Big Red Group and Schneider Electric — both focusing on promoting sustainability and responsible tourism operations — have entered a partnership to accelerate decarbonisation in the travel experiences industry.
The collaboration targets supply chain emissions, emphasising the broader experience industry’s role in achieving environmentally responsible tourism in Australia and New Zealand.
As part of its engagement, Schneider Electric also worked with Big Red Group to develop a comprehensive decarbonisation roadmap to reduce its own operational emissions.
The company engaged Schneider Electric to create a roadmap to decarbonisation of its operations and its value chain – across Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
This is in line with the latest climate science for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, which will set emissions reduction commitments on the right trajectory, ensuring Big Red Group is contributing to the aversion of the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
Big Red Group Chief Sustainability Officer said: “Transparency and collaboration are essential to reducing Scope 3 emissions, and we know that success will depend upon our ability to bring the entire industry together.
“By partnering with Schneider Electric, we are well-positioned to address the complex issue of reducing Scope 3 emissions throughout our network of experience operators and agents.
“Our collaboration with Schneider Electric will reduce our own environmental impact and support others to join us on this important path towards responsible tourism.”
The roadmap enabled Big Red Group to set a science-based decarbonisation target across its full emissions footprint, which has been verified by the Science-based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the gold standard in climate science-aligned target frameworks.
Big Red Group is committed to a near-term target of 42 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040 from a 2022 baseline year.
Together with Schneider Electric, Big Red Group has been piloting a decarbonisation engagement plan with suppliers and will leverage learnings and insights to continue to expand the program to encompass its full network of suppliers.
Schneider Electric Direct of Sustainability Consulting APAC Michael Cox said: “Sustainability is becoming a business imperative across tours, activities, and experiences as travellers become more aware of their environmental footprint and seek more responsible and sustainable experiences.
“The outcomes that we’re supporting Big Red Group to deliver represent a significant step forward in making tourism in Australia and New Zealand more eco-conscious, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on the industry and environment.”
