Carbon neutral group becomes biggest Bcorp travel company

Intrepid Group proves purpose beyond profit and a better bigger bottom line to become world’s largest travel B Corp

Nearly 30 years after company founded and three years after shareholder split from TUI, new certification provides legal base for purpose-led company to preserve mission.

Global growth inspires Intrepid to look beyond sustainable tourism schemes to B Corp certification, with rigorous assessment of 23 companies providing ‘truth in travel’.

The world’s largest adventure travel company, Intrepid Group, announced today that it has become the world’s largest travel B Corp, joining a growing community of businesses looking for a better bottom line.

In an era of ‘greenwashing’, Intrepid looked to a holistic and objective accreditation scheme to quantify its purpose-led business model. To become a certified B Corp, a company must submit to an independent assessment of its social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

In the UK, the company has made legal changes by amending its articles of association to include a ‘triple bottom line’ approach to business. This means that Intrepid Group’s board are required to not only make the business a success for shareholders, they also have a duty to ensure that the business has a ‘positive impact on society and the environment’.

"B Corp certification tells our travellers about the people behind the brands and provides a mark of trust that we’re committed to being a business that benefits people and the planet," Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton said.

The announcement coincided with the third anniversary of the company’s shareholder split from TUI, marking a significant achievement for the independently-owned company that was bought back by the original founders of Intrepid Travel.

"Three years ago the Intrepid Group returned to independent ownership because we no longer wanted to focus on delivering short-term quarterly profits. We wanted to invest in creating a business that would have long-term benefits for all our stakeholders," Thornton said.

With global headquarters in Melbourne and an EMEA office in London, Intrepid has more than 1,800 employees and delivered more than $341 million in revenue last year, making the independently-owned company the largest travel company globally to have achieved B Corp certification. 23 companies in the Intrepid Group were assessed, which saw the group achieve an overall score of 82.7.

Thornton said that B Corp certification fills a gap in tourism industry certification schemes by providing an independent audit of the whole business. The rigorous assessment process sets a high benchmark that highlighted opportunities for Intrepid Group to improve its benefits for workers and communities.

Intrepid has paved the way for global travel companies to engage with the sustainability movement by working with the not-for-profit B Lab for three years to create a new roadmap for medium and large travel companies to become certified B Corps.  

Intrepid joins a growing global movement of businesses looking to redefine success in business. There are now 2,595 Certified B Corporations from more than 60 countries across 150 industries, including Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Innocent Drinks, and Danone.

Kate Sandle, Head of Community at B Lab UK,  which exists to support a community of UK-based B Corps, said: "The word ‘revolution’ is overused these days – but the number and calibre of businesses that are part of this movement, committed to using business as a force for good, proves that meaningful change is underway. Being able to welcome Intrepid to the B Corp community is hugely exciting. Their commitment to doing business differently is an inspiration and we look forward to working with Intrepid to demonstrate business can be as much about people and planet as it is about profit."

The Intrepid Group is now a collection of tour operator brands including Intrepid, Urban Adventures, Adventure Tours Australia and Peregrine Adventures plus 20 destination management companies united by the vision of changing the way people see the world.

Valere Tjolle

Valere is publisher and editor of Sustainable Tourism 0.2 to be published in September