The Interview
James Thornton, Intrepid Travel
The adventure operator’s chief executive is
proud that a commitment to sustainability is no barrier to profit growth. Lucy Huxley reports
J 14
ames Thornton, the chief executive of Intrepid Travel, was previously a private client asset manager,
whose job was basically “to make rich people richer”. “That sucks as a way to live your
life,” he says. “I looked at the two things I loved – football and travel – and since I wasn’t good enough to play for Tottenham, I joined Intrepid instead.” Intrepid’s 30-year history in
sustainability was a big draw for Thornton – a Brit, who now lives in Australia. “Everybody is talking about it, but the fact we have 30 years behind us, is important,” he says. “We don’t just say we’re strong on
sustainability and purpose, we have independent verification of it.” In 2002, it founded the Intrepid
Foundation, and has since raised over AU$8 million (£4.1 million) for more than 70 NGOs, including AU$1.5 million last year alone. Then in 2005, when the
company’s founders read Professor Tim Flannery’s 2005 book The Weather Makers, and watched Al
6 FEBRUARY 2020
Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, they decided to create a company that took seriously the challenges to the planet posed by travellers. In 2008, Intrepid became a
signatory to the UN’s Global Compact in 2008. In 2010, it became carbon neutral. In 2014, it set out its stall as a
purpose-led operator, becoming the first to ban elephant riding and subsequently child orphanage visits. In 2017, Intrepid signed up to the
UNGC’s Women’s Empowerment Principles. And in 2018, it became the world’s largest travel business to achieve B Corp certification, joining the likes of Innocent Smoothies, outdoor clothing company Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s and The Body Shop. Just last month, as fires ravaged
large parts of Australia, Intrepid became the first Australian company to sign up to the ‘Tourism Declares Climate Emergency’ initiative, based in Britain. The grass-roots movement offers like-minded tourism operators a platform to band together and swap strategies on ensuring their tourism practices are as sustainable as
possible, short of not travelling at all. To join, companies must agree
to continue to cut their tourism company’s carbon emissions and to advocate for change – including supporting urgent regulatory action to accelerate the transition towards zero carbon air travel.
Climate pledge “What we are essentially saying through this public declaration is that if we don’t have a healthy planet, we don’t have a travel industry,” says Thornton. “We know the travel industry
contributes around 8% to total world carbon emissions. And we are agreeing, as signatories, that we want to help contain that figure.”
Intrepid has promised to offset 125% of its emissions by the end of this year, and has set itself the goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy in its offices by 2025, and on its trips by 2030. Thornton believes such actions and credentials distinguish it as the leader in sustainable, experience-rich travel. “There’s no doubt it’s a tricky time
to be in tourism and no one has the answers to the many questions that keep arising,” he says. “But if we don’t act now, there will be no travel in future – no reefs, no beaches, no ski fields worth travelling to. Many of our prime tourism spots will be under water, melted or on fire.” He continued: “The industry is starting to catch up – and not
If we don’t act now, there will be no travel in future – no reefs, no beaches, no ski fields
worth travelling to. Many of our prime tourism spots will be under water, melted or on fire
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