We Declare A Climate Emergency
Scotland is a pretty special place – wild landscapes, brilliant wildlife and communities that make it what it is. Climate change puts all of that at risk.
We’re already seeing the signs: record-breaking temperatures, rising sea levels and biodiversity in decline. These aren’t problems we can ignore and hope they disappear.
We know we’ve got a part to play. That’s why we’re declaring a climate emergency and joining the Glasgow Declaration as a founding signatory, alongside travel businesses around the world taking action for a more sustainable future.
Scotland means a lot to us, so we want to do our bit to help protect it for the travellers, communities and wildlife that call it home.
Climate Action in Four Points
Our four-point Climate Action Plan is part of our sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right. Our plan is not marked by one quick fix, because there isn’t one; it is marked with our commitment to learn and adapt as human behaviour, technology, and innovation present new and exciting ways to decarbonise.
Measure
Measure the emissions from our business and trips.
Reduce
In 2022, we committed to reach net zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050 from a 2019 baseline year. Our net zero targets have been verified by the Science Based Target Initiative and include the following near-term and long-term targets:
Near-Term Targets:
- Reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46.2% by 2030 from a 2019 base year*
- Reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions from purchased goods and services, business travel, and use of sold products 27.5% within the same timeframe
Long-Term Target:
- Reduce absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 90% by 2050 from a 2019 base year*
*The target boundary includes land-related emissions and removals from bioenergy feedstocks
The plan will be financed via a dedicated Carbon Fund.
Restore
Invest in nature-based carbon removal solutions and conservation efforts to help support projects that can restore our planet. These projects will be funded via our TreadRight Foundation.
Evolve
Continue to learn from others, invest in new technologies and support strategic alliances that enable us and the industry to move to a low carbon economy.
Our Road to Net Zero
We’re aiming for net zero – and we’re getting stuck in. With verified carbon-reduction targets, a dedicated carbon fund for low-carbon projects, and support for carbon removal and biodiversity projects through our non-profit, The TreadRight Foundation, there’s plenty to be getting on with.
What can you do?
Travelling more sustainably doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few easy ways to lighten your footprint while exploring Scotland:
Hop on a coach
Coach travel can help cut congestion and emissions, with fewer greenhouse gas emissions per passenger than travelling by car. It’s also a handy way to see more of Scotland without adding another car to the road.
Use public transport when you can
Getting to and from the airport? Check if there’s a local bus, train or shuttle that can get you there instead of a taxi or hire car. In Edinburgh, Lothian Buses has plenty of options for getting around the city and to our Highland Explorer office.
Give veggie dishes a go
Fancy trying something different? Swapping a meat dish for a veggie or vegan option now and again can help reduce the carbon footprint of your trip. Scotland has plenty of good scran to get stuck into, so why not give something new a try?
Whenever we start a car or jump onto an airplane, we emit harmful emissions into the air, known as greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). GHGs are caused in part by the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) to keep our gas tanks full and our fossil-fuel based transportation system moving. GHGs trap heat from the sun within our atmosphere and the more GHGs that we emit into the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped – warming our planet.
A carbon footprint encompasses the total amount of carbon that was emitted into the atmosphere to provide a product or service.
HAGGiS Adventures worked with a third-party consultant to measure the carbon footprint of our tours. Here’s what we considered in scope and our responsibility to offset:
Transfers: any transportation provided as part of the tour
Meals: any included meals as part of the tour
Accommodations: all accommodations included within the tour.
We took a regional approach to measuring these emissions, to ensure regional specific emission factors were used where possible. We will review and update the carbon footprint of our tours every three years using our custom tour emission calculator.
Here’s what we considered out of scope and will not be included as part of our tour carbon footprint:
- Traveller’s air travel to and from the destination
- All pre and post services not included in the price of the tour
- Emissions produced by facilities or buildings we visit on our tours (e.g., visitor attractions). These emissions are considered the responsibility of the facility as determined by internationally accepted principles for emissions accounting.
- Meals purchased by the traveller
Science based targets are ambitious targets approved by the Science Based Target Initiative to ensure businesses reduce their emissions to limit the global temperature increase to no more than 1.5°C in order to avoid catastrophic impacts of climate change.
HAGGiS Adventures is taking several steps to reduce the carbon footprint of our tours:
We use the most fuel-efficient Euro 6 coaches, and we are assessing the use of biofuels for these coaches.
All of our premises are run on 100% renewable electricity: our shop and bus yard in Edinburgh, and our accommodation on the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness.
We work with local suppliers to continually increase the selection of the freshest local food products we use, reducing GHGs associated with transport and increasing local food security.
We have a dedicated “Green Team” who ensure we operate in a more sustainable way. Examples include switching to an accredited sustainable stationary supplier, getting bottled milk delivered to our Edinburgh office, signing up to the “Bike to Work Scheme” and installing a shower at our HQ Edinburgh office. These steps have led to us achieving a gold Green Tourism award across all our businesses.
To help restore the Caledonian Forest we have pioneered an Eco Scheme where you can make an optional £2 donation when booking any tour. We will match every £1 you donate, with proceeds going to the leading Scottish environmental charity, the Trees for Life.
In 2022, when we set our science-based targets we aligned ourselves with the Net-Zero Standard which focuses on emission reductions through direct action within our own business and supply chain. This prompted us to establish a dedicated carbon fund to finance our low-carbon transition. This means that rather than offsetting the emissions we might produce, we are investing in emissions reductions across our business.