In our commitment to environmental sustainability, we recognise the critical importance of prioritiszing carbon reduction. Our strategy focuses on minimising carbon emissions through a comprehensive reduction plan, complemented by additional initiatives that support carbon sequestration and broader environmental benefits.  

Currently, our business emissions stand at 415 tonnes of CO2e and we are dedicated to reducing this footprint.

Our Approach

We emphasise carbon reduction as our primary goal, ensuring that any carbon sequestration activities complement our core strategy. We understand that simply compensating for emissions is not enough to address the climate crisis, so we focus on: 

1. Implementing Carbon Reduction Strategies:

• 1) Changing how our team works, so our employee emissions decrease yearly. 
  2) Improving trip design and finding the best suppliers to reduce trip emissions. 
  3) Making it easier for customers to travel on trips on low-carbon forms of transport

2. Supporting Carbon Sequestration Projects:

• Engaging in projects that not only sequester carbon but also provide ecological and community benefits.
• Partnering with Forest Carbon, an organization renowned for its trustworthiness and impactful environmental projects. 

Project Selection

When it comes to doing the right thing, there are many options out there, but we want something that we trust, believe in and know has additional positive impacts outside of pure carbon sequestration. So, we decided to go with the excellent Forest Carbon. Each year, we will review this to keep them on their toes and make sure they are improving the quality of what they do to make sure our money has as positive an impact as possible.  

Forest Carbon is a leading organization dedicated to creating and managing projects that focus on restoring ecosystems and enhancing biodiversity through carbon sequestration. By partnering with landowners and stakeholders, Forest Carbon develops initiatives that capture carbon and deliver significant ecological and social benefits. Their projects, such as peatland restoration and mixed forest planting, are carefully selected and monitored to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. Committed to transparency and quality, Forest Carbon ensures that their efforts contribute positively to the environment while supporting local communities. With a focus on credible, high-impact projects, they play a crucial role in the fight against climate change by helping reduce atmospheric carbon levels and fostering resilient ecosystems. 

When choosing initiatives to support, we prioritize those with additional positive impacts beyond carbon sequestration. We have selected two notable projects: 

Cùl Mòr Peatland Restoration

Location: Scottish Highlands
Cost: £27.50 per tonne
Benefits: This project restores vital peatlands, which are essential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality improvement. With a 100-year duration and vintages over the first 55 years, it ensures sustained benefits.
Why We Chose It: We trust Forest Carbon’s approach and believe in the ecological and community benefits of peatland restoration. This effort goes beyond carbon sequestration, contributing to environmental restoration and enhancement. 

Acheilidh (Rogart) Mixed Forest

Location: Scottish Highlands
Cost: £25.00 per tonne
Project Duration: 35 years
Benefits: This project involves planting a mixed forest predominantly of Scots Pine. It not only sequesters carbon but also enhances local biodiversity, provides habitat for wildlife, and supports soil and water conservation.
Why We Chose It: The Acheilidh project offers a cost-effective approach with significant additional environmental benefits. Its shorter duration compared to the peatland project allows for quicker evaluation and impact assessment, complementing our carbon reduction efforts.

Each year, we will review which projects and organisations we support so that our money is having the most impact as best practice evolves.

Monitoring and Review

To ensure the continued quality and impact of our chosen projects, we commit to an annual review process: 

• Continuous Improvement: We will work closely with Forest Carbon to ensure that the projects are meeting high standards and that our investments yield the maximum possible environmental benefit. 
• Transparency and Accountability: We will regularly update our stakeholders on the progress and impact of our initiatives, fostering transparency and trust.

Conclusion

Our carbon action plan represents a holistic approach to sustainability, combining rigorous carbon reduction strategies with complementary support of projects like peatland restoration and mixed forest planting. By focusing on trusted partners and initiatives with wide-ranging benefits, we are confident in our ability to contribute positively to the environment and the communities we serve. Through these efforts, we aim to not only address our current Business emissions of 415 tonnes CO2e but also enhance our overall environmental impact.