Inside Travel Group’s B Corp status ‘benefits bottom line’

Inside Travel Group hailed 2023 as its most successful year, with its B Corp certification boosting its bottom line and attracting “the right talent” to the business.

The parent of cultural adventure brands InsideJapan and InsideAsia achieved B Corp certification in May 2023 – reaching a threshold that recognises ethical businesses which “combine profit with purpose”.

It said the certification followed a “rigorous process” in which the group produced evidence of its socially and environmentally responsible practices.

The group has now issued a 2023 Impact Report to mark its inaugural year as a B Corp Certified company and document its sustainability journey.

In 2023, the group’s InsideJapan and InsideAsia brands carried almost 11,000 people to 10 destinations across Asia, generating its highest ever revenue of more than £51 million.

The company’s ‘Every Trip Offset’ policy saw 50,695 tonnes of CO2 offset, while its Giving Back commitment generated in £128,000 for its charity partners.

Sophie Walker, Inside Travel Group global head of sustainability, said the Impact Report highlights the company’s multifaceted approach to responsible travel including carbon monitoring and reduction, supporting local communities and investing in conservation projects while also its ‘Giving Back’ commitment donates 5% of annual operating profits.

“We have implemented several initiatives across the business that demonstrate our commitment to propelling environmental and social responsibility, and we’re encouraging other operators to do the same,” Walker said.

“Through our ‘Every Trip Offset’ initiative, we offset 100% of our company’s carbon footprint through projects like wind turbines in India and forest conservation in Borneo (from 2024).

“Complementing this effort, we support nature-positive projects that protect and regenerate habitats in our destinations.

“This includes a reforestation project in Malaysian Borneo, efforts to reduce human-bear conflict in the Japanese Alps, and initiatives to protect the Japanese giant salamander.

“We partner with various charities worldwide that are dedicated to helping give families in difficult circumstances a break. Our staff also volunteered 380 hours to various conservation efforts, food banks and local projects.”

Inside Travel Group co-founder Alastair Donnelly said 2023 was the group’s most successful year yet, noting that operating as a Certified B Corp has not only benefited the bottom line, but has also attracted the right talent to the business.

“Becoming a B Corp has had a positive impact across our entire business,” he said.

“Not only does it thread through everything we do in destination and at home, but it has also been extremely positive for recruitment and workplace culture too.”

Furthermore, the group’s sustainability team is set to increase from two to three members in 2025.

Donnelly said the Impact Report demonstrates “our commitment to transparency and our desire to hold ourselves accountable”.

“It showcases our values and celebrates our successes whilst being realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead of us,” he commented.

“The report brings into the open the big issues that the company and industry face.

“It has helped us in developing strategy to address the carbon impact that comes with long haul travel and the growing issues around overtourism whilst also generating new ideas for how we deliver on our mission to be a business that makes genuine positive impact.

He concluded: “We want to ensure that travel is a force for good in the world. That means taking everything that’s so great about travel – cultural experiences, new perspectives, creating shared memories – and blending it with genuine environmental and social impact.

“We’re not there yet but we believe we’re on the right path.”