Business as a force for good
Certified B-Corp
Since 2019 we have been proud to be certified as a member of the growing B-Corp movement, using business as a way to produce positive social and environmental outcomes. As a B-Corp we are assessed on five impact areas (Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers) and over 250 questions as a part of a rigorous certification process.
We evolved our longstanding ‘Advanced Eco – Certification‘ in favour of a B-Corp standard, which is more holistic, and harder to achieve and maintain. Verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, the achievement demonstrates that RAW Travel meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability, alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value and profit. Read more about B-Corps.
Taking responsibility – Our ethos
RAW is a responsible corporate citizen and we walk the talk: we pay good wages, treat all our loyal suppliers fairly, always pay all our taxes on time (hello, big end of town!) and aim to genuinely contribute to our local community and environment, raising over $18 million for Charities since we first started.
We recognise our responsibility to continuously improve, pioneer and drive change for a better planet. The ongoing challenge is to reduce and minimise our impact footprint while taking opportunities to make a real difference with local communities. To give back and empower change, being a positive role model for a new way of doing business, where all stakeholders benefit. Read below to see examples of this in action.
B-Corp in action
Tackling Ocean Plastics
Plastic in our oceans is a growing problem and a serious threat to wildlife and our environment. We have partnered with a very effective scheme – Cleanhub – that aims to help alleviate plastic pollution at its source in one of the world’s most affected places: our neighbour Indonesia.
We have committed to removing 5000kg of ocean-bound trash each year. Plastic is collected in Indonesia, weighed and then re-used as fuel in the production of cement (which has a heavy carbon footprint). This scheme provides verified fair wages to local people in Indonesia with a grassroots solution tp prevent plastic trash ending up in water courses and the ocean, washing up on our Northern beaches. Read more about the wonderful work that Cleanhub does in Indonesia and other countries.
B-Corp in action
Tree Planting
We are planting thousands of native trees in Australia every year for every customer, contributing to local biodiversity programs and the establishment of bio-link corridors of green. As David Attenborough has said planting trees has proven to be one of the most simple and effective ways we can combat rising C02 levels and increase bio-diversity back to our planet. We have volunteer days where we plant trees ourselves with our local ‘Landcare’ group and also sponsor the growing and planting thousands of local trees each year with the Tree Project.
B-Corp in action
Women's Spirit Project
The Women’s Spirit Project is a wonderful grassroots, volunteer-led initiative that aims to inspire and empower women experiencing disadvantage to transform their lives through fitness, health and wellbeing activities in the Mornington Peninsula communities, with a focus on walking. WSP was started by Frankston MP Jodie Belyea and RAW Travel is proud to have been associated with WSP since almost the start, supporting with their events, leader training and financial sponsorship. Find out more about their work.
B-Corp in action
KIVA
RAW has been a long-term donator to KIVA micro-finance loans. Kiva helps give access to finance for communities globally who are underserved and helps them thrive. That’s a billion people who don’t have a credit card for emergencies, a debit card for easy access to their money, or a credit history to help them get a loan.
Kiva is an international nonprofit that tackles this inequality. By connecting people through crowdfunded loans, Kiva puts the power of financial inclusion in all our hands. So far over 5 million people have been given loans that can help empower them and meet their needs. Learn more about KIVA.
B-Corp in action
Fusion
RAW has been a proud supporter of FUSION, a grassroots organisation supporting youth at risk or experiencing homelessness on the Mornington Peninsula, FUSION has a proven history of over 40 years offering a living and thriving community, run by dedicated youth and community workers, supported by the active participation of local business, council, community groups and passionate individuals, motivated by the belief that all people matter. Find out more about their work
Reducing impacts
Our emissions
Our primary drive should be to always reduce our impacts as the priority, then carbon offsets can be considered for those impacts that cannot be reduced. Greenhouse gas emissions are categorised into three groups or ‘Scopes’ by the most widely-used international accounting tool, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. So in our case this equates to:
- Scope 1: Any vehicles and trains used to transport customers.
- Scope 2: The electricity we purchase for office heating/ cooling / operations / staff travel.
- Scope 3: The accommodation we use, meals purchased, luggage transfers involved to support a trip.
Reducing our travel impacts
Climate action
As part of our climate-positive commitment, we are a founding signatory of Tourism Declares a network of leading travel companies and individuals around the world coming together to declare a climate emergency.
For those of you who would like further details on which activities we measure we have a climate action page that outlines how we aim to make emissions cuts. We look to actively reduce emissions where we have control over the process or product and/or offset for emissions produced when we don’t control the source of emissions: such as with our suppliers the hotels and baggage transport companies. We estimate our carbon footprint and then pay for the carbon offsets to match these emissions. While carbon offsetting is proving far from perfect, the main aim is to reduce emissions in our operations. It is a step in the right direction; becoming aware and accountable for the travel activities that we promote.