The importance of business travel cannot be overstated. Employees can improve their skills and gain real-world experience through corporate travel, while also strengthening relationships with clients and business partners.
Despite its significance, climate change makes long-term sustainability difficult. Environmentally responsible waste collection and carbon-reduction initiatives are more important than ever. So, what can businesses do to combat climate change on their own? Here are some reasons why your business should develop a sustainable business travel strategy, as well as some “green” travel options to think about.
Companies must first recognize and prioritize their environmental impact. Because consumers value sustainability, sustainable business practices benefit both the company and the preservation and protection of the environment. Businesses that have implemented environmentally friendly practices to reduce the environmental impact of their employees’ and their own travel are more likely to attract customers and future employees.
Businesses can promote more environmentally friendly business travel by transitioning to carbon-neutral modes of transportation such as electric vehicles, vans, and buses.
Provide additional best practices training to ensure that employees understand the company’s sustainability goals. Switching to reusable plastics, eating more sustainably, and dining locally are a few examples. While using hotel amenities is convenient, single-use plastics are environmentally harmful. By providing company-branded versions as freebies or employee rewards, you can encourage employees to adopt more environmentally friendly habits such as using reusable water bottles, containers, and utensils.
Businesses are putting more effort into identifying environmentally friendly business travel options, especially for air travel. Why? Because aviation contributes 14{6092bf85bb027f8192371ba1511a1e08c625facb91a9a7882360247e9bb6f9cf} of global CO2 emissions. Businesses should partner with airlines that are committed to using more sustainable fuels to lower the CO2 emissions per flight. Encourage employees to use different routes. According to one study, these fuels can reduce the carbon footprint of a flight by up to 80{6092bf85bb027f8192371ba1511a1e08c625facb91a9a7882360247e9bb6f9cf}.
Reduce your environmental impact by flying direct, using fuel-efficient aircraft, and traveling less. You can save the equivalent of two trees by removing 15 pounds of weight from your suitcase. Another straightforward step is to stop producing itineraries, boarding passes, and other travel-related documents. Nowadays, most domestic travel requires only computerized papers and smart software.
Take advantage of the opportunity to review and modify your corporate travel policy once business travel and activities have resumed. Changes in travel habits can be made by both businesses and individuals to reduce their environmental impact. For more information, please consult the resource.