HF Holidays, the only co-operative walking holiday tour operator in the UK, has announced its certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp). Achieving a score of 84.9, the British heritage brand established in 1913, has now become one of the few businesses in the hospitality and travel industry to gain this coveted status and joins a growing movement of companies that are reinventing business for the benefit of all people and our shared planet.
Verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, the achievement demonstrates that HF Holidays meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value.
This announcement comes as the ongoing climate crisis and widening social inequality continue to pose urgent challenges to our economy. B Corp Certification assesses the entirety of a business’ operations and currently covers five main impact areas: Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers.
The certification process is rigorous, with companies required to reach a score of 80 points in the B Impact Assessment while providing evidence of responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. A business must also legally embed their commitment to purpose as well as profit in their company articles.
HF Holidays is now part of a growing community of over 8,000 businesses globally that have certified as B Corps. The B Corp community in the UK is one of the largest and fastest growing in the world, with over 1,700 companies spanning a range of different industries and sizes. These include Audley Travel, Mr & Mrs Smith, Exodus Adventure Travels, Intrepid, The Guardian, Innocent Drinks, Patagonia, The Big Issue, Finisterre, Elemis, and Sipsmith Gin.
David Harrington, CEO of HF Holidays, said: “We are incredibly happy that HF Holidays is now B Corp Certified and immensely proud of our score. This reflects our long-term commitment to ensuring our entire business operates ethically and meets high social and environmental standards.”
“Run as a co-operative, we have 48,000 members who are part owners of a business powered by its people and values. Walking holidays are by nature, a low carbon choice and responsible travel has always been a part of our DNA. But it has been a huge effort from everyone across the business to ensure our holidays positively impact communities, people, and the planet in the places we travel to. As a certified B Corp in the travel and hospitality industry, we’re now a business who is helping lead a global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.”
Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK, says: “We are delighted to welcome HF Holidays to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that HF Holidays is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward.”
As part of its commitment to systemic change for a more sustainable future, HF Holidays has:
- Worked with carbon consultancy ecollective to measure their carbon footprint and to create a strategy to reduce the carbon intensity of their product by 5% each year
- Converted to using renewable energy in their country houses to support Scope 2 emissions, currently saving 113,000kg of CO2e each year
- Grown their range of Rail Adventures and transport by rail options for 2025
- Increased the use of local guides to reduce transport to overseas destinations
- Reduced brochure and direct mail by encouraging guests to view holidays online
- Removed single-use plastic in their UK country houses
- Installed electric car charging points at all UK country houses with car parks
- Committed to ensuring that all menus at the UK country houses are seasonal and focus on dishes made with fresh and high-quality ingredients which are either home-grown or sourced from the UK where possible
HF Holidays is in the process of driving change by:
- Continuing to reduce the carbon intensity of their product by 5% each year in order to become net zero by 2040, or earlier if possible
- Reducing waste and increasing recycling by 50% before 2025
- Working with suppliers who have a commitment to net zero in the sectors of food, beverage, linen and waste for the country houses
- Helping their members and guests to make more informed choices by including Co2e measurements on representative trips available online
