WORK AND TRAVEL SUSTAINABLY TO LEAVE YOUR
LEGACY
Sustainability is
in our DNA
At Gray Dawes, our mission is to ensure that everything we do is great for you, your company, our employees, the business travel industry and, of course, the planet.
But “sustainability” is far more than just shorthand for “reducing CO2” – it’s an all-encompassing philosophy which covers the protection of the natural environment, the flourishing of local communities, and our role in empowering our employees.
THE 3 PILLARS OF LEGACY
The Gray Dawes Sustainability Initiative
Client Travel Sustainability
We strive to help our clients minimise the impact on the environment of their travel programmes, supporting them and our suppliers to achieve their sustainability goals, through smart analysis and modal shifts in travel thinking.
Our Business Sustainability
From actively reducing our own carbon footprint to engaging with local communities, we are committed to making a positive impact on the environment and society by operating to best business practices.
Social & Staff Empowerment
To be an employer of choice, a place where people want to work and are encouraged to be their best self; to be a pillar of the communities we serve and to support our local environements, charities and causes.
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Sustainability is extremely close to our hearts here at Gray Dawes, a family owned business since 1927.
Such is our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, our owners – the Inchcape family – have converted nearly 500 acres of land on their Glenapp Estate in Ayrshire, Scotland, to permanent woodland creation. Occupying an area the size of almost 300 football pitches, the project is an even mix of native broadleaf trees and commercial conifers; the scheme will help both enhance biodiversity and provide shelter for livestock. It will also produce much needed domestically grown timber.
Using the Woodland Carbon Code Calculator, it is estimated that over the 75 year lifespan, the project will sequester 42,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This exciting project at Glenapp Estate is just one of the many projects Gray Dawes clients can choose to support as their LEGACY carbon offsetting programme.
Client Travel Sustainability
Every client’s travel policy is unique and sustainability initiatives should reflect that. Through our award-winning suite of travel technology, in-depth reporting, and a chosen carbon offsetting programme powered by Forest Carbon, we can help your organisation reach their green goals with a REPORT, REDUCE, REMOVE model.
REPORT
Keep Track of Your Carbon with Our Data Dashboards.
At the touch of a button, you can see exactly what your company’s carbon footprint is, via our intuitive YourData online reporting tool.
Individual carbon totals are presented for each element of your business travel, including flights, hotels, trains and everything in between.
The Carbon Dashboard takes into account the mode, type and class of transport too, based on the booking, to accurately calculate the CO2 figure used by Forest Carbon in your chosen LEGACY programme.
REDUCE
Offset your entire business travel carbon emissions automatically through LEGACY.
Through our award-winning travel technology and the support of our business travel experts, Gray Dawes allows you to offset the CO2 of your trip through various LEGACY programmes.
From your travel bookings data, we’ll calculate your carbon emissions using the DEFRA model and transfer the numbers (anonymously) to our partners, Forest Carbon. They will turn that data into Carbon Credits – approximately 1 tonne of CO2 emissions equates to 1 carbon credit.
Your carbon credits are then invested in sustainability projects either in the UK or abroad. For example, 1 carbon credit will mean between 4-12 trees or 50-100 square metres of peatland restoration.
We also encourage clients to consider a modal shift in their travel programmes; opting for rail over air, for instance.
REMOVE
Woodland creation, peatland restoration, and international projects.
While a short-term carbon credit issuance concerns ownership, new woodland and peatland restoration projects represent future carbon savings. These projects offer long-term domestic investments of carbon offsetting as the carbon credit created won’t mature until the trees have grown – typically between year 15 to the end of the project lifespan which, on average, is around 65 years.
Furthermore, LEGACY supports international projects of older, more mature woodland and peatland restoration projects (which are already returning a measurable carbon capture sequestration) along with international renewable energy projects. The carbon claim or carbon saving is in the recent past. As a result, they can provide a true, current carbon offsetting measurement for your organisation.
We also work closely with airline suppliers in support of individual SAF (sustainable aviation fuel) progammes.
NEW UK WOODLANDS
TREES PLANTED
TOTAL ACRES
CO2 TONNES CAPTURED
%
ALL UK WOODLAND
Our Sustainability Partners
Forest Carbon leads the way in developing woodland creation and peatland restoration projects for carbon capture and ecosystem services. Through the planting of over 9.5 million new trees in 200+ new woodlands in the UK since 2006 our partners’ projects are removing over 2.000,000 tonnes of CO2 from the global atmosphere, as well as providing a host of other benefits to society, including flood mitigation, river improvement and public access.
The quality of Forest Carbon’s schemes is assured by the UK government’s Woodland Carbon Code and the IUCN’s Peatland Code, both of which certify our projects in important areas like biodiversity, ‘additionality’, risk management and carbon capture measurement.
Our Business Sustainability
From actively reducing our own carbon footprint to engaging with local communities, we are committed to making a positive impact on the environment and society by operating to best business practices. We strive to reduce our own carbon emissions as a business and work alongside international bodies for human and environmental benefit.
Science-Based Targets Initiative
We support the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and their ambition to create a net-zero economy, boost climate change innovation, and drive sustainable growth – all in line in line with the Paris Agreement goals. We achieve this by reporting our company-wide emissions and tracking target progress every year.
ISO 14001
ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS). Using the knowledge gained from our work with SBTi, we are working to build a UK EMS (scheduled to launch in December 2024) which will allow us to produce tangible benefits, such as reduced waste, energy conservation, and cost savings.
UN Compact Commitment
The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest global corporate sustainability initiative. As a participant, we are committed to operating responsibly in alignment with universal sustainability principles, taking actions that support society around us, reporting annually on ongoing efforts, and engaging locally in areas in which we have a presence.
The Trussell Trust
We’ve partnered with The Trussell Trust – the UK’s largest Food Bank charity. As their chosen corporate travel partner, Gray Dawes support the work of the Trussell Trust by providing FREE travel management services, while each of our six UK offices arranges monthly food donations and volunteers to support a nationwide network of more than 1,300 food banks.
Volunteering
Even the smallest acts of generosity can make a big difference. As a global business, we value the importance of local communities and the people that shape them. We are a part of that social fabric – our employees are given 2 days off a year to volunteer in whatever way they choose, from representing a charity at a village fete to lending an ear on a mental health phoneline.
Training
Knowledge is power. We recognise the impact our work might have on the natural world and our role in helping to preserve the planet for future generations of business travellers. That’s why we offer all of our clients and employees the tools and training they need to become champions of our cause.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Legacy work?
Once signed up, we’ll monitor your travel bookings data and calculate your carbon emissions using the DEFRA model. We then transfer the numbers (anonymously) to our partners, Forest Carbon. They will turn that data into Carbon Credits – approximately 1 tonne of CO2 emissions equates to 1 carbon credit.
Do UK projects generate carbon credits?
A PIU is not a guarantee that the expected future carbon saving will occur – the project durations are decades (as long as 100 years in some cases). Because UK projects do not represent an offset happening right now, and cannot be guaranteed due to their long term nature – our PIUs are backed by the retirement of an international Verra Verified Carbon Unit (VCU) carbon credit on a one to one basis. These credits represent carbon reductions or avoidance that have already occurred and been verified. This means that you can confidently say you have offset your carbon emissions while also supporting the creation of woodlands in the UK for future carbon sequestration.
How much does it cost?
The current pricing of Legacy is £35.00 per tonne of carbon generated for our main product offering UK and international offsetting.
We also offer an international project only option for £19.00 per tonne.
It’s important to note that there are many variables which dictate the cost of carbon, as well as the type of travel and what emissions that creates. As a result, prices are liable to fluctuate.
The rough theoretical maximum cost to offset business travel flights, for example, will be around 2% of the ticket cost. There are so many variables – depending on ticket type, etc – all of which are calculated accurately and displayed by the Carbon Data Dashboard for each trip.
How much carbon emission equals a carbon credit?
1 tonne of CO2 emissions roughly equals 1 carbon credit.
What do I get for my carbon credits?
Depending on the type of sustainability product, 1 carbon credit will equate to 4-12 trees planted and managed or 50-100 square meters of peatland restoration. The reason those numbers are so widely varied is simply because project types vary so much; project locations, species mix, planting density, management, etc.
For example, a London to New York return flight, travelling in business class, will emit approximately 4.75 tonnes of CO2. In a UK LEGACY project, that would generate between 16 and 50 trees planted, depending on the chosen project, or between 250 and 500 square meters of peatland restoration.
Is it charged per booking or per trip?
Your carbon emissions are calculated for each element of your business travel – air, rail, hotel, car, etc. and the cost of that is priced accordingly.
You are not charged per booking.
How are Legacy projects quality assured?
All projects offered as part of the Legacy programme by Forest Carbon are validated and verified under the leading Voluntary Carbon Standards, whether they’re based in the UK or abroad. The standards, under the Woodland Carbon Code, were launched in 2011 by the UK Government and is recognised internationally as one the world’s leading carbon standards.
Principles
- Independent audit by bodies accredited under the relevant standard
- In the UK context standards themselves accredited by UKAS to ISO 14064/5
- Conservative, scientifically sound and project specific carbon savings estimates
- Additionality
- Permanence
- Monitoring
- Buffering
- Meets social, environmental and legal requirements
- Leading examples: VCS (Verified Carbon Standard), Gold Standard, Plan Vivo, the UK Woodland Carbon Code, the UK Peatland Code.
Registries
- Once project certification is complete, carbon credits will be issued on a registry
- Online and public listing of credits: origin, ownership, certification status, carbon credit status (ie used or unused – can only be used once)
- Allows transparent demonstration of fulfilment of environmental commitments
- IHS Markit, American Carbon Registry, Verra, Gold Standard
Do I get a carbon offsetting certificate?
Yes. Forest Carbon will work with Gray Dawes LEGACY to produce quarterly certificates, detailing all the CO2 a client has committed to offsetting during that previous quarter. We’ll include information of number of trees planted, number of hectares of peatland restored, etc.
Gray Dawes and Forest Carbon will also provide regular updates on the development of projects.
What and where are the Projects?
Forest Carbon have over 200 projects in the UK and abroad. However, they have specially selected a range of projects, both domestic and international, for Gray Dawes LEGACY.
Click HERE to download the current LEGACY portfolio.
Can I visit the woodland project?
Clearly, there are logistical challenges for overseas projects. However, for UK based LEGACY projects, Forest Carbon are committed to arranging some bespoke visits to projects which will be on a first come / first served basis. There will be an element of restriction on visitor numbers and there may be additional charges involved. Photos and updates on the projects are available on request at the discretion of Forest Carbon.
Can I opt out of the Legacy programme?
Absolutely.
Though we’d love for you to commit to your LEGACY programme on an annual basis, we appreciate things can change. So, just let us know if you’d like to stop or just take a break.
GREATER THAN THE
SUM OF OUR PARTS
We don't just specialise in business travel you know.
We're a part of the Gray Dawes Group, an organisation with specialisms and expertise in many sectors. If you need help planning the holiday of your dreams, or showcasing an event that'll never be forgotten, then we've got you covered.
BEGIN YOUR LEGACY
Fill in the form below and we’ll get right back to you.
Social & Employee Empowerment
As a global travel management company (TMC), we must be a force for positive change not only in the business travel industry, but in the local communities in which we operate. We support local charities, such as food banks and environmental trusts, while actively encouraging our own staff to be their best selves through training via the Gray Dawes Embrace programme, mentorships and the provision of paid annual leave specially for the use of charity work and volunteering.