JORO EXPERIENCES
Travel as a force for good Since 2019 bespoke travel company Joro Experiences has gained B Corp certification, signed up to Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, published its climate action plan and founded the Conscious Travel Foundation, educating members on the impact of travel. Focusing on high-end, exquisitely crafted journeys, the company recently devised its first flight-free trip and is becoming a carbon positive business, measuring every trip and analysing its suppliers’ carbon output.
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n 2017 Henry Comyn, Duncan Over and Justin Packshaw (pictured above) established Joro Experiences, united in their belief that travel can be a force for good, improve livelihoods and help conservation efforts across the globe, while linking into many of the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
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JUST DO IT, & DO IT NOW 1 Band together rather than trying to go it alone 2 Never abandon your principles to snare a client – the right clients will come 3 The B Corp assessment tool is free to use – just start using it
‘We were very idealistic and wanted to follow in the footsteps of giants like Journeys by Design and clothing brands like Patagonia and Finisterre for their clarity of mission,’ says Henry. The company’s stand on climate change was cemented a year later, when a client asked Joro to remove the optional carbon offset fee that it added to its trips. Joro paid the fee, terrified of losing the business. ‘I wish we’d been braver,’ says Henry, ‘because we fast decided we only wanted clients who would pay, so we made the fee mandatory and it hasn’t been questioned since.’ Each Joro itinerary is mapped, calculating the tons of carbon used and offsetting responsibly what it can’t mitigate. Many of Joro’s smaller suppliers lacked the resources to measure their carbon emissions accurately, so Joro hired an experienced consultant to do it for them and suggest improvements.
