Green claims in travel are about to get a lot harder to make, and Intrepid Travel has just put itself ahead of the curve. The Melbourne-based tour operator has recertified as a B Corp under B Lab's new V2 Standards — a framework so new that only a handful of travel companies worldwide have cleared it so far.
Here's what makes this version different. The old B Corp assessment worked on points: companies could compensate for weak areas by scoring highly elsewhere. The new standards throw that out. There are now mandatory performance requirements across seven Impact Topics — Climate Action, Human Rights, Fair Work and Justice, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion among them — with independent third-party verification and objective evidence, not self-reported pledges. Companies have to hit a baseline in every category.
The timing isn't accidental. The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive takes effect on 27 September 2026 and targets exactly the kind of vague, unsubstantiated environmental marketing the industry has become known for. In that context, a certification built on verification rather than vibes carries real weight.
For Intrepid, the recertification covers 93 entities across 94 countries and more than 900 trips. Notably, the assessment this time also included its Stay Intrepid portfolio of owned accommodation in Australia and Morocco, meaning those properties had to demonstrate standards on water management, waste and circular systems. CEO James Thornton framed it as systems rather than spin: the certification, he said, has never been a badge but a framework for ongoing improvement.
There's commercial substance behind it too. Intrepid first certified in 2018 and claims average annual growth of 20 per cent since — pandemic years excluded — with 2025 a record year. The B Corp movement itself is closing in on 10,000 certified companies across 100 countries. The company's charitable arm, The Intrepid Foundation, recently raised more than $345,000 for anti-trafficking work via the Blue Dragon Marathon Walk.
Why should a traveller care? Because choosing a 'sustainable' tour is genuinely hard right now. Almost every operator claims some version of it, and regulation hasn't caught up everywhere yet. Third-party certification with mandatory requirements and external audits is one of the few signals that isn't just marketing. If you're booking small-group touring and sustainability factors into your decision, Intrepid now sits in a small pool of operators whose claims have been independently stress-tested under the strictest version of the standard to date. That's useful, verifiable information — not a leaf on a logo.
The flip side: certification isn't a guarantee of a great trip, and it doesn't tell you whether a specific itinerary suits you. But as greenwashing rules tighten and scrutiny increases, the gap between operators with audited credentials and those with slogans is only going to become more visible. This recertification puts Intrepid firmly on the audited side of that line — and raises the bar for everyone else in the category.
