Sustainability

At Explorer, we don’t simply support sustainable travel, we live it.

We encourage sustainable travel which respects the environment and benefits local communities. As supporters of the TreadRight Foundation, we are committed to making travel matter by supporting people, wildlife and the planet for generations to come.

Sustainability is more than just a buzzword for us; it is woven into the fabric of everything we do. We safeguard the cultures and traditions of the communities we visit, promoting economic empowerment through our support of micro-enterprises and community-based tourism initiatives. Through our support of ME to WE – an innovative social enterprise that empowers people to change the world through their everyday consumer choices – we offer our travelers choices that leave a positive footprint on the planet.

Together with the Wilderness Foundation Africa, our commitment to preserving wildlife means that we only promote ethical experiences which protect and sustain wildlife and wilderness through integrated conservation and education programmes.

We have signed the SATSA Animal Interaction Charter and are committed to promoting ethical animal interactions and responsible tourism operators around Africa.

When you travel with Explorer, we’ll give you opportunities to meaningfully interact with the people and places of Africa, taking only pictures, and leaving only your footprints behind.

Treadright

HWTR + OUR 11 GOALS

Launched in 2020, How We Tread Right (HWTR) is Brand X’s five-year sustainability strategy. It is the sustainability blueprint for us and our sister brands under our parent company The Travel Corporation (TTC).

Our strategy consists of 11 sustainability goals anchored to the United Nations’ Global Goals, which guide the way we are addressing climate change, sustainable food production, waste reduction, travel experiences, diversity and inclusion, and wildlife: the six main issues that we are currently focused on as a business.

Learn more about how choosing Brand X 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 Impact Report here.

CLIMATE ACTION

Since the launch of our sustainability strategy, global action on the world’s response to climate change has continued to advance. We have matched that advancement through our decision to commit to net zero. 

Our Climate Action Plan outlines how we will reach net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050 from a 2019 baseline year, with accompanying near-term and long-term targets that are validatedby the Science Based Target initiative(SBTi). Our primary focus is to decarbonize, the most effective means to address climate change. To enable that, our parent company The Travel Corporation has established the following validated science-based reduction targets:  

Net Zero Target: Our Sustainability Goal 1

• Reach net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050 from a 2019 baseline year

Near-Term Targets (2030)

• Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year
• Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, business travel, and use of sold products 27.5% within the same timeframe

Long-Term Target (2050)

• Reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2050 from a 2019 base year

To cement our commitment to decarbonize, in 2022 we launched a Carbon Fund – a fund dedicated to financing initiatives to reduce the carbon emissions of our business. This fund is a bold step towards prioritizing the planet and will be used solely for initiatives that contribute to our net zero journey and help restore our planet. Progress made by this fund will be reported on in future Impact Reports.

To further support our journey to net zero, our TreadRight Foundation will prioritize and invest in nature-based solutions developed to address climate change as well as the rapid loss of biodiversity. Learn more about TreadRight and our projects.

We encourage you to read about our carbon measurement methodology, learn more about our Climate Action efforts, and view our recent Impact Report at our Impact Hub.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ®?

By travelling with us. To travel is to learn; it is to support the people we meet along the way. And that is precisely what our MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences do.

What they are: MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are immersive impact experiences chosen for their benefit on the planet, its people and wildlife. Identify these experiences across our trips by locating the MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience seal.

How they’re chosen: We use a proprietary tool, endorsed by industry experts and developed exclusively for us, to measure experiences against a robust set of criteria in order to be a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

What to expect: 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.

How Else You Can Help

Consider a donation to a local conservation organization either in the region you’re traveling to or at home. In addition to climate change, we’re facing a devastating biodiversity crisis and these organizations need all the help they can get to carry out their important work.

DEI

Explorer’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.

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