D
oing the responsible thing for the
environment comes in a lot of
forms. Sustainability criteria are
increasingly a major purchasing consideration
for businesses with environmental impact
as part of their corporate responsibility
priorities. There are important changes to
company travel policies that can benefit both
the budget and the environment.
As a travel manager, how can you be a
strategic part of those conversations? How
can you add value by increasing your travel
program’s sustainability efforts? Here are some
opportunities for you to add to the discussion.
Adjustments to your travel policy can
support sustainability initiatives. Gabe Rizzi,
President of Travel Leaders Corporate,
notes, “Environmentally responsible travel
policies can be a win-win. More and more
employees are making environmentally
conscious decisions regarding their travel
purchases. Many of these sustainability
measures can reduce expenses and support
broader corporate initiatives and may even
provide you with a competitive advantage.”
CHOOSE THE RIGHT
TRANSPORTATION
Consider an airfare policy change that
allows for more direct flights. Connecting
flights may sometimes be a bit more
economical, but in terms of CO 2 emissions,
direct flights are the better choice. Most
emissions occur during take-off and landing,
so it’s best to keep those to a minimum.
Rail travel is a great alternative to flying—
especially along the east coast. Train trips
result in an average of 7x fewer emissions
than a similar plane trip. When flight delays
are considered, it’s likely that the reliability
of a train will get your travelers home from
a business trip in time for family dinner,
rather than killing time in the LaGuardia
food court. In addition, train stations are
generally more centrally located in a city’s
business district, which saves both the
environmental and financial cost of a long
taxi ride to and from a suburban airport.
Ground transportation offers many
opportunities to go green. You could adjust
the travel policy that offers reimbursement for
only economy or compact cars for solo travelers.
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Smaller cars use less gas and emit less
pollution, making them the right choice for
a single traveler. Require or incentivize your
staff to use public transit options in cities with
a direct route downtown from the airport.
SELECT GREEN VENDORS
When it comes to selecting vendors and
suppliers, consider their sustainability
practices. When you’re sourcing air travel,
consider the age of their fleet and if the
carrier flies lower-emission aircraft. Hotels
with a lower carbon footprint are a good
choice. Check out this website with a
hotel footprinting tool to evaluate carbon
emissions during your sourcing phase:
hotelfootprints.org. Many large chains tout
their green certifications and are involved
in human rights and fair labor practices
initiatives. When crafting a ground
transportation policy, find out which car
rental companies offer hybrid vehicles.
Travel policy adjustments could include
avoiding the ‘free upgrade’ to a larger car
that’s less environmentally friendly.
REDUCE MEETING &
EVENT WASTE
Sustainable events are becoming more
prevalent as awareness has increased.
Meetings of all sizes can produce a lot of
waste, not to mention the carbon footprint of
gathering all of the attendees. Practices like
donating leftover materials or purchasing
generic materials that can be reused for
multiple events can take your meeting in a
more sustainable direction. Trends like water
bottle filling stations and compostable
food containers can help combat food
waste. Many venues will arrange to donate
uneaten food to local area food banks or
homeless shelters.
Companies that want to take environmental
awareness even further could incorporate an
impact day, which includes an afternoon of
trash pick-up at a local park or a stream
clean-up. Team-building activities like these
can be a great networking opportunity
among attendees, while also giving back to
the host city.
PAPERLESS EVENTS
Put your agenda, speaker bios, schedules
and maps online. Developing and promoting
a digital event app can help reduce the
need for printed materials. An app can be
updated in real time, which means that all
attendees have the latest information. Ditch
the plastic nametags by ordering reusable
metal nameplates that will last for years.
Your contribution to sustainable business
travel practices is worth the effort. Including
sustainable tactics like these into your travel
program can improve your company’s
carbon footprint and be a source of pride
for your staff.
Meeting planners should consider
these criteria when booking a venue:
» » Is public transportation available?
» » Do you source locally grown food?
» » What percent of your property’s
waste is recycled?
» » Have you moved into LED lighting and
energy-efficient HVAC equipment?