Selected Region
South Africa
Selected Region
South Africa
Our 5-year sustainability strategy
How We Tread Right
To show our commitment to making travel a force for good, we published our How We Tread Right (HWTR) 5-year sustainability strategy in 2020.
This laid the foundation and established our roadmap for Trafalgar's sustainable development alongside our sister brands, with support from our not-for-profit organisation, the TreadRight Foundation. Our HWTR goals were developed to positively impact specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and align with our commitment to wildlife, people, and our planet.
In 2024, we published our third Impact Report, sharing the progress we've made and the positive steps we’re taking toward climate action; sustainable food production; responsible consumption; travel experiences; diversity, equity and inclusion; and animal welfare.
Our HWTR goals and 2025 commitment
Goal 1
Climate Action
Reach net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050 from a 2019 baseline year
Goal 2
Climate Action
Source 50% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
Goal 3
Sustainable Food Production
Reduce food waste by 50% across our ships by 2025.
Goal 4
Sustainable Food Production
Increase use of local and organic products in our supply chain by 2025.
Goal 5
Responsible Consumption
Reduce printed brochures by 50% by 2025.
Goal 6
Responsible Consumption
Eliminate as many unnecessary single-use plastics from our operations and itineraries
Goal 7
Overtourism
Have at least one MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience included or available as an optional experience on all land tours by 2023.
Goal 8
Overtourism
Achieve a 20% increase of itineraries visiting developing regions by specialist brands by 2025.
Goal 9
Our Culture
Increase employee and market sentiment regarding diversity and inclusion across our brands
Goal 10
Our Culture
Complete 30,000 volunteer hours by 2025.
Goal 11
Animal Welfare
Ensure all wildlife experiences adhere to our Animal Welfare Policy.
Goal 1
Goal 1
Climate Action
Trafalgar invests in decarbonization in two ways:
- Through our internal Carbon Fund which will help us transition our business to low-carbon solutions.
- Prioritising nature-based solutions and conservation efforts that protect biodiversity and restore the planet through our TreadRight Foundation.
In 2023, alongside its sister brands, we:
- Invested $1.8 million from our Carbon Fund into 13 decarbonization projects.
- Took an industry-first stance in saying ‘no to more stuff’, replacing branded merchandise with donations to nature-based solutions.
Read our climate emergency declaration and our Climate Action Plan.
Goal 2
Goal 2
Climate Action
Trafalgar continues to encourage and educate third party suppliers on shifting to alternate renewable energy sources.
In 2023, alongside our sister brands, we:
- Installed solar panels at our offices in Sydney, Australia.
- Saw our coach supplier (Atlas Reizen) switch their office and depot in Stellendam, Netherlands to 100% renewable electricity.
Goal 3
Goal 3
Sustainable Food Production
Trafalgar, alongside its sister brands, educates third party suppliers such as restaurants and experiences on food waste reduction and sustainable tourism.
Goal 4
Goal 4
Sustainable Food Production
In 2023, we offered 1 local dining experience on 97% of our Trafalgar itineraries, where key ingredients are sourced within a 30–50-mile radius.
Goal 5
Goal 5
Responsible Consumption
Alongside its sister brand Costsaver, Trafalgar reduced printed brochures by 87% from a 2019 baseline.
Goal 6
Goal 6
Responsible Consumption
From 2023, single-use plastic water bottles are banned from being sold on our Trafalgar coaches except in areas where water isn’t potable. All travelers are advised to bring reusable water bottles where potable water is available, and our Tour Directors identify safe water refill points along each tour.
In addition, Trafalgar alongside our sister brands, said ‘no to more stuff’ and no longer purchases merchandise designed to be given away. In its place are donations to nature-based solutions projects, which will help remove a further 1.5 million car-driven miles worth of carbon emissions from the atmosphere by December 2024.
Goal 7
Goal 7
Overtourism
In 2023, Trafalgar offered 168 MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences across 96% of its itineraries.
Goal 8
Goal 8
Overtourism
In order to qualify a region as a “developing region”, the following must be true:
- The brand has not visited the region in 2019
- An overnight stay in the region is included in the itinerary
- The region features no more than 2 sites that suffer from congestion during peak season (ie. long queues that degrade the tourist experience)
- The region is considered a secondary or (preferred) tertiary city or “spoke” to a tourism hub.
Across our portfolio of brands, we’ve increased the number of itineraries visiting developing regions by 86%, meaning we have already surpassed our 2025 goal.
Goal 9
Goal 9
Our Culture
Alongside our sister brands, Trafalgar continued to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in 2023. We:
- Enhanced employment opportunities for underrepresented communities by using inclusive recruitment technologies, such as self-identification features in hiring applications, enabling targeted outreach and ensuring access to marginalized groups.
- Continued partnering with educational programs focused on diversity, such as Code First Girls (CFG), which has enabled us to bridge gender gaps amongst our tech teams.
- Built upon our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) training, which is used throughout our organizational hierarchy and mandatory for new starters.
Learn more about our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
Goal 10
Goal 10
Our Culture
Our team is encouraged to volunteer throughout the year, with all employees provided with two paid volunteer days per annum. In 2023, alongside our sister brands, we achieved 10,862 volunteer hours - reaching 83% of our 2025 goal.
Goal 11
Goal 11
Animal Welfare
100% of our wildlife experiences included on all trips adhere to the TTC Animal Welfare policy and in 2023, we completed our most recent audit, reviewing more than 600 wildlife experiences across our brands to ensure compliance.
