Sustainability
Travel has an impact – we take responsibility for ours
International travel can change how people understand themselves, others, and the wider world. It can also create emissions, place pressure on the natural environment, and affect the communities that welcome travellers.
We do not pretend otherwise.
Our responsibility is to reduce the negative impacts of our work, increase the lasting benefits, and report honestly on our progress. That means designing programmes around local priorities, protecting people and nature, reducing emissions at their source, and holding ourselves accountable for what we promise.
Our commitments at a glance
65% reduction
We aim to reduce our absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2035, measured against our 2025 baseline.
30% reduction
We aim to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 30% by 2035, including emissions connected with participant travel and programme delivery.
Net Zero by 2050
We are committed to reducing emissions across Scopes 1, 2, and 3 by at least 90% by 2050, before addressing any remaining emissions through credible carbon-removal solutions.
Independently accountable
As a certified B Corporation, our social and environmental performance is independently assessed and we are required to continually review and improve our processes.
Reducing our climate impact
International travel depends heavily on aviation, and most of our participants need to fly to reach their programmes. Those emissions are part of the impact our work creates, even when we do not book the flights ourselves.
Our approach is therefore reduction first. Supporting climate projects cannot replace the need to reduce the emissions generated by our own operations, programmes and supply chain.
What we have committed to do
From 2026, using 2025 as our baseline year, we will measure and report our operational emissions and participant flight emissions annually.
Our Climate Action Plan sets out how we will:
- improve the energy efficiency of our offices and move towards renewable electricity where possible
- reduce unnecessary business travel and make greater use of virtual meetings
- use rail and other lower-carbon transport instead of short-haul flights where practical
- improve programme logistics and reduce unnecessary vehicle journeys and airport transfers
- encourage longer, more operationally efficient programmes where appropriate
- source food, materials, and services locally wherever feasible
- work with accommodation providers, transport companies, and other partners to improve environmental performance
- include climate and sustainability considerations in programme development and procurement
We will publish our progress and review our Climate Action Plan regularly as our data, operations, and understanding improve.
Climate and nature projects
Alongside reducing our own emissions, we continue to fund verified climate and nature-based projects through Ecologi. These projects can support ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, cleaner energy, and community resilience.
We report these contributions separately from reductions in our own footprint. They are an additional investment in climate action, not a substitute for cutting emissions at their source.
Participants can also use our Flight Carbon Calculator to understand the estimated emissions associated with their journey and support verified climate projects should they choose to do so.
Working with the travel industry
Projects Abroad is a signatory to the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. The declaration brings the tourism industry together behind the global ambition to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero before 2050.
Our own organisational targets, actions and progress are set out transparently in our Climate Action Plan.
Locally led, long-term impact
A programme should not be judged only by what a participant gains from it. It must also create genuine value for the people and places involved.
Our programmes are developed with local staff, community organisations, and other partners. Their knowledge and priorities shape what participants do and how programmes develop over time.
Our approach
Locally informed
We partner with people who live and work in each destination. They help identify local priorities, manage programmes, and decide how participant contributions can be most useful.
Part of something longer-term
Participants contribute to ongoing programmes rather than isolated, one-off interventions. Each group or individual builds on work carried out before them.
Designed to do no harm
We consider potential risks as well as intended benefits. Our programme standards cover safeguarding, child protection, animal welfare, and the responsible involvement of participants in community settings.
Measured beyond participant satisfaction
A positive participant experience is important, but it is not the same as positive community impact. We are improving how we measure both, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as one framework for monitoring our contribution.
Our annual Global Impact Report explains what participants have contributed, what our programmes have achieved, and where further improvement is needed.
Protecting nature and wildlife
Healthy ecosystems are essential to the communities and destinations in which we work.
Our conservation programmes support long-term initiatives such as habitat restoration, wildlife and biodiversity monitoring, environmental education and collaboration with local communities.
We also recognise that poorly designed wildlife tourism can cause harm. Our Animal Welfare Policy guides the activities and organisations we support, and we do not promote experiences that exploit animals for entertainment or unnecessary human interaction.
Putting people first
Sustainability is as much about people as it is about the environment.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is non-negotiable. We have clear child-protection procedures, staff training, appropriate background-checking processes, and routes through which participants, partners, and community members can raise concerns.
We do not support orphanage volunteering or activities that place vulnerable children at risk for the benefit of visitors.
Human rights and responsible partnerships
We are committed to respecting internationally recognised human and labour rights throughout our operations and supply chain.
Our approach is informed by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Bill of Human Rights, and the International Labour Organization’s fundamental principles and rights at work.
We review our partnerships, publish an annual internal Modern Slavery Statement, and continue to strengthen the environmental and ethical standards expected of our suppliers.
Justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion
Everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness.
We are working to create an inclusive workplace and to make our programmes more accessible to people with different backgrounds, abilities, and individual requirements. Because facilities and support vary between destinations, we encourage participants with additional requirements to speak with us before booking so we can provide clear advice and explore reasonable adjustments.
We gather feedback and workforce data to understand where barriers remain and to guide our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan.
A certified B Corporation
Projects Abroad is a certified B Corporation.
B Corp certification independently examines how a company affects its employees, customers, communities, and the environment, as well as how it is governed and held accountable.
For us, certification is not a claim that we are perfect. It provides an external framework, independent scrutiny, and a requirement to keep improving. We have also made a legal commitment to consider the interests of all stakeholders, not only our shareholders, when making decisions.
Transparency and accountability
Sustainability should be demonstrated through evidence, not simply claimed.
We publish the plans, policies, and reports listed on this page so that participants, parents, schools, partners, employees, and community members can understand how we work and judge our progress.
We will keep showing our progress
We do not measure our performance by promises alone.
We will measure our impact, publish our progress, and continue adapting our approach as the evidence improves. Where we make progress, we will report it. Where we fall short, we will say so and explain what we are doing next.
Our aim is to provide international experiences that deepen participants’ understanding of themselves, others, and the wider world while contributing to a more resilient, fair, and sustainable future.
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