Together Towards Lower CO₂ Emissions
Sustainability is not an end in itself for us, but an integral part of how we operate. Since 2019, we have been mapping our CO₂ emissions so that we can consciously steer towards both reduction and compensation.
Insights via NetZeroCloud
Starting in 2024, we are using NetZeroCloud, a Salesforce tool that allows us to accurately measure. Here you can read our sustainability report Boat Bike Tours 2024
We categorize our emissions into:
- Scope 1: direct emissions (e.g., fuel consumption
- Scope 2: indirect emissions (e.g., electricity)
- Scope 3: value chain emissions (e.g., food and travel)
Several of our ships in the Netherlands are equipped with fuel and kWh meters that transmit real-time data to NetZeroCloud. The other ships still provide their consumption data manually for now. By automating more vessels over time, we are improving data reliability and gaining better insight into our ecological impact.
The largest sources of emissions on board are:
- Fuel consumption
- Energy use
- Meals for guests
Reducing Where Possible
We are actively working on sustainability within our operations:
- Cleaner fuel: Since 2024, a large part of our fleet runs on HVO, a fossil-free fuel that significantly reduces CO₂ emissions.
- Sustainable food on board: Our guests enjoy full board. By offering at least one vegetarian menu per week, we also reduce the emissions associated with food.
- Sustainable transport:
- Several diesel supply buses have been replaced by electric vehicles.
- Employees are encouraged to travel sustainably with, among other things, a generous cycling allowance and the option to lease a bike.
- Commuting and business travel are also actively monitored and made more sustainable.
- Office use: We keep a close eye on our energy consumption in the office building and take measures to limit our impact there as well.
Offsetting What Cannot (Yet) Be Avoided
Some emissions are still unavoidable at this time.
That is why we compensate via three reliable Dutch non-profit organizations: Orca, Treesforall and Justdiggit
♻️ Orca
Orca focuses on accelerating the circular economy, because there is still much to be gained here. Only 25% of the Dutch economy is circular; this means that three quarters of everything we use is landfilled or incinerated. This has to change. Boat Bike Tours has consciously chosen the plastic recycling project in Biddinghuizen because of its local impact and because the sector is under pressure from competition from cheap new plastic – a much less sustainable alternative. What makes this local compensation special is that the Boat Bike Tours sustainability team visited the project. The project is independently certified by the National Carbon Market Foundation. CO₂ reduction is monitored based on an analysis by TNO and independently verified by DNV. Boat Bike Tours thus invests in reliable and transparent CO₂ certificates:
This results in:
- Accelerating the circular economy
- Reducing waste
- Lowering CO₂ emissions>
We have an agreement for the coming years to offset 5,000 tonnes of CO₂.
You can read more about the recycling plastic project via this link.
🌳 Treesforall
Through Treesforall, we support a project in Bolivia that helps farmers transition to sustainable forestry. This provides:
- Better living conditions
- More biodiversity
- A healthier climate
We have an agreement for the coming years to offset 5,000 tonnes of CO₂.
You can read more about the Bolivia project via this link.
🌱 Justdiggit
Together with Justdiggit, we contribute to large-scale reforestation projects in Africa:
- In Tanzania, we are regenerating more than 26,000 tree stumps into full-grown trees, expected to save 5,000 tons of CO₂ over 20 years.
You can follow progress via this link. - In Kenya, we previously supported:
- Restoration of 6,800 hectares of landscape
- Harvesting of 81 million liters of rainwater
- Removal of 10,550 tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere.
You can read more about this project in the following reports:
Progress Report I – June 2021
Progress Report II – December 2021
Progress Report III – July 2022
Progress Report IV – 2023
