In a recent survey conducted by TTG, 73% of travel agent respondents stated their customers are interested in sustainability, yet the same percentage reported having difficulty sourcing sustainable suppliers – and revealed they are only able to recommend one or two more responsible travel companies to their customers.
Aiming to combat this hurdle, Richard Hammond, travel writer and founder of Green Traveller, recently led the second workshop in this year’s TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes programme, which focuses on how to identify some of those do-good suppliers so the 20 agents taking the training can begin supporting and promoting them to clients. From minimising the impact on the environment to providing economic empowerment and cultural conservation in different destinations, there are a number of trailblazing travel companies creating better places for people to live, as well as to visit.
Read on to discover several ways to seek out these sustainable suppliers.
Tip 1: Ask the right questions
One of the simplest ways agents can find out about how suppliers operate is to just ask. Key questions Hammond mentioned cover a variety of subjects, including how they run their day-to-day office. Following the advice given in the first TTG Sustainable Travel Heroes workshop of 2026 around how travel agents reduce their carbon emissions, agents can ask suppliers the same – for example, questions about their utilities (energy, waste and water), and also working conditions.
Other questions to ask can centre around the impact they have on the environment (decarbonisation and waste management), the local community, and animal welfare. Finally, agents can also query how the supplier influences their supply chain, and how exactly they communicate and demonstrate to their customers that they are doing all these important things.
Leading by example: Intrepid Travel
A champion in low-impact transit, Intrepid has completely removed flights of 90 minutes or less from its itineraries, replacing them with alternative overland options like rail or coaches where possible. The operator also carbon labels all of its trips, so your clients can see in an instant the impact their tour will have. Intrepid is also a certified B Corp company.
Tip 2: Be aware of greenwashing (and greenhushing)
Regulatory bodies, such as the EU Green Claims Initiative and the Advertising Standards Authority, are clamping down on vague, ambiguous terms like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘planet-friendly’ being used by companies without qualifying it. Agents should still look out for those suppliers ‘riding the green wave’ – particularly around carbon, recycling, local community impact and animal welfare. Any valid company should be reporting on their work in the field, backing up any claims with key performance indicators (KPIs).
Conversely, ‘greenhushing’ occurs when excellent, sustainable companies stay quiet out of fear of being falsely accused of greenwashing. Agents, again, can directly ask questions to find out the truth, with Hammond saying some of the companies doing the best work often don’t shout about it.
Tip 3: Check the credentials
Agents can also check the credibility of a company through recognised and trusted third-party benchmarks, such as Travellife and B Corp.
Travel by B Corp is a collection of UK travel companies with B Corp status, and these all require regular recertification every few years to prove they are maintaining their standards. “B Corp is good for the planet, not just the people, and is also a legally binding certification," Hammond says. "It’s definitely worth looking at those certified companies.”
The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and Travalyst approved labels are also worth keeping an eye out for, as they provide stamps of approval for certification bodies.
Leading by example: Iberostar Hotels & Resorts
Accommodation and food are bigger contributors to carbon emissions than most people know, and Iberostar is tackling this head-on via its Wave of Change movement. The company is transparent on its sustainability strategy and assesses all of its emissions, both directly and indirectly, through carbon emission scopes (1, 2 and 3). This includes targeting infrastructure and food waste, alongside partnering with local communities.
Visit the TTG Iberostar Selling Guide
Tip 4: Explore low-impact transport
With the deregulation of rail travel in Europe, independent rail companies are setting up shop, bringing more competition and therefore, lower prices. It’s the ideal time to encourage your clients to consider swapping flying with affordable rail transport. Alongside rail networks, coach operators are also beginning to dominate the market.
But where flights are essential, how can the impact be minimised? “There are lots of factors to consider as not all flights are the same,” stresses Hammond. Using tools linked to the Travalyst data hub, agents can evaluate the carbon emissions of flights through factors such as the age of the aircraft, class of travel, route and type of fuel.
Tip 5: Don’t discount beach holiday providers
Sustainable holidays are often linked with adventure travel operators; however, there are simple package holidays – offered by mass-market companies, such as beach resorts – making strides to become more sustainable.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals provide 17 key focus areas that suppliers use to showcase where they are taking action, from ensuring local people benefit to managing animal welfare. Hammond highlighted how mass operators like easyJet tag specific indicators on their websites.
“The good thing about this is it's very specific on which [goal] is being addressed,” said Hammond. “So at a glance you can tell how a supplier is taking action – it’s a very useful device.”
