Travellers using CWT’s mobile and online booking platforms are now being given information about the carbon footprint of flights and hotels at the point of booking.
The travel management company has introduced detailed emissions data on flights and hotels during the booking process within the myCWT app and online platform across all global markets.
Erik Magnuson, CWT’s vice president, product management, travel content and connectivity, said the new initiative, in partnership with carbon intelligence platform Thrust Carbon, was designed to give travellers detailed information about the carbon footprint of their journey.
“We surveyed our global customer base at the end of 2021, and an overwhelming 87 per cent expressed that they would like information provided to their employees at point-of-booking to help reinforce responsible travel choices,” said Magnuson.
“CWT’s new carbon footprint indicators will help customers and their travellers understand their corporate and personal travel footprints, and reduce their impact on the environment.”
Travellers will be able to see the carbon emissions from different flights on the same route before booking, while hotels will be classified as sustainable if they meet certain criteria. CWT plans to add similar carbon footprint information for rail and car travel later this year.
Mark Corbett, founder and director of Thrust Carbon, added: “If the traveller cannot see their emissions at point-of-sale, then it simply will not be a factor in their decision-making.
“We are rapidly moving to a world where emissions data will be valued side by side with financial data. Together with our partners at CWT, we have made a giant leap towards delivering this for business travellers around the world.”
Thrust Carbon calculates emissions from flights based on several factors including class of travel, cabin configuration and layout, and load factors to give a more detailed carbon figure for a particular flight.
The initiative is part of CWT’s $100 million investment in its travel management platform.
“We have a robust road map for 2022 regarding sustainability and this is one of our biggest deliverables,” said Magnuson.
“When we surveyed the landscape of partners, we were impressed by the accuracy and advanced methodology that Thrust put together and the strong commitment to enhance it further. Thrust really has great experience in calculating and understanding sustainability.”
Read the column from Thrust Carbon’s Tan Strehler-Weston on what the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report means for travel.