Sustainability and business travel

Turn words into action

If you resolved to be greener this year - like improving recycling or switching to a reusable coffee cup - don't forget about sustainable business travel! Travel managers and business travellers can make a big impact by making minor adjustments in their corporate trips. Are your people doing enough? Probably not, according to Bonnie Smith, GM Corporate Traveller. Some talk a good game with CSR reports and mission statements, but they're not making real changes.

There are businesses that genuinely want to go green in their travel, but they face obstacles like lacking the right infrastructure, skills, capacity, or leadership support. That's where a Travel Management Company (TMC) like Corporate Traveller can step in and help you navigate the sustainability challenges.

Smith breaks down the essentials of sustainable travel and offers actionable tips to make your green intentions a reality.

Words: Let's shrink our travel carbon footprint

How to make it happen: How can a company can reduce its carbon footprint? First things first, set some clear goals to make your travel more eco-friendly. You’re not alone on this journey – team up with a travel management partner like Corporate Traveller who knows the ropes.

We’ll help you navigate the path to carbon reduction and provide regular updates on our progress. An idea? Suggest to travellers that they bundle more meetings into one trip to cut down on both travel time and emissions. And remember, nonstop flights aren't just convenient, they're planet-friendly too!

Words: We're going to offset travel emissions

How to make it happen: Don’t just pick any offset, go for the certified, reliable ones from trusted providers. If your company wants to know how to implement a carbon offset on a flight, switch to Corporate Traveller. We can serve you a menu of options.

And, of course, don’t rely solely on offsets – reducing emissions in the first place is the power move.

How Corporate Traveller offsets carbon emissions with Trees4Travel

Download now

Words: Being responsible travellers is important to us

Many businesses are all about ethical suppliers, and you don’t have to be an exception. Leave a positive mark by choosing hotels that care about heritage and give back to the community. If you usually go for the big hotel chains, make sure they're on a zero-waste mission.

Oh, and mix things up with guesthouses to support the local community. These are corporate travel policy best practices that get the green light in terms of sustainability.

Words: We're going paperless

paperless business travel, sustainability

How to make it happen: Whether we're working in a hybrid setup or at the office, it’s time embrace the digital revolution and take steps to reduce your carbon footprint at work. It's a win-win for productivity and the planet. Corporate Traveller’s travel management programme, with digital solutions, will wave goodbye to that pesky paper.'

No more old-school paper processes for travel approvals – say hello to efficient online booking tools that make following your travel policy greener and easier.

Words: We will throw the most sustainable events and meetings in town

How to make it happen: While event venues may dazzle with their eco-friendly features, you should focus on the foodie side of things. That’s where a lot of the waste at events comes from.

Encourage attendees to pre-order food, ditch those individually wrapped items, and go for lower-emission vegetarian and vegan options.

Smith wraps it up by emphasising that the messenger matters regarding sustainability statements. If leadership talks about going greener but doesn't walk the talk, it falls flat among colleagues. Actions speak louder than words in the journey towards sustainability.

How green is your travel policy? Get a free travel programme assessment from Corporate Traveller. Plus, some thought-starters to help you improve your company's sustainability.

About Flight Centre Travel Group
The Flight Centre Travel Group is one of the world’s largest travel retailers and corporate travel managers. The company, which is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, has company-owned leisure and corporate travel business in dozens of countries, spanning Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. ASX listed Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) also operates the global FCM corporate travel management network, which extends to more than 100 countries through company-owned businesses and independent licensees, along with Corporate Traveller, the flagship business specific to the small-to-medium-sized enterprise sector. For more information, visit fctgl.com.