Celebrating Climate Positive News from our Latest Platinum Partner

Tour Brands Invests in BioFuel and Expands Nature-Based Climate Solutions

Rainforest Rescue are celebrating climate positive news from our latest Platinum Partner, The Travel Corporation’s TreadRight Foundation, as they partner with us to support Daintree Rainforest conservation projects. The following article ‘Tour Brands Invests in BioFuel and Expands Nature-Based Climate Solutions‘, originally appeared in  Insider Travel Report by James Shillinglaw,  Sep 28, 2023.

TTC Tour Brands, which includes Trafalgar, Contiki, Costsaver, Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold, announced new investments in the planet through the brands’ industry-first Carbon Fund and its philanthropic arm, TreadRight Foundation, both of which support TTC’s Climate Action Plan and net zero ambition.

The Carbon Fund, which was created to finance the decarbonization of TTC’s business, is generated by revenue from the brands. TTC Tour Brands announced its Carbon Fund’s first investments, including in renewable energy for its properties, and biofuel for its coaches. TreadRight Foundation, which is prioritizing support for nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, is announcing its support for the Daintree Rainforest Rescue project.

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).

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in our journey towards net zero, but the work never stops,” says Melissa DaSilva, president of TTC Tour Brands North America. “We know it’s going to take bold changes, significant investments and the right partners to achieve our aggressive net zero goal. Protecting our planet, its people, and wildlife is the foundation of our mission to Make Travel Matter, and investments are necessary and integrated into every aspect of our business and trips, From beginning to transition our Contiki coaches to HVO biofuel in Europe, to securing renewable energy for our North American offices and partnering with Daintree Rainforest Rescue as a new nature-based solution partner, we are all in on advancing our goals towards decarbonization.”

New Carbon Fund investments include:

1. Contiki, the social travel company for 18-35s, is partnering with GoodFuels, a manufacturer and supplier of HVO biofuel that is completely produced by certified feedstock labeled as waste or residue. This will reduce Contiki’s trip emissions by 20 percent in Europe where HVO biofuel is available. This supports the brand’s efforts to transition their transportation network to zero or low emissions vehicles.
2. TTC Tour Brands is securing 100 percent renewable electricity for four properties in North America, including three offices: TTC’s USA offices in Cypress and Encino, Calif., and its Toronto, Canada, office, as well as Old Town, TTC’s entertainment district in Kissimmee, Fla. This will be done through Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) purchases which will allow TTC Tour Brans to avoid 554 tonnes of CO2e annually from the brand’s electricity consumption.

New Nature-Based Solution partners include:

1. TTC Tour Brands’ nonprofit, the TreadRight Foundation is partnering with Australian-based Rainforest Rescue to support its 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. TTC Tour Brands’ support through TreadRight will enable Rainforest Rescue to further its protection and restoration of the fragmented lowland rainforest, increasing the carbon storage potential of the rainforest, while supporting and sharing local Indigenous practices and knowledge.
2. 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. Travelers 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 get to explore Dundreggan’s wild landscapes and discover centuries of Gaelic history and connection with a landscape undergoing transformation through rewilding. 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.

In July 2023, TTC Tour Brands parent company, The Travel Corporation (TTC), released its second annual Impact Report, which details the progress of its 41 brands against the 11 measurable goals of How We Tread Right, (HWTR) TTC’s five-year sustainability strategy. Among the progress made, TTC announced a reduction of Scope 1 emissions by 27 percent, Scope 2 by 42 percent and Scope 3 by 45 percent from 2019. Across TTC, 44 percent of global electricity needs were sourced from renewable sources in 2022, and more than 1.6 million kwh of electricity was generated from solar panels.

To learn more about TTC Tour Brands’ Carbon Fund, visit https://impact.ttc.com/climate/carbon-fund. For more information, visit www.TTC.com or www.TreadRight.org.