Prioritising the planet: Exodus Travels named as inaugural recipient of the Which? Sustainability Champion of the Year
Surbiton-based low-impact adventure and activity holiday specialist, Exodus Travels, has been recognised as this year's first ever Which? Sustainability Champion. The honorary award, which has been established to recognise a specific project or initiative that improves a company's environmental footprint, commended Exodus Travels for its impactful sustainability initiatives and clear future commitments for sustainable travel. It is one of the few tour providers to start publishing the carbon footprint of some of its holidays in order to measure and reduce its impact (pledging to halve its footprint by 2030). It is also rewilding 100 square metres per passenger as well as offsetting all trip emissions. To further reinforce this commitment, Exodus Travels is in the process of expanding its rail booking service across its most popular European destinations, in effect, giving customers a "no fly" transport option for their holidays. This will let green-minded travellers cut their carbon footprint. The company has also introduced over 40 walking and cycling itineraries across the UK. As a result, the judging panel felt they were deserving winners for championing sustainability in a sector often seen as problematic to the environment, and they stood out for both impactful recent initiatives, its continuous focus on sustainable travel alongside its concrete and measurable goals for the future.
Neil Caldicott, Which?'s executive sponsor for sustainability, said:
"Which? has increasingly put sustainability at the heart of everything we do, recently launching a new Eco Buy endorsement to sit alongside our famous Best Buys and Don't Buys, and we think it's vital to acknowledge businesses taking the same approach." "Congratulations to Exodus Travels for being named as Which?'s Sustainability Champion 2022." Also shortlisted were Good Energy, Miele, Silver Cross car seat recycling scheme, and Triodos Bank.
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Notes to editors: The brands put forward included companies that are a 'sustainability champion' in a particular aspect of their business and doesn't necessarily reflect the entire business. The full list of categories, winners and shortlist below:
| Category | 2022 Winner | 2022 Shortlist | 2021's winner |
| Which? banking brand of the year | Starling Bank | Coventry Building Society, Nationwide, Starling Bank | Starling Bank |
| Which? insurance brand of the year | NFU Mutual | LV=, NFU Mutual, Saga | LV= |
| Which? travel brand of the year | Jet2 | Exodus Travels, Inn Travel, Jet2, Premier Inn | National Trust Holidays |
| Which? retailer of the year | Richer Sounds | John Lewis, Richer Sounds, Seasalt, Skechers | Richer Sounds |
| Which? utilities brand of the year | Tesco Mobile | Octopus Energy, Plusnet Mobile, SMARTY, Tesco Mobile, Zen Internet | Tesco Mobile |
| Which? car brand of the year | Kia | Honda, Kia, Lexus, Polestar, Toyota | Toyota |
| Which? home technology brand of the year | Samsung | Apple, Canon, Dell, Samsung, Xiomi | Apple |
About Which?
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