Carbon Scoring FAQs

A WORLD FIRST…

In 2020 we created the world’s first carbon scoring framework specifically for the tailored made travel industry, which allows up to calculate the carbon footprint for every single unique holiday we provide to our clients.

This empowers our clients to make sustainably minded travel choices and allows us to champion sustainability and responsible travel.

100% Transparency

We want to be 100% transparent with you as to how we calculate this score – what factors we look at and any underlying assumptions we make – so that you can challenge us to continually improve the accuracy of our carbon-scoring framework, which we believe is the most accurate in tailor-made travel.

We established our very own watertight set of underlying assumptions which stand up to scrutiny at the most granular level. Read on to learn more about how and what we measured to empower you, our clients, to make more sustainably minded choices when travelling.

FAQs

What did we measure?

Our study measures the emissions factor for elements of a trip that are purchased directly from Far & Wild. Any additional activity or services undertaken by our customers outside of the package we create are not included. We included as part of our measurements:

Accommodation (including meals)
Activities (purchased at time of booking)
International and internal flights
Transfers, self-driving tours
Guide accommodation and meals if on a guided tour
Far & Wild office emissions

How did we measure?

We sent out a specific survey to our suppliers asking detailed questions relating to their business and operations, ranging from power and utility consumption, occupancy levels, location, duration of activities… in fact the survey we sent out to our accommodation suppliers is nearly 50 questions in length.

Our broad supplier chain, included accommodation and activity providers as well as airline companies. Data provided directly from our suppliers is analysed and through a series of calculations, we can produce an accurate carbon footprint score for their businesses.

Assumptions made; how, when and why?

Accommodation assumptions

From our specific accommodation supplier survey we measured a wide ranger of factors including power source and usage, facility usages and occupancy levels. We even took into consideration property size, type and location. Unfortunately it would be impossible to measure absolutely everything so we have made the following assumptions:

We gathered data which produced a carbon footprint score for one night, based on a double occupancy room with an occupancy level of 1.9 people per room. This is an average Far and Wild occupancy level.
50% of emissions come from general spaces in accommodation and 50% from bedrooms and therefore this study assumes the data provided includes total emissions required to operate a room for 1 night.
If a property has AC, heated swimming pools and does not outsource laundry services, these are also included in emissions calculations.
For safari lodges and camps, it is assumed 2 game drives are included per 1-night stay.
Food production - an average score is used for the CO2e factor for each meal provided per person.

Activity assumptions

Any activities not booked and offered directly by Far & Wild are not included.
Only activities that we book which consume any gas, electricity or provide meals are in measured.
Activities such as guided walks which are considered carbon neutral are not measured.

Flights - international and local

The study uses the DEFRA standards and assumptions to calculate emissions from international flights.
Some airlines are more efficient than others – however this doesn’t taken into consideration at this time.
The distances travelled are calculated using a recognised air miles calculator.
For local and internal flights not serviced by main airline routes such as private or light aircraft, an assumption was made that the aircraft typically used is the 9-seater Cessna Caravan 208 as this is the most popular option.

Transfers, Self-driving and guided holidays

There were several detailed considerations here, including:

Transfers will be calculated per vehicle unless the vehicle is used on a shared basis, in which case the carbon footprint will be measured per seat.
Private transfers assume a return journey due to vehicle needing to be returned to the pick-up location.
Emissions will be calculated from distances travelled (km) will be based on the ‘fastest route’ available.
With hosted and guided tours, it is assumed that guides have full board each day (3x meals) and the country averages for kg CO2e will be used per night to calculate the total emissions for the guide.

If you would like to get into the nitty-gritty about how we conducted the survey and the assumptions made, please don’t hesitate to contact us – [email protected]

What makes a property sustainable?

There are a myriad of ways in which a safari lodge, camp or hotel can be considered sustainably minded, from reducing the amount of energy utilised on a daily basis, the way in which they source food and other products for their guests to actively working with local community projects. We consider a sustainable property to be one that has a carbon footprint score less than the regional and national averages for their location and that is investing in community or sustainability projects.

What happened if a hotel didn’t complete the survey?

There’s a simple answer with complex calculations behind it. We’ve taken into consideration the location of the property and used national averages of their country to calculate their carbon footprint with relevant industry averages provided by DEFRA. This has been used to give the hotel a score. In due course, we hope that every hotel will complete our survey to get the most accurate score.

What is the main cause of carbon emissions for a holiday?

This depends on your destination but for the majority it the flights which produce the most carbon emissions.

Whenever possible, taking a direct flight is more sustainable, than a longer route with a stop.

Fact - an aircraft's fuel consumption is much higher during take off and landing than when it's cruising at high altitudes.

If a safari lodge, camp or hotel is working sustainably and offsetting their carbon footprint, is this taken into consideration?

Yes, most certainly. If a property has as close to zero a carbon footprint score, or even being climate positive, we want to know so we can champion their efforts.

Are there ways to offset the carbon footprint of my holiday?

Definitely, we work with a fantastic partner called C-Level who have a ranger of carbon-offsetting projects and we offer all of our clients the chance to offset their holidays carbon score.

I want to travel more sustainably – how can I do this?

There’s lots of ways, including:

Being mindful of your flights – flying direct when possible as well as looking at which airlines are more sustainable than others.
Carefully considering which places you stay and if they have any sustainability or responsible travel initiatives in place.
Being water considerate and conscious.
Eating and drinking locally sourced and produced food and drinks.
Travel light - take only what you need and don't over pack.
Consider taking one longer holiday rather than two shorter holidays to reduce your flights.

That’s just a small selection – read more on how to travel sustainably here

Reporting Period

The study was conducted in 2020 but has been designed to improve year on year alongside the improvement in the quality and quantity of data. Suppliers such as hotels, have the opportunity to update their survey responses year on year, with changes they have made to their operations to improve sustainability, therefore improving their sustainability credentials.

Feedback

A review process is in place to make sure that improvements can be made based on new research and user feedback. If improvements can be made to increase the accuracy as well as the user process, these changes will be actioned on an ongoing basis. Please email [email protected] with any comments.