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This global tour operator is tallying up the carbon toll of our travels

For bringing carbon labeling to the tour business, Intrepid Travel is one of the most innovative travel companies of 2024.

This global tour operator is tallying up the carbon toll of our travels
[Source photo: FC]

Australia-based tour operator Intrepid Travel, which offers more than 1,150 small-group trips across the globe, is the world’s largest travel company with B Corp certification.

The company has long championed responsible travel: It has committed to near-term science-based climate targets, and has funneled more than $10 million to travel partners through its nonprofit Intrepid Foundation.

In 2023, it brought climate transparency to the industry through a new carbon-labeling initiative. Working with Ndevr Environmental, an Australia-based advisory firm, Intrepid broke down its trips into six emitter categories: accommodations, transport, activities, dining, waste, and its own office operations. From there, Ndevr provided CO2-e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emission estimates on a country level based on such factors as miles traveled or a hotel’s star rating.

After calculating the total carbon emissions produced by each trip on 500 of its top itineraries, Intrepid highlighted the results on its website. The CO2-e number is front and center on each trip itinerary, empowering travelers to make environmentally informed decisions about their vacations. Intrepid also remains committed to developing lower-carbon itineraries.

In 2024, the company will have approximately 4,000 fewer flights on trips and is in the process of discontinuing all scenic flights. After a pandemic slowdown, the company returned to profitability in 2023.

Explore the full 2024 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 606 organizations that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the firms making the biggest impact across 58 categories, including advertisingartificial intelligencedesignsustainability, and more.

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