Big Red Group and Schneider Electric partner for tourism industry decarbonisation

Big Red Group and Schneider Electric have partnered to accelerate decarbonisation in the tourism experiences industry, with a focus on promoting sustainability and responsible tourism operations.

Schneider Electric is a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation while Big Red Group is Australia and New Zealand’s largest experience network.

Big Red Group is committed to a near-term target of 42% reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040 from a 2022 baseline year.

The collaboration targets supply chain emissions, emphasising the broader experience industry's role in achieving environmentally responsible tourism in Australia and New Zealand.

Big Red Group, which includes experience platforms Adrenaline, Experience Oz, Everything NZ, and RedBalloon, is committed to promoting sustainable and responsible tourism operators across their 14,000+ experiences to help travellers choose authentic operators committed to sustainability.

The company engaged Schneider Electric to create a roadmap to decarbonisation of its operations and its value chain – across Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. This is in line with the latest climate science for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, which will set emissions reduction commitments on the right trajectory, ensuring Big Red Group is contributing to the aversion of the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

The roadmap enabled Big Red Group to set a science-based decarbonisation target across its full emissions footprint, which has been verified by the Science-based Targets Initiative (SBTi), the gold standard in climate science-aligned target frameworks.

Big Red Group recognises the challenge of decarbonising, more so as Scope 3 emissions, specifically goods and services including those purchased from experience operators in its network, account for 99% of its overall GHG emissions footprint. Big Red Group engaged Schneider Electric to develop a supplier engagement plan that sees Big Red Group progressively engage and enable.

Chief Sustainability Officer at Big Red Group, Jemma Fastnedge notes “Big Red Group is committed to taking proactive steps to reduce its environmental footprint and contribute to a greener, more responsible, and thriving experiences sector in Australia and New Zealand.

“Transparency and collaboration are essential to reducing Scope 3 emissions, and we know that success will depend upon our ability to bring the entire industry together. By partnering with Schneider Electric, we are well-positioned to address the complex issue of reducing Scope 3 emissions throughout our network of experience operators and agents. Our collaboration with Schneider Electric will reduce our own environmental impact and support others to join us on this important path towards responsible tourism.”

Together with Schneider Electric, Big Red Group has been piloting a decarbonisation engagement plan with suppliers and will leverage learnings and insights to continue to expand the program to encompass its full network of suppliers.

Michael Cox, Schneider Electric’s Director of Sustainability Consulting APAC added “We respect Big Red Group’s unwavering commitment toward responsible tourism. Sustainability is becoming a business imperative across tours, activities, and experiences as travellers become more aware of their environmental footprint and seek more responsible and sustainable experiences.

“We are excited to contribute to Big Red Group’s commitment and action to drive environmental sustainability throughout its supply chain. The outcomes that we’re supporting Big Red Group to deliver represent a significant step forward in making tourism in Australia and New Zealand more eco-conscious, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on the industry and environment.”

 For more information on Schneider Electric’s sustainability services, visit www.se.com/au/en/

More information on Big Red Group