We can't wait to take action
Sustainability isn’t just about protecting the planet. It’s also about the way we approach and ethically manage our environmental, social and financial responsibilities to ensure our ongoing business success without limiting options for future generations.
Reduce your environmental footprint and increase traveler satisfaction
The aviation industry is responsible for 2.4% of CO2 emissions worldwide, and this is likely to triple by 2050 while other sectors will have reduced their own emissions*. It’s imperative for business travel programs to reduce the strain that travel puts on our most precious resource: Earth. BCD Travel, Advito and BCD Meeting & Events can help move your program in the right direction.
*Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2019
Four steps to a sustainable travel program
Step 1
Travel less
Reduce non-essential travel and replace it with robust virtual communication options. You can use a “stay or go” framework to help travelers decide which trips are worth it and which are not. Integrate sustainability into your travel policy to get started from the ground up.
Step 2
Travel better
Where possible, shift to more eco-friendly travel alternatives, like taking intercity trains in some countries. When flying is the only option, consider the aircraft type, the fuel used, the routes taken and more so you can optimize air travel. And explore eco-friendly alternatives for car hire and transport once travelers are on the ground.
Step 3
Use sustainable suppliers
Considering sustainability outside of your air suppliers alone is key. Check the eco-certifications and amenities for the hotels where your travelers stay. Saunas, spas, and restaurants can increase hotels’ CO2 emissions, and it’s worth paying attention to their housekeeping practices, too.
Step 4
Offset CO2 emissions
Understand carbon reporting and ensure that your program is offsetting with reliable energy projects rather than unreliable reforestation schemes disguised as the real deal. Offsetting should be a part of your holistic strategy but can’t be a replacement for reducing overall travel.
Webinar
The essentials for sustainable business travel
A sustainable business travel program can be a powerful tool – not only to influence an organization’s carbon footprint, but also to provide business travelers with the support they need to be able to carry out their responsibilities safely and effectively. Learn essential steps travel programs can take to make sustainable choices that ultimately support our planet’s health.
Get more accurate CO2 emissions reporting
Advito’s ISO-certified GATE4 reporting methodology accurately measures travel emissions, so travelers ultimately make the right decisions and travel more responsibly. It provides the most accurate emissions reporting available in the market today across the air, hotel, rail and car supplier categories and considers local factors that affect carbon emissions.
Calculate business travel emissions at a level of granularity not possible with any other scale.
Include emissions figures in annual financial and CSR reporting.
GATE4 helps travel managers:
- Track organizational goals & measure improvement opportunities
- Leverage emissions data in the supplier selection and negotiation process
- Create engaging communications to inform and influence traveler decisions
Set and achieve aggressive, science-based sustainability targets.
Find the most sustainable suppliers and create engaging traveler communications.
Environmentally sustainable travel
Learn more about the actions your business travelers and organization can take to help protect our planet.
Transform your program: Sustainable Collaboration™
Sustainability should be a key initiative in your travel program, but it can be daunting to know where to start. With Advito’s Sustainable Collaboration, travel teams can help transform their travel programs with a data-driven approach to control travel demand, reduce emissions, and engage travelers.
Sustainable Collaboration can help meet your corporate sustainability goals with:
- Leading business intelligence to bring your data to life and provide insights to shape sustainability goals and initiatives
- Strategy and recommendations from the industry’s leading consultants to decrease your CO2 emissions across all travel categories
- Traveler Engagement to inform and influence travelers with advanced digital marketing & communications strategies
Webinar
Building a sustainable future together
A sustainable tomorrow requires collaboration from every part of the industry. Webinar takeaways:
- Factors you should consider as your vet your suppliers
- How sustainable aviation fuel can impact your business
- Ways our partners implement sustainable innovation throughout their business.
Don’t overlook sustainability planning in meetings and events
The meetings and events and travel industries are two of the primary contributors to global climate change. Sure, bringing people together creates connection and foster change, but it also adds significantly to the climate challenges we are facing today. Traveling longer distances means leaving a larger CO2 footprint. Planning for large meetings and/or events means feeding more people and increased food waste, not to mention the consumption of more single-use plastics and paper for items from event signage to water bottles.
A sustainability guide to meetings & events
COVID-19 changed our industry, the way we work, and the way we plan meetings and events. Virtual events rapidly became the norm and, although we’re making our way back to face-to-face, they continue to be a key solution for our industry globally. Although this massive shift to virtual was unexpected, what’s more surprising is what we’ve learned through our adaptability, particularly when considering sustainably planning and executing meetings and/or events.
What you can do
Sustainability checklist
Encourage travelers to adopt sustainable practices:
What BCD Travel is doing
Businesses have a role to play in improving the communities in which we live and work. That’s why our corporate mission revolves around helping people and companies. It’s why sustainability lies at the core of everything we do.
—Kathy Jackson
Vice President and Executive Chair Sustainability, BCD Travel