Fair Voyage awarded B Corp certification and completes strategic transformation

Zurich, 30 June 2022. Swiss online travel agency Fair Voyage has become a Certified B Corporation in June 2022. With the B Corp Certification, the company announces the completion of its strategic redesign to realign its business model for a more climate friendly and holistically sustainable solution.

How it all started …

Fair Voyage was initially launched in 2017 as a social enterprise with the mission to provide fair working conditions for porters employed at Mount Kilimanjaro climbs. By early 2020, it had extended its offering to over 30 destinations across five continents, with an ambitious growth trajectory as an impact start-up.

… via what we’ve been up to …

Recognizing the climate impact of flying, Fair Voyage used the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to fundamentally transform and realign its business model towards a more climate friendly solution (Climate Action), further strengthen its social and environmental responsibility standards, and create a more holistically sustainable solution (Holistic Sustainability Solutions) and offering for conscious travelers.

… to where we are now

With the aim to create holistic positive impact, the company offers tailor-made trips to Africa, Asia, Latin America and select destinations around the world. In doing so, Fair Voyage curates responsible travel experiences to benefit local communities and nature, to help its clients make their travel matter.

The company emphasizes “slow travel”, with trips having an average duration of 10 days or more, and offsets the carbon footprint of its trips. In doing so, Fair Voyage recognizes that offsets do not imply climate neutrality, and strives to continually upgrade the value and impact of its climate contributions.

Fair Voyage has now completed its transformation, and celebrates its B Corp Certification as recognition of its efforts to use business as a force for good, meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency.

“I’m extremely proud of the team and how far we’ve come, that—together with our central team and partners around the world—we have survived some of the most challenging times of the travel industry—aligned with our shared mission which has given us the strength to persevere, and that Fair Voyage is now standing on its own feet as a self-sustainable social enterprise,” says Alexandra Pastollnigg, Founder and Chairwoman. “However, it truly takes a village, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us along the way.”

What others say

“I’m impressed by the team’s energy and commitment to persevere throughout the pandemic and protect its mission by transforming the company into a more sustainable business that’s both socially & environmentally responsible as well as financially sustainable,” comments Paola Ghillani, former CEO and Chairwoman of Fairtrade Max Havelaar and current board director of various companies. Ms. Ghillani has been coaching the company over the past two years as part of the Innosuisse Start-up Coaching program for innovative Swiss businesses, and recognizes Fair Voyage as “a true sustainability leader in the tourism industry”.

“Beyond certifications, what makes Fair Voyage a role model social enterprise is the team’s commitment to value-based leadership, holding themselves accountable to their own values and truly walking the talk,” observes Punleuk Kam, Partner at Black & Silver. Mr. Kam initially mentored the team early 2019 as part of the Swiss SEIF Impact Academy for impact-driven entrepreneurs and has stayed connected with the company as advisor and board member. “The past two years have been extremely difficult, and real innovation always takes time, but the team has convinced me: They have built a social enterprise to last, for its mission,” he concludes.

“Fair Voyage already completed its self assessment and applied for certification in 2020, but due to extremely high demand had to wait for review,” comments Sébastien Chahidi, Head B Corp Certifications (SMEs) & Community at B Lab Switzerland. “We are excited that Fair Voyage has obtained the B Corp certification as proof of its commitment to use business as a force for good. We warmly welcome Fair Voyage to the rapidly growing B Corp Community.”

About Fair Voyage:

Fair Voyage is a Swiss online travel agency and B Corp certified social enterprise. The company offers tailor-made trips to Africa, Asia, Latin America and select destinations around the world. In doing so, Fair Voyage curates responsible travel experiences that benefit local communities and nature, and minimizes the footprint of its trips, to help its clients make their travel matter.

Find more information about the company’s holistic sustainability approach here: https://fairvoyage.com/sustainability/

About B Corp:

​​B Lab Switzerland is the Swiss branch of B Lab, a nonprofit network transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities and the planet. The nonprofit supports businesses in the B Corp certification process and provides them with the tools to measure and improve their impact. A solution-oriented sustainability program was also developed by B Lab Switzerland: the Swiss Triple Impact (STI). To date, the Swiss community includes over 70 certified B Corporations (B Corps) and at global level, over 5,000 companies are certified B Corps, in 80 countries and 155 industries.

Find more information here: https://blab-switzerland.ch/

About the Fair Voyage B Corp Certification:

To learn more about the B Impact Assessment of Fair Voyage, including the Company’s score by Impact category, visit the B Lab Global Directory, or download the Fair Voyage B Corp Certificate.

For more information, please email media@fairvoyage.com.