Can small businesses really compete on global sustainability standards? Connect Adventures set out to find out.
At the heart of Northern New South Wales, Connect Adventures leads small groups on multi-day hiking journeys through the Tweed Valley, Byron Bay hinterland rainforest and the Clarence Coast. Guests can escape everyday life to immerse themselves in wild, untouched landscapes, guided by experts, nourished with gourmet meals and supported with personalised care. More than just walking tours, these experiences leave a lasting impression on visitors – sparking connection, curiosity and respect for Australia’s most remarkable natural places.
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Connect Adventures, but for co-founder Jason Little, the goal was to take it further by adopting a systematic approach to measure the company’s practices against global standards, strengthen accountability and identify opportunities for improvement. With funding support from Destination New South Wales, the team was able to achieve this by completing Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, which provided a structured framework to assess their operations and plan a path forward.
“Our main motivation was to better understand how Connect Adventures measures against recognised sustainability standards and where we can make meaningful improvements,” Little explains. “We see sustainability as key to our business, especially given our work in World Heritage-listed environments, National Parks, and on Country.”
Built on globally recognised certification standards, the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard provides tourism operators with a snapshot of their sustainability journey at a given moment, assessing performance across 50 criteria spanning Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-Economic Impacts, and Cultural Impacts. For Connect Adventures, the structured framework offered an invaluable opportunity to evaluate their entire operation.
“While guided hiking has many positive impacts, we’re also mindful of the broader footprint – from planning and logistics through to resourcing, gear and local suppliers, and guest travel. The scorecard provided us with a structured way to assess all of these aspects and set clear goals for the future.”
The results were both affirming and eye-opening. Connect Adventures achieved a high overall score, with strong results across all four sustainability pillars. More importantly, the process provided clarity on where the business could continue to grow.
“The greatest benefit of the scorecard has been the clarity it provided around our results and the areas where we can improve,” Jason reflects. “Alongside these insights, the scorecard also gives us credibility when communicating with guests, partners, and local communities – showing that our sustainability commitments are independently assessed and benchmarked.”
Looking to the future, Connect Adventures sees certification as the natural next step.
“Certification has always been a target of ours and gaining this is a natural progression for us. We are committed to continuous improvement and believe certification will not only strengthen our practices but also enhance trust with guests, industry partners, and government stakeholders.”
While the business had been aware of the scorecard program, Jason says the support of Destination NSW made all the difference in making the opportunity achievable for a small operator.
“As a small business, the grant support made undertaking the scorecard achievable for us, and we are very grateful. It gave us the opportunity to take an important step forward in our sustainability journey.”
Completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard gave Connect Adventures a clear view of their strengths and areas for growth, while demonstrating accountability to guests and partners. With support from Destination New South Wales, the business has taken an important step toward continuous improvement, showing that even small operators can engage with global sustainability standards and plan for a responsible future.
Click here to learn more about Connect Adventure’s sustainable efforts, and book your tour: https://connectadventures.com.au/
Connect Adventures completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 6 August 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.
