Singita Becomes First Purchaser of TASC's GRASS Carbon Credits in Rangeland Restoration Push
Luxury safari operator Singita has partnered with TASC to support carbon-neutral guest stays through investment in South Africa's Grassland Restoration and Stewardship (GRASS) project, becoming the initiative's first carbon credit purchaser. At the start of 2026, Singita retired 16,980 Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) to offset emissions associated with guest stays across its lodges and private villas. The operator calculates the average carbon footprint per overnight stay and incorporates the equivalent carbon cost into guest bookings, with funds directed to the GRASS project. To date, the project has issued 266,255 VCUs - the first credits to receive the Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) label under Verra's updated VM0042 methodology, providing independent verification of climate, social, and environmental outcomes.
The GRASS project works with thousands of communal farmers to rehabilitate degraded grasslands through regenerative grazing practices, improved livestock management, and enhanced market access, while creating local employment through Ecorangers supporting grazing plans, fire management, and biodiversity monitoring. Singita Group Sustainability Coordinator Dr Andrea Ferry noted that rangeland degradation is "starkly evident on the borders of our concessions," describing support for surrounding land and communities as "a strategic imperative." The partnership reflects a growing trend among luxury African travel operators to integrate verified carbon offsetting directly into guest pricing, linking conservation outcomes to the tourism economy. Singita is also set to open its new purpose-driven Elela camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta in December 2026.
Source: Travel Daily News
