More than two-thirds of business travel already carbon neutral
Cost and greenwashing concerns prevail, according to survey
A survey of 500 business travellers commissioned by World Travel Protection and conducted by Opinium found that 67 per cent of business travel is carbon neutral, thanks to organisations carbon offsetting with environmental schemes.
Environmentally conscious travel is important to the respondents, with 62 per cent saying they are under organisational pressure to limit their carbon impact, including avoiding air travel (63 per cent). Twenty-one per cent have a policy to use rail travel where possible, while 15 per cent encourage the use of electric hire cars. Additionally, nearly one in five (19 per cent) say short work trips by air are discouraged.
However, a fifth admitted that cost is the biggest priority for their organisation’s travel policy and 16 per cent believe their company is greenwashing when it comes to business travel. Eleven per cent say their organisation does not consider the environment at all when organising work travel.
But business travellers want organisations to make a policy for sustainable work travel a priority (21 per cent), and a fifth said that reducing their environmental impact is very important. Seventeen per cent would also choose to avoid unnecessary work travel because of the environmental impact.
Kate Fitzpatrick, Regional Security Director, UK, World Travel Protection, said: “It’s clear from this survey that whilst business travel is crucial for many organisations, the majority are putting responsible measures in place to limit their carbon footprint, including encouraging employees to avoid air travel where possible.
“It isn’t just about doing your part to reduce environmental impact, but preparing travelling teams for what to do when something goes wrong overseas. Just this summer in Europe, we’ve seen the devastating effect of unpredictable climatic events, including wildfires and flooding. When this happens, organisations need to know immediately where their people are, and what they need to do to help them. It’s important to understand that preparing for the known risks is only half the challenge. In this increasingly uncertain world, it is also crucial to prepare teams for the unknown.”