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Joining a growing community of socially responsible businesses focused on being a ‘force for good’.

Bespoke tour operator Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ announces its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp), joining a growing group of businesses focusing their operations on purpose as well as profit. Audley’s certification represents the tour operator’s achievement in meeting rigorous social and environmental standards* across its entire business within five key impact areas of governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

Heather Heverling, President and Managing Director at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼, says: “B Corp Certification is incredibly well-respected and reflects our long-term commitment to ensuring our entire business operates ethically and with the preservation and restoration of the communities our clients visit at its core. Responsible travel has always been part of Audley’s DNA, therefore we haven’t had to alter our business or strategy to achieve B Corp Certification — instead our journey has led us here naturally.

“In 2007, we began carbon offsetting all staff flights, with clients having the option to offset from 2009. In 2019 we formalized our commitment to further improving Audley’s social and environmental performance with the appointment of our Responsible Travel and Sustainability Manager. Our inaugural sustainability report followed in 2020, and in 2021 we launched the Audley Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Framework and appointed a Chief Sustainability Officer to drive this forward, enhancing our ESG credentials and strategy. Our ongoing efforts were rewarded first in 2020 with our status as a Travelife Partner before focusing on the global, multi-industry B Corp Certification.”

Key impact areas

Audley met the B Corp measurement criteria by demonstrating activities in different areas, with stand-out examples including:

• Audley’s Insight initiative uses the knowledge of employees and suppliers to support young people exploring career opportunities in the travel industry. Audley has worked with 112 students from populations historically underrepresented in the industry (in the UK and the US).
• Working closely with Charities Aid Foundation America, Audley’s Travel for Good Fund allows clients and employees to make donations quickly and easily to Audley-backed charities that support the destinations clients visit.
• Audley monitors and records greenhouse gas emissions and has committed to the Science-Based Targets initiative. Emissions of scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gases have been reduced by more than half since 2019 by implementing efficiency improvements including reduced office space and a flexible working policy, moving servers to cloud storage and switching offices to renewable energy tariffs alongside already installed solar panels.

The B Corp community

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ is now part of a community of over 6,900 businesses globally that have certified as a B Corp. The B Corp community in the US, representing a broad cross section of industries and sizes, comprises over 2,200 companies and Audley joins only 20 other travel businesses with the prestigious status.

Heather Heverling concludes: “We are delighted to join other US B-Corp businesses, especially those in the travel sector, and be part of a small group that is collectively pulling forward toward progress in this essential area. We believe this is a journey that all travel businesses should take and we are more than happy to share our insights and experiences with operators keen to apply for the certification.”

Notes to editors:

*The B-Corp Certification process (managed by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement) is rigorous, with applicants required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency. To complete the certification, the company will legally embed their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles.