Sustainability is an increasingly important consideration for travellers, but travel managers are falling behind when it comes to actively implementing sustainable travel policy, according to the latest research from Business Travel Show Europe.
A survey of 289 global travel and procurement managers, largely based in the UK and Europe (86 per cent), revealed that while 93 per cent of corporates have adopted a sustainable travel programme, 77 per cent have not set carbon budgets, which have been highlighted as one of the biggest contributors to reducing business travel-related emissions.
Likewise, only 19 per cent of respondents are investing in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and the same percentage of corporates have blocked domestic air options in their online booking tool (OBT) where rail alternatives are available.
Of the corporates that have established carbon budgets, 18 per cent manage this through their OBT, but more than half (57 per cent) claim their OBT lacks the necessary functionality to allow them to allocate and monitor a budget related to carbon emissions. A further 14 per cent simply have no plans for carbon budgeting.
The clout of current sustainable travel programmes is also dubious, with year-on-year comparisons revealing a drop in several key areas.
When questioned on the sustainable elements of their travel programme, only six per cent are actively reducing internal travel (down from 26 per cent in 2022), 13 per cent are offsetting aviation-relation emissions (down from 22 per cent the previous year), 13 per cent are also restricting how many people travel overseas to the same meeting (down from 18 per cent), while only 16 per cent are restricting unnecessary trips (down from 26 per cent).
The research also highlighted an increase in ‘softer’ activity, with 31 per cent of corporates offering travellers information on their carbon footprint, compared to 27 per cent in 2022.
Additionally, 33 per cent of travel and procurement managers said they are conscious of the human rights impact of their travel programme and make choices to limit this (compared to 17 per cent in 2022), while 26 per cent provide employees with a safe space to discuss the impact of travel on their wellbeing (up from 12 per cent in 2022).
Of the travel and procurement managers without a sustainable travel policy (7 per cent), 33 per cent said cost was a major hurdle, while 22 per cent pointed to lack of commitment from leadership and 11 per cent said their OBT is not set up for carbon budgeting/offsetting or helping to choose greener options.
Commenting on the results, BTN Group executive vice president Louis Magliaro said: “We talk to corporate travel and procurement managers daily. We know that sustainability is high on their agenda and getting buy in from stakeholders – particularly for travel managers – to create and deliver more sustainable programmes is a big priority for them.
“But we also know that the pandemic halted progress in this area for many and, now that costs are rising and the pressure to make savings is increasing, this will also impact the speed of progression. The good news is there is so much innovation and content at Business Travel Show Europe designed to help everyone to invest in our planet and be more environmentally conscious and responsible,” he added.
Business Travel Show Europe returns to ExCeL London from 28-29 June alongside TravelTech Show and The Meetings Show.