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United States
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United States
OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL STORY
OVER A DECADE OF POSITIVE IMPACT
Like you, we are travellers. It’s in our blood, who we are and what we do. In 2008, we asked a question: how do we make travel matter? We recognize our responsibility to ensure our impact on the planet we call home, the people we visit, and the wildlife we find there, is a positive one and we take steps to address our impact in two ways; through our sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right, and through our TreadRight Foundation
All of our efforts to MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® focus on:
Planet - Sustainability and conservation: ensuring that we’re protecting our invaluable landscapes and natural resources.
People - Cultural preservation: ensuring that the true economic benefit of travel is felt by local communities.
Wildlife - Protection of our world’s wildlife: while advocating for the highest standard of ethical wildlife experiences
OUR 5 YEAR STRATEGY
HOW WE TREAD RIGHT
Launched in 2020, How We Tread Right (HWTR) is our five-year sustainability strategy and blueprint for us and our sister brands under our parent company The Travel Corporation (TTC).
Our strategy is based on 11 measurable goals anchored to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which address the issues of climate change, sustainable food production, waste reduction, travel experiences, diversity and inclusion, and wildlife.
Choosing to travel with us means choosing a travel company that puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do. To learn more about progress we are making against these goals, view our 2021 Impact Report.
The HWTR Goals and our Trafalgar 2025 Commitment
GOAL 1
Climate Action
Reach Net Zero Emissions by 2050.
Read our Climate Action Plan.
GOAL 2
Climate Change
Source 50% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
GOAL 3
Sustainable Food Production
Reduce food waste by 50% across all hotels and ships by 2025.
GOAL 4
Sustainable Food Production
Increase use of local and organic products in our supply chain by 2025.
GOAL 5
Responsible Consumption
Reduce Printed brochures by 50% by 2025.
GOAL 6
Responsible Consumption
Eliminate as many unnecessary single use plastics from our operations and itineraries by 2022.
GOAL 7
Overtourism
Have at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience included or available as an optional experience on all land tours by 2023.
GOAL 8
Overtourism
Achieve a 20% increase of itineraries visiting developing regions by specialist brands by 2025.
GOAL 9
Our Culture
Increase employee and market sentiment regarding diversity and inclusion across our brands.
GOAL 10
Our Culture
Complete 30,000 volunteer hours by 2025.
GOAL 11
Animal Welfare
Ensure all wildlife experiences across TTC brands adhere to our Animal Welfare Policy by 2021.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are conscious travel experiences available on our trips and are chosen with great care based on the positive social or environmental impact they have on their communities and those who experience them. Using a proprietary assessment tool, endorsed by industry experts and developed exclusively for Trafalgar and TTC’s family of brands, MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are assessed against a robust set of criteria directly tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
As a traveler you can be assured that by participating in one of these experiences your travel will have a positive impact and you will leave with a greater understanding of sustainable development issues worldwide, and the inspiring local community actions being taken to address them.
CLIMATE ACTION
OUR ROAD TO NET ZERO
In 2021, to outline how we will address our emissions as a business, we developed a 5-point Climate Action Plan, committing us to Measure, Reduce, Remove, Offset, and Evolve. We believe in backing big, bold ideas that prioritize nature-based carbon solutions and support biodiversity.
Since the launch of our HWTR strategy, global action on the world’s response to climate change has continued to advance, and our commitment to evolve has enabled us to match that advancement. The most significant change we’ve made since the launch of our plan is our decision to commit to net zero.
In the next step of our journey to net zero, our parent company The Travel Corporation (TTC) has formally committed to carbon reduction targets that are aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). These targets are currently under review by the SBTi and will be announced later this year. Science-based targets ensure we play our part in reducing our emissions in line with keeping the global temperature below a warming of 1.5° C by mid-century.
This will require bold and ambitious action across our business, and as a member of TTC’s family of brands, we, along with our sister brands, have immense opportunity for impact. TTC’s Scope 1 + 2 target will tackle the emissions from owned ground transport fleet, Uniworld ships, Red Carnation Hotels, as well as our shared global offices and facilities. Our shared Scope 3 target will address our indirect emissions including trip emissions.
CARBON OFFSETS
Costsaver has partnered with leading offset provider South Pole to offset select emissions, including residual emissions from our offices as well as from business travel. You too can purchase carbon offsets for the emissions produced by your travels. South Pole has 700+ high quality, and verifiable offset projects that are an important part of the global green transition.
CLIMATE IS A SHARED CHALLENGE
As a founding signatory to the Glasgow Declaration, and signatories to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, we are committed to working together with our industry to find solutions to the climate crisis. Read our declaration of a climate emergency and learn more about our efforts.
PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS
OUR TREADRIGHT PROJECTS
TreadRight is a not-for-profit founded by Trafalgar and our sister brands under The Travel Corporation, to support sustainable tourism projects around the world. Through TreadRight, we have helped fund more than 60 projects worldwide. Learn about our project partners to date.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® is a registered trademark of the TreadRight Foundation.
GOAL 1: CLIMATE ACTION
REACH NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2050
Costsaver alongside its sister brands will invest in decarbonization in two ways:
Contribute to an internal Carbon Fund to help cover the costs of transitioning our business to low-carbon solutions.
Prioritize nature-based solutions and conservation efforts that protect biodiversity and restore the planet through the TreadRight Foundation.
Read our climate emergency declaration and our Climate Action Plan.
GOAL 2: CLIMATE CHANGE
SOURSE 50% OF OUR ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES BY 2025
All TTC owned Red Carnation properties will utilise renewable sources by Dec 2021. Costsaver also encourages and educates third party suppliers on shifting to alternate renewable energy sources.
GOAL 3: SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION
REDUCE FOOD WASTE BY 50% ACROSS ALL HOTELS AND SHIPS BY 2025
All TTC owned Red Carnation properties will reduce food waste by Dec 2021. Costsaver also encourages and educates third party suppliers on food waste reduction and green tourism. Costsaver also commits to meeting this goal for all business related events from 2021.
GOAL 4: SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION
INCREASE USE OF LOCAL AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN BY 2025
Our strategy defines “local” as any food sourced within 30-50 miles of where it is prepared, and “organic” as that which is sourced without the use of pesticides or GMOs; in addition to sustainably sourced seafood.
GOAL 5: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
REDUCE PRINTED BROCHURES BY 50% BY 2025
As at Jan 2021, Costsaver has responsibly reduced printed brochures by 50% since 2019, and will continue to optimise alternate digital solutions to deliver additional reductions.
GOAL 6: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION
ELIMINATE AS MANY UNNECESSARY SINGLE USE PLASTICS FROM OUR OPERATIONS AND ITINERARIES BY 2022
Costsaver has significantly reduced SUP across trips and offices and continues to conduct assessments on trip and business touchpoints to ensure alternative recyclable materials are utilised wherever possible.
GOAL 7: OVERTOURISM
INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE MAKE TRAVEL MATTER EXPERIENCE ON 50% OF ALL ITINERARIES BY 2025
The Travel Corporation commits to include at least one Make Travel Matter responsible travel experience on 50% of all itineraries by 2024.
GOAL 8: OVERTOURISM
ACHIEVE A 20% INCREASE OF ITINERARIES VISITING DEVELOPING REGIONS BY SPECIALIST BRANDS BY 2025
The Travel Corporation commits to an increase of 20% globally of itineraries visiting developing regions by 2025.
In order to qualify a region as a “developing region” and count an itinerary to count towards this sustainable development goal, the following must be true:
- The brand has not visited the region in 2019- An overnight stay in the region is included in the itinerary
- The region features no more than 2 sites that suffer from congestion during peak season (ie. long queues that degrade the tourist experience)
- The region is considered a secondary or (preferred) tertiary city or “spoke” to a tourism hub.
GOAL 9: OUR CULTURE
INCREASE EMPLOYEE AND MARKET SENTIMENT REGARDING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ACROSS OUR BRANDS
Costsaver’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) journey started many years ago, and in 2021 we launched our DEI Strategy and formalized specific and actionable goals across three core business functions: People and Culture, Travel Experiences, and Marketing and Communications.
GOAL 10: OUR CULTURE
COMPLETE 30,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS BY 2025
Costsaver offers all employees 2 paid volunteer days each year. Our commitment is to encourage and support each and every team member to utilise these days each year.
GOAL 11: ANIMAL WELFARE
ENSURE ALL WILDLIFE EXPERIENCES ACROSS TTC BRANDS ADHERE TO OUR ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY BY 2021
All wildlife experiences included on all trips adhere to the TTC Animal Welfare policy as at January 2021. Ongoing assessment and inspection is undertaken for domesticated animals involved in on trip experiences.