Going Green
As one of South Africa's leading corporate travel companies, we believe that green thinking can be applied to every aspect of business travel and MICE planning. Going green is more important today than ever before. As individuals, we have a responsibility to act. As corporates, it’s even more important that we take up the green charge and lead by example.
Thompsons Travel, a subsidiary of Cullinan Holdings, is a supporter of The TreadRight Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation (TTC) family of brands, of which all Cullinan Holdings form part.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
We recognize our responsibility to leave a positive impact on the planet we call home, the people we visit, and the wildlife we find there. We manage our impact in two ways; as a business through our sustainability goals, detailed in How We Tread Right, and through our TreadRight Foundation.
Our efforts to MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® focus on:
Planet – Protecting our landscapes and natural resources through conservation and sustainable practices.
People – Ensuring that the true economic benefit of tourism is felt by local communities.
Wildlife – Protecting our world’s wildlife and advocating for ethical wildlife experiences.
Our efforts to MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® focus on:
Planet – Protecting our landscapes and natural resources through conservation and sustainable practices.
People – Ensuring that the true economic benefit of tourism is felt by local communities.
Wildlife – Protecting our world’s wildlife and advocating for ethical wildlife experiences.
HWTR + OUR 11 GOALS
Launched in 2020, How We Tread Right (HWTR) is Thompson Travel'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[SG1] , 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 Thompsons Travel 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.
Our strategy consists of 11 sustainability goals anchored to the United Nations’ Global Goals[SG1] , 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 Thompsons Travel 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
OUR ROAD TO NET ZERO:
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 validated by 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
- 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
- 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.
DEI
Thompsons Travel'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. Learn more.
Solar Powered Offices
All Thompsons Travel offices at Cullinan Holdings premises (Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg), have been fully outfitted with roof-based solar panels in order to make use of a sustainable energy resource and reduce overall electricity needs.
Zero Single-Use Plastic
Following an announcement on World Environment Day 2018 and under the guidance of TreadRight, Thompsons Travel, together with all Cullinan Holdings businesses officially instituted a ban of more than 60 types of single-use plastic items such as straws, coffee stirrers, water bottles, plastic bags, and cutlery from all offices.
We support the E-Documents Initiative, which aims to reduce the environmental footprint by producing efficient e-documents, rather than printed travel documents.