Intrepid named one of World's Most Innovative companies

MARCH 2024

Fast Company has recognised Intrepid Travel with prestigious honor for its carbon labelling initiative 

Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest adventure travel company, has been named to Fast Company’s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024. The list represents the top brands driving progress around the world and across industries.  

This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations, setting new standards and achieving remarkable milestones.  

Intrepid Travel has earned the standing of No.8 in the Travel, Leisure and Hospitality category for launching its Carbon Labelling program, alongside organizations such as Hilton, Delta and Hopper. This is the fifth time the brand has received this honour, most recently in 2023 for its work in corporate social responsibility.   

“We are honoured to receive this recognition. Fast Company’s annual list is globally regarded and we hope this will further inspire other businesses to become more transparent.” said James Thornton, CEO of Intrepid Travel, “The travel industry cannot shy away from our environmental impact.” 

Intrepid Travel launched Carbon Labelling on over 500 itineraries in 2023, representing one of the industry’s most comprehensive carbon labelling initiatives to date.  

The carbon labels show the total CO2-e of the trip per traveller, per day, helping travellers better understand the environmental footprint of their travel choices and allowing them to make informed decisions.    

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is both a comprehensive look at the innovation economy and a snapshot of the business trends that defined the year,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We face daunting challenges on many fronts, but the solutions we celebrate in MIC give me plenty of hope about the future.” 

Intrepid believes carbon labelling will soon become standard practice and part of government policy, like nutrition labels in the mid-1990s.  

Since the launch, Intrepid has released a free, publicly accessible open-source guide with its carbon labelling and trip emissions methodology. The objective of this guide is to provide other travel businesses of all sizes with the technical guidance to do the same: calculate the greenhouse gas emissions generated from operating their trips, and to then transparently share this information with their customers.   

“By working together, exchanging learnings and helping each other come on the journey, we can achieve more impactful outcomes than anyone could in isolation” said Dr. Susanne Etti, Intrepid Travel’s Global Environmental Impact Manager, who was instrumental in developing the carbon labelling program.  

See the full list of honourees here: www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/list and to learn more about Intrepid’s carbon labelling and carbon management program, visit https://www.intrepidtravel.com/purpose/climate