Intrepid Travel Takes the Lead in Carbon Labeling for Tours
Intrepid Travel, a renowned adventure travel company, has embarked on an ambitious carbon labeling initiative for over 500 of its tours, including its top 100 trips, as part of its commitment to climate-conscious travel. This pioneering effort aims to measure and disclose the emissions associated with each trip, offering travelers transparency about the environmental impact of their journeys, akin to how nutrition labels inform consumers about the food they consume.
Intrepid Travel’s research revealed that 64% of adults worldwide are unaware of their carbon footprint, and 60% are more likely to choose travel companies that are transparent about their environmental impact. However, only 38% find it easy to access such information. To address this gap in knowledge, Intrepid has introduced carbon labels on its website, displaying the total carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) emissions per traveler per day for each trip.
These carbon labels take a comprehensive approach, factoring in various components contributing to the overall carbon footprint, such as accommodations, transportation, food, activities, local operations’ office emissions, and waste. To ensure accuracy, a 15% contingency is added to account for any unintentional omissions.
Intrepid Travel’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory calculation process adheres to best-practice standards set by Climate Active, a partnership between the Australian government and corporations promoting climate action in the private sector. As the world’s largest travel B Corp, Intrepid Travel envisions carbon labeling as an industry standard practice and hopes it will eventually be integrated into government policies to more effectively measure and reduce emissions.
Sara King, General Manager of Purpose for Intrepid Travel, emphasized the importance of carbon labeling in holding businesses accountable for reducing emissions. Without higher government regulations or Environmental, Social, and Governance disclosure requirements, such measurements are crucial for reducing our collective environmental impact. Intrepid Travel’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond labeling, as they plan to develop lower carbon itineraries, with a significant reduction in flights on trips by 2024 and discontinuation of scenic flights.
