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Born out of both – Sri Lanka’s economic crisis of 2022, and the acknowledgement that in the midst of a climate and biodiversity crisis, we can’t carry on with business as usual – Renew is a deep commitment to curating immersive experiences for conscious travellers, while uplifting the quality of life for local communities and island ecosystems. Through its offbeat and original offerings, Renew is an introduction to a (stunning) side of Sri Lanka seldom experienced by visitors. Simultaneously, Renew relies on science to protect the natural and cultural heritage of Sri Lanka, and the planet at large. Through a thorough scientific, industry-aligned effort to measure, reduce and design low-carbon trips, we invite you to experience, taste and feel Sri Lanka like never before.
1. Renew = Local experiences meet science
There’s no one who knows Sri Lanka like us. And we take every responsibility to protect all the amazing and diverse species we share it with. In the bigger picture, we’re concerned about our impact on the climate, and in turn, the impact of climate change on our island. That’s why we turned to science to inform Renew’s mindful itineraries.
Driven by Peter Drucker’s words, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” we engaged international sustainable tourism consultants, dug into the science, and worked closely with our local partners across the country.
2. How we measured and reduced the footprint of Renew’s trips
We embarked on an 8 step journey to ensure that Renew’s trips are backed by scientific global standards, supplier-specific data and carbon measurement. This process allowed us to curate trips that have a much lower carbon impact than the average trip to Sri Lanka.
Step 1: Alignment with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol
We closely followed the GHG Protocol – the global standard crafted by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), to measure carbon emissions. We used its guidance on methodology, reasonable estimates and assumptions, to calculate the footprint of Renew’s itineraries. Our calculations account for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphurhexafluoride (SF6) – the six greenhouse gases included in the Kyoto Protocol.
Step 2: Shortlisting hospitality partners based on commitment to conservation and communities
We began with tapping our wide hospitality network across the island, to identify and shortlist potential hospitality partners who have demonstrated a strong commitment towards protecting, rewilding and regenerating the island’s wild beauty, while also centering local and indigenous communities through tourism.
3. Working with hospitality partners to determine emissions
Once we had a strong initial list, we began to assess the carbon emissions of the accommodations. Most didn’t have an existing GHG inventory, but instead of relying on generic emissions factors, we worked hand-in-hand with them to gather raw data and build an accurate estimate of their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
4. Advising suppliers to reduce emissions
Besides selecting low-carbon partners for our trip offerings, Renew is also serious about advancing sustainability within Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector. Once we developed carbon estimates of our potential accommodation partners, we put together guidance specific to the Sri Lankan context on the most impactful ways they could reduce their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. From replacing refrigerants with those with lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) to undertaking energy audits, we’re trying to raise the benchmark for sustainable travel in Sri Lanka.
5. Investing in eco-friendly transport
Renew is one of Sri Lanka’s few travel outfits to offer low-carbon transportation across our trips. We’ve invested in electric vehicles, chosen routes with adequate charging infrastructure, and made our trips more adventurous with diesel-free boat journeys, electric tuk tuks, and plenty of cycling and walking!
6. Choosing food providers carefully
Food is such an essential part of the travel experience – yet a source of methane and other greenhouse gases. We’ve worked closely with our food providers to offer meals that focus on locally grown, organic, seasonal and plant-based ingredients, and directly benefit Sri Lankan farmers. We just know that travellers will love all the traditional delicacies Renew has on offer across its trips!
7. Creating a carbon rating for our accommodation, transport and food partners
We built an in-house carbon framework that allows us to rate our partners, not just on the awesomeness of the experiences they offer, but also on how emissions-intensive their offerings are. This is an incentive for partners to implement our recommendations to reduce emissions, and we hope to feature more of them on Renew’s trips as their emissions reduce and ratings improve.
8. Determining the overall carbon footprint of Renew’s trips
Having determined the carbon footprint of the individual stays, transport and food, we used our in-house carbon measurement framework to determine the total footprint of Renew’s trips – along with the carbon footprint per traveller per day on each trip.
We’re proud to share that Renew’s trips, on average, produce a carbon footprint of 42.35% lower than the average trip to Sri Lanka!
