On 27SEP, TTC Tour Brands (TTC) - including Trafalgar, Contiki, Costsaver, Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations, and Luxury Gold - announced what TTC is calling an "industry-first" Carbon Fund in collaboration with its philanthropic arm, the TreadRight Foundation, to support TTC's Climate Action Plan and a net zero ambition.
In a statement, TTC said The Carbon Fund, created to finance the decarbonization of TTC's business, is generated by brand revenue.
"Today, TTC Tour Brands is announcing its Carbon Fund's first investments, including in renewable energy for its properties and biofuel for its motorcoaches. TreadRight Foundation, which prioritizes support for nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, is announcing its support for the Daintree Rainforest Rescue project," stated TTC.
These new investments align with the United Nations World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) green investment priority for tourism's recovery and future growth. Reaching net zero is the brands' first goal in their five-year sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right (HWTR).
New Carbon Fund Investments:
- Contiki, a social travel company for 18-35s, is partnering with GoodFuels, a manufacturer and supplier of HVO biofuel entirely produced by certified feedstock labelled as waste or residue. This will reduce Contiki's trip emissions by 20% in Europe, where HVO biofuel is available. This supports the brand's efforts to transition its transportation network to zero or low-emission vehicles.
- TTC Tour Brands is securing 100% renewable electricity for four properties in North America, including three offices in Cypress and Encino, California and Toronto, as well as Kissimmee, Florida. This will be done through Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) purchases, allowing TTC to avoid 554 tonnes of CO2e annually from the brand's electricity consumption.
New Nature-Based Solution Partners:
- TTC Tour Brands' nonprofit, the TreadRight Foundation, is partnering with Australian-based Rainforest Rescue to support their efforts in the Daintree Rainforest, which will be the brand's fourth nature-based solution partner. The oldest rainforest on Earth, the Daintree Rainforest, is significant for both the Indigenous people who live there and because of its unique biodiversity, including 186 species listed as either rare or threatened. Rainforest Rescue is dedicated to rescuing and restoring the unprotected rainforest to mitigate climate change and habitat loss.
- In Scotland, the TreadRight Foundation supports Trees for Life, an organization dedicated to rewilding the Scottish Highlands. TTC Tour Brands' and TreadRight's support enables Trees for Life's Wild Pine project, which is replanting, managing and restoring the Caledonian Forest to run for an extra year, covering more sites in the central and eastern Highlands. Travellers on Trafalgar's 'Best of Scotland' trip can visit Trees for Life's Dundreggan Rewilding Centre as a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience, where they will explore Dundreggan's wild landscapes. The Rewilding Centre is a gateway to a 10,000-acre flagship estate that has been rewilded since 2008 and is home to more than 4,000 species of plants and animals.
More information about TTC Tour Brands' Carbon Fund on its website.
