Corporate Traveller surveyed 202 Australian SME business owners and discovered more than half (58%) plan to reduce carbon emissions and waste through their travel policies this year.
Australian based, Global Managing Director of Corporate Traveller, Tom Walley said the results would give a much-needed boost to the industry to up its sustainability game in 2023.
Corporate Traveller also asked respondents what sustainability offerings they would be looking for when travelling in 2023. Business owners got to select travel options from a list of 10. Almost three quarters (74%) selected at least one offering.
The top offerings that support the SME shift to sustainable travel were ranked as follows:
|
Sustainability offering |
Percentage (%) ranked |
|
More direct flights
|
38 |
|
Electric vehicle (EV) car hire options
|
30 |
|
Airlines with a program to reduce carbon emissions
|
29 |
|
Accommodation close to meetings to make use of public transport/walking
|
27 |
|
Airlines that offer carbon offsetting options
|
25 |
|
Hotels with sustainability practices – such as no single use plastics
|
24 |
|
Hotels with a food waste reduction program
|
18 |
|
Hotels that use renewable energy, such as solar power
|
17 |
|
Travel destinations with a sustainable public transport system
|
16 |
|
Travel destinations with Government policies and programs that commit to reducing emissions and waste |
14 |
“To improve sustainability in the corporate travel market, it’s the travel industry’s responsibility to establish more ambitious goals, to continue investing in new technologies and products, and to partner with sustainable services to help travellers reduce their footprint,” Tom said.
Australia’s transport and aviation industries collectively account for 17% of the country’s emissions[1], however there are many progressive airlines, hotel groups and hire car companies already making a real impact. For instance, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), which are made from oil or alcohol waste, or green hydrogen, are slowly emerging as a significant, low carbon-emitting fuel option for international airlines. Delta Airlines is committed to replacing 10% of its fuel with SAFs by 2030.[2] Air New Zealand recently announced the same target,[3] while Etihad Airways has operated its first flight using a 40% blend of SAFs last month.[4]
Tom added: “It will be a global effort. Watching the success of initiatives in other markets and adopting them or investing in them locally is a low-risk way forward.”
Additionally, Corporate Traveller’s online booking tool, Savi, helps to raise awareness of sustainable travel options with unique functionality for flights and ground transport, including carbon offsetting.
Savi displays the carbon emissions associated with all flight options at the time of booking, making it easy to identify and select more sustainable travel choices. Instead of generic calculations, Savi considers the impact of specific seat classes and aircraft types. Customers can also choose to carbon offset their flights.
Savi also prioritises hybrid and electric vehicles for rental cars, making a difference on the ground. In addition to working with customers to reduce their impact, Corporate Traveller also partners with a range of accredited offsetting providers for customers who wish to measure and offset emissions for their business travel program locally or abroad.
Find out more about Savi and how it can help your business travel more sustainability here.
[1] Parliament of Australia, aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook45p/EmissionsReduction
[2] Delta Airlines, September 2021, news.delta.com/chevron-delta-air-lines-and-google-announce-intent-measure-sustainable-aviation-fuel-emissions-data
[3] Air New Zealand, 15 September 2022, airnewzealand.com.au/press-release-2022-airnz-air-new-zealand-to-welcome-first-shipment-of-sustainable-aviation-fuel-into-nz
