Planet Care Pledge
Exito believes travel is essential and transformative. It is also true that travel emits heat-trapping CO2 that contributes to climate change.
While we believe the benefits of travel — to educate, inspire, conserve and connect — vastly outweigh the negative impacts, we have committed to taking concrete steps to minimize our travelers’ flight impacts on the environment as part of our journey to become an ever more sustainable and responsible organization to all our stakeholders, including our planet.
With this understanding and our desire to be an ally to the planet, Exito makes this pledge:
I. To not let ‘perfect’ be the enemy of ‘good’. While no perfect solution currently exists to make international flights emissions free, there are several good ways to minimize the negative impacts of CO2 on the environment. This will be our path.
II. To make all our direct travelers’ flights carbon neutral by investing in 3rd party certified carbon reduction projects via Sustainable Travel International.
*Direct travelers are fliers who book directly with Exito without being referred through one of our affiliate tour operators. In 2019, Exito had over 2,000 direct travelers.
III. To collaborate with partners to amplify this positive impact. We will invite our valued tour operator partners to join our Planet Care program so that together, we can offset the CO2 generated from each of their travelers’ flights booked through Exito
IV. To educate ourselves & our travelers on more ways to reduce the impact of travel which include: taking fewer trips of longer duration, substituting trains for planes when feasible, taking direct flights if possible, and building awareness and support for budding technologies such as carbon capture and removal.
V. To communicate our strides forward while always striving to achieve more. Our path to greater sustainability is a journey, not a destination. Every so often, we’ll take measure of the distance we’ve traveled, even as we keep an eye on the road ahead.
Planet Care FAQ
Q: How are CO2 emissions from travelers’ flights measured?
A: We use Grasp Technologies to measure CO2 flight emissions from Exito’s travelers. The Grasp CO2 calculation is modeled after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methodology. Further measurement details can be found here.
Q: With what CO2 offsetting organization does Exito partner?
A: We partner with Sustainable Travel International. More on STI can be found here.
Q: Into which categories do STI carbon offsets fit?
A: STI powers a variety of offset projects that benefit both people and nature, including: forests, clean energy and coastal blue carbon projects. View STI’s portfolio of carbon offset projects here.
Q: Is there independent certification and 3rd party verification of STI’s offsets?
A: Absolutely. Sustainable Travel International’s CO2 offset projects adhere to the highest international standards and are audited yearly to ensure the additionality and environmental integrity of its projects. Read about STI’s verification standards here.
