© Intrepid Travel Intrepid Travel in Nepal (Courtesy Intrepid Travel) By Mia Taylor , TravelPulse Intrepid has just become the global trave...
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By Mia Taylor, TravelPulse
Intrepid has just become the global travel industry’s largest B Corporation, a designation that recognizes only those businesses which meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance.
The designation comes nearly 30 years after the company’s founding and three years after a shareholder split. Intrepid, which already has a long track-record as a purpose-driven company, said the new certification provides the legal base for it to preserve its mission.
Some of the company’s notable efforts prior to this important certification have included offering carbon-offset trips and becoming the first global tour operator to recognize the cruelty involved with elephent riding and ending such offerings as part of its tours. Intrepid is also currently advocating for the end of orphanage tourism in the travel industry.
[post_ads]The new B Corp certification signals Intrepid’s official entry into the growing community of businesses that are focused on more than simply the bottom line in their operations.
“In an era of ‘greenwashing’ Intrepid looked to a holistic and objective accreditation scheme to quantify its purpose-led business model,” the company said in a statement. “To become a certified B Corp, a company must submit to an independent assessment of its social and environmental performance and transparency.”
“B Corp certification tells our travelers 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,” added Intrepid Group CEO James Thornton.
The announcement coincides with the third anniversary of the company’s shareholder split from TUI, marking a significant achievement for the independently-owned company, which was bought back by the original founders.
For travelers who are wondering why Intrepid becoming a B Corp matters to them, the answer is that traveling with a B Corp certified company means that your dollars help support good causes, local communities, local workers and environmental efforts focused on doing positive things for the planet.
While there are more than 100 certification schemes in the travel industry, the only one that takes a holistic view of the impact a whole business can have on people and the planet is the B Corp certification.
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In addition to B Corp businesses meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, they must also meet standards regarding public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
B Corps are a global movement of people using businesses as a force for good. Intrepid joins previously designated B Corps such as Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and Danone. There are now 2,595 Certified B Corporations from more than 60 countries across 150 industries.
“Now that we’ve got B Corp certification, our current (and future) travelers have a guarantee that we’re committed to benefitting people and the planet,” said the company in a blog on its website.
It’s a win/win/win: for the planet, the travelers who book with Intrepid and for Intrepid itself, in the form of well-deserved recognition for all the good the company has been doing.
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