CYPRESS, CA — TTC Tour Brands is saying ‘no’ to ‘more stuff’’ as part of its net zero goals.

The company, in an industry-first, is eliminating all branded merchandise and will instead repurpose global funds to projects that fight climate change on behalf of its guests, trade partners and internal team members.

The move comes following an assessment of the company that found that saying no to stuff could prevent the equivalent carbon emissions of 6.5 million car-driven miles from entering the atmosphere annually.

Starting immediately, TTC Tour Brands is committing to no longer order branded merchandise for gifting. In its place, the company will repurpose funds traditionally allocated to branded merchandise and introduce donations to nature-based solutions projects that will remove a further 1.5 million car-driven miles worth of carbon emissions from the atmosphere by December 2024.

This commitment collectively works toward keeping global warming below 1.5°C by mid-century.

“Learning how much carbon emissions are created from our branded ‘stuff’ was an eye opener for us. While we all love to represent our favorite travel brand with fun swag from t-shirts to tote bags, we know we can do more by using those resources to donate to sustainable projects we’re passionate about,” says Melissa DaSilva, President of TTC Tour Brands, North America.

“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. 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,” says adds.

Donations will be made towards projects that are already supported by TTC Tour Brands’ not-for-profit foundation TreadRight. These include donations to GreenWave’s Kelp Climate Fund Project, which will pay for the planting of kelp across regenerative ocean farms in North America, and Rainforest Rescue’s Daintree Project, which will protect and restore parts of Australia’s precious Daintree Rainforest, the world’s longest continually evolving rainforest.

As a final step, all TTC Tour Brand offices will either rehome any leftover or outdated merchandise to local charities that can best reuse the items, or utilize them for internal fundraisers where proceeds will provide further donation support to its nature-based solutions partners.

TTC Tour Brands has a four-step Climate Action plan already in place that includes near-term, long-term and net zero carbon emissions targets validated by Targets Initiative (SBTi). Emissions calculations were done using the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

To learn more, visit: https://impact.ttc.com/climate/donations/