Why we want to lead by example

Living sustainably is important to folk at Swoop - at home and at work. We’ve been quietly trying to make the ‘right’ choices for some time, and now we want to share more of what we’re doing. While many of us already make sustainable choices in our personal lives, we’re keen to formalise and publicise these practices at work.

For example, when we gave everyone at Swoop a reusable cup, it helped normalise a new behaviour across the team. When we graded local food and drink suppliers according to their sustainability performance, it helped our employees make more informed choices for their meeting locations (and lunches). Similarly, we want to find ways to encourage and empower more Swoop team members to do even more - like eating less meat, recycling more, buying less ‘stuff’ and flying less.

In the grand scheme of things, these are small actions. But we also believe that positive personal actions - at work, at home and everywhere in between - create a ripple effect of change among those around us, from friends and family, to Swoop partners and visitors.

Leading By Example

Why we care

Leading By Example

The evidence is overwhelming: the world is at a tipping point. For travel companies (like Swoop), the climate crisis raises hard questions. We believe Swoop can help lead the way to solutions within our industry. That starts with us here in the office, leading by example in everything we do.

Our vision

2021
We’re a certified B-Corporation. ‘B-corps’ are a new type of business that balance profit and purpose, meeting incredibly high standards of environmental, social and economic impact.

2025
Vision: Swoop’s travel and daily business practices set the standard for sustainability in the travel industry and positively influence all those who come into contact with us.

Target: Ranked in the top 10 B Corps travel companies globally.

Leading By Example

Now & next

What we've done so far

Leading By Example
  • We encourage staff to cycle or walk to work, or use public transport. Our offices are centrally located and there are cycle kits and bike storage available.
  • We monitor our waste - which will help us set a baseline and show improvement.
  • We have two wormeries, which we feed with as much of our organic food waste as possible. This reduces the amount of waste we create, and creates a useful byproduct (vermicompost) which we use to grow our plants.
  • We have a policy to ensure our Bristol team buys from local companies and organic/fair-trade suppliers.

What we're doing

  • We’re measuring the current impact of our waste, energy and water use so we can tackle the biggest impact areas first.
  • We’re identifying the sustainability priorities for our Bristol office.
  • We’re making sure that any Swoop travel is always booked by the greenest means possible. We’ll look closely at how often we fly, and find alternatives where possible. We’ll offset anything with a carbon impact - including trains and cars.
  • We’re creating further company policies to ensure our purchasing practices support businesses with the greatest possible sustainability impact - local, ethical, responsible.
Leading By Example

What's next

Leading By Example
  • We will continue working towards becoming a certified B-Corporation in 2021/22.
  • Our future office move will aim to drastically improve the environmental impact of our Bristol operations. We would like it to enable the following:
    - Waste: zero to landfill
    - Water: As efficient as possible
    - Energy: 100% renewable, and as efficient as possible

Keep reading

Travel Better

Travel Better

The things we choose to buy, use and do have an impact on the environment. We’re starting by helping our customers reduce their impact.

Discover More