The SUNx Program

What The SUNx Program does

The SUNx Program (operating as SUNx Malta) is a mission-driven organization founded in 2014 as the legacy program of Maurice Strong, focused on helping the global travel and tourism sector respond to climate change and transition to zero GHG emissions by 2050 along a Paris 1.5 pathway. It operates a portfolio of interconnected programs under the Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) umbrella: the CFT Registry (a global platform for 2050 Climate and Sustainability Ambitions with 1,000+ enrolled companies), the CFT Diploma (the world's first online course dedicated to Tourism & Climate Resilience, with 150+ graduates from a two-year accredited program delivered with the Institute of Tourism Studies Malta), CFT Chapters (40+ grassroots networks across Small Island and Developing States), Dodo4Kids (children's climate education via books and cartoons), CFT Services (climate resilience analysis and emissions management consulting), CFT Club (a membership rewards program for climate-conscious travelers), and the CFT Facility (a mixed fund pooling 25% net profit share from CFT social enterprises with donations and external funding). The organization is supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, and in June 2026 established the SUNx BestStar Global Institute (SxBGI) at The Hague Hub for Humanity in partnership with BestStar Holding Group to expand education, peace, and humanitarian programming for SIDS/LDCs. Revenue is generated through tiered diploma tuition (free for Maltese students, €2,500 EU, €4,950 non-EU), professional service fees, club memberships, and pooled donations, though no financial figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

The SUNx Program

Legal name

SUNx Malta

Website

https://thesunprogram.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The SUNx Program is a mission-driven organization that helps the global travel and tourism sector respond to climate change through a Climate Friendly Travel system spanning a global registry, accredited diploma, chapter network, children's education, and professional sustainability services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Tourism Climate Resilience Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUABAKAC

Decarbonization Strategy & Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) Advisory

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Corporate Net-Zero & Climate Strategy Services (Targets, Transition Plans, SBTi Support)

SECONDARYEUABAKAA

Net-Zero Target Setting & SBTi/Net-Zero Standard Support

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Corporate Net-Zero & Climate Strategy Services (Targets, Transition Plans, SBTi Support)

SECONDARYEUABAKAJ

Net-Zero Assurance & Readiness Assessments (limited assurance prep, audit support)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Carbon & Climate Solutions (Carbon Markets, Offsets, CCS/CCUS)/Corporate Net-Zero & Climate Strategy Services (Targets, Transition Plans, SBTi Support)

SECONDARYBPADALAA

Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

Keywords

• Climate friendly travel
• Sustainable tourism education
• Tourism climate resilience
• Climate action registry
• Sustainability training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Education Programs: CFT Diploma program with tiered pricing: Free for Maltese students, €2,500 for EU students, €4,950 for Non-EU students. Two-year program with first year lectures and second year internship.
2. CFT Services: Climate & Sustainability support services including Climate Resilience analysis, emissions measurement and management, and Climate Friendly Travel Apps for companies and destinations.
3. CFT Club: Membership program rewarding travellers who act on their climate conscience by providing special deals from Climate Friendly Travel Companies and inspirational programs supporting Climate Justice.
4. CFT Facility: Innovative mixed fund with financial and in-kind components supporting SUNx Group initiatives. Pools resources from 25% net profit share from CFT social enterprises (CFT Services and CFT Club), external funding, public donations and community fundraising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The SUNx Program delivers a Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) System that helps travel and tourism companies, destinations, and individuals transition toward zero GHG emissions by 2050 on a Paris 1.5-aligned pathway. Its core offerings include an online Climate Ambitions Registry, a postgraduate Climate Friendly Travel Diploma, a global network of CFT Chapters, the Dodo4Kids children's education program, paid climate consulting services (CFT Services), and a traveler rewards membership (CFT Club).

Product overview

The SUNx Program operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) programs. The core portfolio includes: the CFT Registry for company climate ambitions, the CFT Diploma as the world's first online climate tourism course, CFT Chapters forming a global climate movement network, Dodo4Kids for children's education, CFT Services for emissions and sustainability support, CFT Club for traveler rewards, CFT Facility as a funding vehicle, a CFT Podcast, a Research Platform with educational resources, and the Strong Earth Festival as an annual event. These products work together as a comprehensive Climate Friendly Travel System helping the global tourism sector transform to zero GHG emissions by 2050 on a Paris 1.5 pathway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate Friendly Travel (CFT): Core program framework for low carbon, SDG-linked, Paris 1.5-aligned travel and tourism practices
• Dodo4Kids
• Strong Earth Festival
• eXist

Products and services

• Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) Registry A self-serve online registry (climatefriendly.travel) where travel and tourism companies, communities, and destinations can register 2050 Climate and Sustainability Ambitions and create a Climate Action Plan. Open to all sizes of providers from smallest to largest.
• Climate Friendly Travel (CFT) Diploma A two-year postgraduate diploma exploring low carbon, SDG-linked, Paris 1.5 Travel & Tourism, delivered online and accredited by the Institute of Tourism Studies Malta. Tiered pricing: free for Maltese students, €2,500 EU students, €4,950 non-EU students.
• CFT Services Paid Climate & Sustainability consulting services including Climate Resilience analysis, emissions measurement and management, and Climate Friendly Travel Apps that help companies and destinations promote climate action.
• CFT Club A membership rewards program for climate-conscious travelers offering special deals from Climate Friendly Travel Companies and inspirational programs supporting Climate Justice for developing nations and Small Island States.
• Dodo4Kids Stories, books, cartoons, and games teaching Climate Friendly Travel to early learners, featuring a reincarnated Dodo bird visiting tourism icons to warn about climate, sustainability, and nature threats.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 climate champions by 2030
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BestStar Holding GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 June 2026Partnership to establish SxBGI (SUNx BestStar Global Institute) at Hub for Humanity in The Hague, focused on education, peace and travel for Small Island and Developing States.
• Malta Tourism AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary backer of SUNx Malta as a Climate Friendly Travel System. Malta Tourism Authority and its Tourism Observatory support the program to help the global tourism sector transform to zero GHG emissions by 2050.
• Institute of Tourism Studies MaltacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner delivering the CFT Diploma program with MQF LEVEL 4 accreditation, 120 ECVET credits across 2 semesters plus 1 year internship.
• IIPT (International Institute for Peace & Tourism)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to make Dodo4Kids available electronically in 450 IIPT Peace Parks around the world, focusing attention on future generations and showing threats to their wellbeing as travellers.
• World Tourism NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal network partner helping deliver Dodo4Kids initiative across their worldwide network, announced at WTN 'Rebuilding Travel' Event at ITB Berlin.
• TraNexuscoreTechnology or IntegrationBlockchain solutions partnership for sustainable travel applications including impact measurement, booking systems, and payment rationalization for climate-conscious travel.
• Walking Duck / Paul WilkeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder Paul Wilke partnership including 20-year collaboration story around sustainable tourism economics post-2004 tsunami, joint COP30 discussions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Travalyst: Travalyst is a non-profit sustainable travel initiative founded by Prince Harry that convenes major travel platforms on sustainability standards. It overlaps with SUNx's CFT Registry and climate ambition-setting mission, but focuses on convening industry platforms rather than building chapter networks or educational credentials.

Broad incumbents

• South Pole Group: South Pole is a large, well-capitalized climate solutions provider offering carbon advisory, offset procurement, and sustainability strategy services across multiple industries including tourism. It competes with SUNx's CFT Services at the enterprise end, but at far greater scale and with proprietary offset/carbon-credit capabilities SUNx does not have.
• Carbon Trust: Carbon Trust is a global climate consultancy that helps organizations measure, reduce, and certify carbon footprints, with tourism and hospitality among its verticals. It competes with SUNx's CFT Services for enterprise emissions measurement and management engagements, but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Green Destinations: Green Destinations certifies and supports sustainable destinations worldwide, including the Top 100 Sustainable Destinations list. It directly overlaps with SUNx's CFT Services for destination managers and CFT Registry for tourism communities.
• EarthCheck: EarthCheck is a science-based certification and benchmarking program for the travel and tourism industry, providing sustainability advisory and certification. Like SUNx, it focuses on helping tourism operators measure, manage, and certify their environmental performance, though EarthCheck leans more on scientific benchmarking and audit services.
• Travelife: Travelife is a leading sustainability certification and training program specifically for the tourism industry, covering hotels, tour operators and travel agents. It directly overlaps with SUNx's CFT Diploma and CFT Services offerings and is named alongside SUNx's podcast guests (e.g., Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge is GSTC affiliate / Travelife Gold certified).
• Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC): GSTC sets and manages global standards for sustainable travel and tourism, including criteria that map closely to SUNx's Paris 1.5-aligned framework. Both serve as industry-level reference frameworks for tourism operators seeking sustainability credentials, but GSTC focuses on certification criteria while SUNx delivers registry, education, and advisory services.
• Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency: Tourism Declares is a global community of tourism organizations that have declared a climate emergency and committed to halving emissions by 2030. It overlaps with SUNx's advocacy and community-building mission and competes for the same pool of sustainability-conscious tourism signatories.
• Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA): ATTA is a membership-based trade organization promoting sustainable adventure tourism, including climate-related training and guidelines. It overlaps with SUNx's community-based chapter network and education offerings, though focused on the adventure segment.

Others

• UN Tourism (UNWTO): UN Tourism is the United Nations specialized agency that sets global tourism policy and publishes climate frameworks referenced by SUNx. SUNx's co-founder Lipman is a former UNWTO Assistant Secretary General, and SUNx explicitly positions the CFT framework as aligned with UN Tourism — making UNWTO more of a partner/reference body than a direct competitor, though its free frameworks could commoditize SUNx's paid offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=vi4Hs14HTpY

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The SUNx Program