Sustainability in Global Business Travel
Business travel brings people together and fosters economic growth within and across national boundaries. For this to continue, however, the industry must ensure people can effectively connect in-person and conduct business globally while doing what is right for society and the planet. The need to address sustainability has grown steadily in the sector in the past few years and is now a shared concern for business travel buyers and suppliers and across the industry ecosystem for business travel buyers and suppliers and the industry overall.
A research study conducted by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) provides in-depth data and commentary from both industry players as well as external policy makers, think tanks and NGOs to reveal top priorities and opportunities as the business travel industry accelerates its journey toward a more sustainable future.
Some of the key findings include:
- Almost 9 in 10 (89%) industry respondents collectively say that sustainability is already a priority for their company.
- 88% of the global business travel sector views addressing climate change as the number one priority area for action.
- For industry professionals, among the biggest barriers to more sustainable business travel management practices are higher costs (82%) and lack of transparent information and data (63%).
- The key enablers include fostering change in industry culture (63%) and improved access to sustainability data (63%).
- Only 14% say that the industry is currently well advanced on sustainability, but improvements are being made as 76% of travel buyers have already incorporated or are planning to incorporate sustainability objectives in their travel policies.
Looking at the current state of the industry, it is evident that a strong sense of urgency and willingness exists in the business travel sector to become more sustainable. What seems to be missing are the tools and partnerships needed to leverage this momentum and align existing corporate practices with sustainability priorities resulting in actionable sustainable business travel practices.
“The State of Sustainability in the Global Business Travel Sector” full research report can be downloaded here.
GSTC for Corporate and Business Travel
“Travel activity in companies will increase again and will be put to the test in the future: for reasons of health, for cost reasons and not least for climate protection reasons. A comprehensive accounting of real travel costs, the carbon footprint and other environmental parameters will become the basis for future decisions. The benefits for employees and companies are obvious: stress reduction for traveling employees, improved climate balance, positive influence on operating profit and, last but not least, increasing employer attractiveness,” said Horst Bayer, Chair of the GSTC Business Travel Working Group.
The GSTC Sustainable Business Travel Course combines self-paced learning, hands-on activities, and interactive components to enhance learning results. It focuses on corporate and business travel, providing the knowledge and tools needed to help improve sustainability practices. The course uses the four pillars of GSTC Industry Criteria to look at how to create a new model for business travel that harnesses the real value of a sustainable business travel program that respects the new needs of travel.
Training participants of the 4-week online GSTC Sustainable Business Travel training class have the opportunity to take the official GSTC Sustainable Business Travel Course Exam. Upon successful completion, you (as an individual) are awarded the Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel by the GSTC to demonstrate your knowledge of sustainable business travel knowledge and practices. Learn more about the GSTC Professional Certificate in Sustainable Business Travel.
