TTC Tour Brands will discontinue production of branded merchandise in an effort to further its sustainability goals.
The company's tour brands include Luxury Gold, Insight Vacations, Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations, Contiki and Costsaver. They will no longer order branded merchandise for gifting and will reallocate those funds to projects and nonprofits that focus on fighting climate change.
Existing merchandise, including leftover items and outdated products, will be donated to charities that can best use those items.
More brands across The Travel Corporation portfolio are expected to follow.
TTC Tour Brands said its efforts to say no to "more stuff" can prevent the equivalent carbon emissions of 6.5 million car-driven miles from entering the atmosphere annually.
"It's our responsibility to fully commit to practices that leave a positive impact on the places we visit and the people we meet along the way," said Melissa DaSilva, President of TTC Tour Brands, North America. "As the first in industry to make this commitment, it is our hope that our fellow companies follow in our footsteps in the ongoing journey towards a more sustainable future."
TTC Tour Brands will use the reallocated merchandising funds to donate to projects that are already supported by its nonprofit TreadRight Foundation, which are GreenWave's Kelp Climate Fund and Rainforest Rescue's Daintree projects.
Donations to Kelp Climate Fund will pay for planting kelp across regenerative ocean farms in North America, while donations to Daintree will protect and restore parts of Australia's Daintree rainforest.