Founded in 1996, Audley is the UK market leader in tailor- made travel. Since 3i invested it has made significant progress in developing its approach to sustainability.

Progress on material topics

GHG emissions reduction

Audley has taken steps to assess and reduce its corporate carbon footprint over many years, for example by moving all offices to renewable energy tariffs, reducing energy consumption, and installing electric car charging points and solar panels at its headquarters.

As a result the company was able to deliver a c.50% reduction in Scope 1 and c.83% reduction in Scope 2 emissions between 2019 and 2022.

In 2022 Audley measured its Scope 3 emissions associated with client trips, including an assessment of the total distance travelled and hotel stays in each location.

Audley has used this data to identify ways to reduce its Scope 3 intensity, and has set a goal to reduce the carbon footprint of its trips on a per person per day basis. It intends to achieve this by working with local partners to identify changes including the use of more electric vehicles for transfers, and supporting accommodation and cruise providers to explore ways to reduce their emissions. Audley also continues to engage with its airline partners on their emissions reduction plans.

Audley submitted a commitment letter to the SBTi at the end of 2022. It has been awarded the silver World Responsible Tourism award for ‘Decarbonising Travel and Tourism’ in acknowledgement of its efforts to date.

Responsible travel

Audley appointed a dedicated Responsible Travel and Sustainability Manager in 2019. When creating experiences, the company prefers to work with local partners where possible and offer small boutique hotels and unique local tours, leaving much-needed income within destination countries.

In addition to focusing on local experiences, Audley has taken further steps to identify experiences and accommodation that put a purposeful focus on supporting local businesses, educating staff, challenging local norms or promoting conservation and biodiversity efforts.

Any experience identified must be leading the way in the community, not just meeting a local minimum standard. By clearly identifying these accommodations and tour options, Audley can offer clients sustainable choices and allow them to make a positive contribution to the local environment or local community as part of their trip. In 2022 over 100 experiences were highlighted and Audley plans to identify at least 100 more in 2023.