as what it sells. It’s what B Corp is building toward. It’s what YHA has been building toward since 1939.

    How are we held to account?

    B Corp is one layer. But here's the full picture.

     

    Independent accountability isn't something we switch on for certification; it runs throughout the business. These standards don’t just recognise what we’ve done - they raise the bar for what we do next. Here's how:

    Certified B Corporation

    Certified B Corporation

    Impact measured across governance, people, community, environment and customers.
    Ecotourism Australia

    Ecotourism Australia

    Environmental standards independently verified at every property.
    Great Place to Work

    Great Place to Work

    Workplace culture assessed by our people, not our HR.
    HIQ&S

    HIQ&S

    Global quality standards within the Hostelling International network we are part of.

    Common Questions

    Independent verification.

    Independent verification.

    YHA has operated as a member-owned, for-purpose organisation since 1939. B Corp provides independent verification that how we operate, meets a rigorous global standard and creates a framework that holds us accountable to keep improving over time.
    A global initiative.

    A global initiative.

    The B Corp movement is a global initiative of for-profit companies certified by B Lab for meeting high standards of verified social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. The "B" stands for "benefit for all," aiming to shift the economic system from focusing solely on shareholder profit to prioritising people, communities, and the planet. There are over 10,000 Certified B Corporations globally.
    It's publicly listed.

    It's publicly listed.
    YHA’s B Corp certification and score are publicly listed on the B Lab global directory. Our Integrated Report provides detailed reporting on our environmental, social and governance performance as well.
    Available here
    No.

    No.

    Eco-certification from Ecotourism Australia focuses on environmental standards at a property level. B Corp is broader, whole or organisation broad, covering governance, social impact, worker practices, community contribution, customer responsibility and environmental performance across the entire business.
    No.

    No.
    B Corp sets independent standards and expects ongoing progress. There is meaningful work still to do - and transparency about that is part of the commitment. Our trade-offs, progress and areas for improvement are reported openly in our annual Integrated Report.
    See Integrated Report
    That’s the right question to ask.

    That’s the right question to ask.

    The difference with B Corp is that the assessment is independent, comprehensive and public. B Lab reviews governance, supply chains, worker practices and environmental performance - not just what we choose to show them. Our score is publicly listed, and our annual Integrated Report outlines both progress and areas where we’re still improving. External scrutiny is the point.

     

    YHA acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to the elders, past and present, and the extended Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We recognise their custodianship of the land, sea, & water for over 60,000 years.

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    YHA Australia is a proud member of Hostelling International - a network of more than 2,500+ hostels across 57 destinations that share the mission of making travel more sustainable & accessible.

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