Carrier creates CSR champions to reshape ethical initiatives

The luxury operator has appointed four CSR “champions” from across the business to develop its strategies.

The group has so far created initiatives around ethical policy, local community support, in-destination sustainability and charity fundraising.

One of the programmes offers staff two days’ paid leave per year for a volunteering project of their choice. Managing director Mark Duguid, who joined Carrier from Kuoni last April, told TTG the days could be added to an overseas fam trip.

“We all spend so much time abroad these days, so it makes sense to get involved and help out where we can,” he said.

Duguid said Carrier would “shout more” to staff about the work it does with South African community development project Uthando.

The operator has also recently launched a new partnership with education charity Professors Without Borders.

Carrier, said Duguid, stepped in to fund flights for the organisation earlier this year, allowing it to send teachers to run summer schools in countries where university education is not widely accessible.

Duguid added Carrier also aimed to outline its ethical stance in-destination on working with suppliers and the types of experience it offers, and that the operator had removed certain excursions that involved elephants.

“We’re confident that on a case-by-case basis, we are doing the right thing for customers, staff, suppliers and their communities,” he said. “But we want to have some formal guidelines out there.”

Duguid added staff at Carrier’s Didsbury office had put in place a range of waste-saving policies such as not stocking plastic cups, swapping desk bins for larger recycling stations and switching to more energy-efficient lightbulbs.

The operator’s trade incentive, set to run during September, would also focus on sustainability said Duguid.

Agents booking with Carrier during the incentive will receive a Carrier-branded Chilly’s bottle, with three colours to collect, offered according to the product area where the booking was made.

The bottles are designed to combine the convenience of a plastic water bottle with the high-performance technology and eco-friendly benefits of a traditional flask.