A progressive and more conscious world outlook has brought about a major movement towards “going green.” Both businesses and the travel industry alike have become more educated about the effects of carbon emissions and are striving to reduce their impact on the planet.
Now more than ever, companies need efficient travel programs that adhere to their core objectives while meeting key sustainability goals. To help your business make meaningful steps towards a greener future, our team recently launched Direct ATPI Halo. Below, we break down why sustainability should matter to your travel program and the solutions Halo can provide on your journey to a greener future.
Why Does Sustainable Travel Matter Now?
As travel programs evolve post-pandemic, companies are redefining mission, goals, and objectives. Sustainability has emerged as a major priority along with leveraging spend, travel partner responsiveness, risk management objectives, and advanced tools for the new traveler journey. Most importantly, organizations also understand that reducing their carbon footprints is a vital component of a healthy corporate travel program.
There is no denying the impact travel has on the environment: According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), airlines alone accounts for nearly 3% of all carbon dioxide emissions created by human activity. However, while the industry is a major consumer of fossil fuel, it is also stepping up to answer the call by contributing to a healthier planet. Most major air carriers and hospitality companies have announced plans to significantly decrease carbon emission output going forward. For instance, United Airlines recently set a goal to reduce fuel emissions 100% by 2050 (without factoring in carbon offsets). On the lodging side, hoteliers like IHG and Hilton have committed to wide-raging sustainability programs with ambitious 10-year timelines.
For businesses currently reevaluating the importance of face-to-face meetings, the substantial rebound of corporate travel poses another challenge in the quest to reduce carbon emissions. Organizations recuperating from revenue loss due to COVID-19 have a continued need to streamline processes that support sustainability goals and practices.
How Carbon Offsetting Can Help
Carbon offsetting is an internationally recognized way to take responsibility for unavoidable emissions in your travel program. At its core, offsetting one ton of CO2 means there will be one less ton of CO2 in the atmosphere than there otherwise would have been. Our Direct ATPI Halo solution utilizes an exclusive measurement, reduction, and offset service to provide maximum choice and total transparency.
How does Direct ATPI Halo’s offsetting process work? To start, your business’s travel-related carbon footprint is measured in order to determine the total emissions of your travelers. From there, sustainability benchmarks are established based on industry best practices and stakeholder expectations. Next, carbon offset options are identified to help your organization meet these benchmarks.
Carbon offset options may include reforestation, forest conservation, renewable energy investments, and energy efficient community projects. Notably, we partner with world-leading offsetting projects selected for their quality, integrity, and effectiveness in correlation to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This ensures a balance of the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental.
By choosing to invest in such projects, businesses effectively offset the unavoidable emissions of their own travel programs. This makes going green practical and cost-effective so your company can maintain vital business-building activities while simultaneously working to reduce its carbon footprint. Travelers take notice, too—more than 80% of travelers say sustainable travel is a priority for them moving forward.
A Greener Future
Although many organizations now realize the importance of reducing their carbon footprint across all programs, alarmingly only 20% of surveyed participants revealed that their company’s travel program includes environmental improvement practices. As green goals continue to gain popularity and credibility, sustainability practices will further become an integral part of most business activities.
Direct Travel’s approach through collaboration with internationally recognized offset projects allows unique and customizable solutions that create a clear path to reaching sustainability goals, regardless of organization size. Most importantly, our advanced tech stack and Halo program align sustainability activities with your company’s mission, brand, and goals.
To learn more about “going green,” join us at this year’s GBTA Conference in San Diego. In addition to Halo product demos with the Direct Travel team at Booth #2113, the conference will feature a wide range of sustainability discussions on the Green Stage, including green travel practices, decarbonizing aviation, sustainable trip mapping and navigating sustainable standards. Check out our GBTA resource hub below for more info and resources.
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