Julien Etchanchu is senior director, sustainability, at corporate travel consultancy Advito

When speaking to students about sustainability, I have found that many already feel it's too late to make a difference.

While it is true that sustainability is one of the most significant challenges humanity has ever faced, we have many solutions at our disposal, even if they are not always immediately championed by the industry.

While the business travel industry has an important role to play in climate impact, I don¡¯t believe it has fully grasped the magnitude of the issue. The industry's failure to align with the IPCC's goal of reducing emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and International Air Transport Association¡¯s (IATA) plan to decrease emissions by 2032 reflects a lack of consideration for urgency.

One reason for this failure is the industry¡¯s seemingly constant need for growth. This leads to a more fundamental question: do we need to continuously grow? And should we prioritise growing or thriving?

The airline industry has largely prioritised technological innovation to promote more sustainable modes of transportation. However, relying solely on technology is not feasible and will not be enough to push emissions down to long-term net zero goals.

Rather, according to the rebound effect (or Jevons Paradox), it¡¯s possible that these efficiency improvements might even lead to increased use and therefore higher emissions. Already, there are indications this is the case. While carbon intensity in the airline industry has reduced significantly over the past three decades, absolute emissions have more than doubled due to the rise in volume. In other words, without decreasing traffic, we have no chance of reaching targets set by climate scientists.

Innovations like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) have been touted as solutions to the aviation industry's carbon emissions problem. IATA set a goal for SAF to represent 10 per cent of aviation fuel within ten years, starting in 2007. However, as of 2023 only 0.01 per cent of aviation fuel is SAF.

This huge discrepancy shows that the industry has fallen very short of its goals. While SAF offers a glimmer of hope, it's crucial to recognise the scalability challenges it presents, which may prove insurmountable.

Barking up the wrong tree
In the business world, GDP has become the yardstick by which we measure success, but it fails to account for externalities such as pollution, inequality, and environmental degradation. For instance, reforestation may not necessarily contribute to GDP growth, but it can bring immense benefits in terms of ecosystem services and carbon sequestration.

This highlights the limitations of GDP as an indicator of true human prosperity. In the face of climate change, we need a new model for measuring success that takes into account both economic and environmental factors. That answer may lie within an environmentally-focused economic theory known as the Doughnut Theory.

Economist Kate Raworth's Doughnut Theory is a holistic economic approach that promotes sustainability, fairness, and social wellbeing through a new way of thinking. It proposes that human activity must overcome two fundamental obstacles, represented by two concentric rings.

The first ring is the social foundation, which ensures that no one is left falling short on life's essentials such as water, food, health, energy, gender equality, social equity, peace and justice, income and work. The second ring is the ecological ceiling, which ensures that humanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect earth's life-supporting systems.

Unfortunately, our current actions are causing significant harm to the planet, including CO2 emissions, climate change, ocean acidification, pollution, biodiversity loss, land conversion and freshwater withdrawals. According to the Doughnut Theory, our future economic viability is threatened.

Some economies are already beginning to adopt the Doughnut Theory to present a more feasible and comprehensive approach to sustainable development. Amsterdam, a city known for its progressive policies, is mandating that decision-makers meet specific social and ecological targets to ensure their actions align with the Doughnut's inner circle of social foundations and the outer circle of ecological boundaries.

This policy approach includes targets like reducing fish and meat consumption, limiting flights at Schiphol airport, and prioritising the restoration of existing buildings. Moreover, Amsterdam is taking steps to address social issues such as green concrete measures around housing, better access to education, culture and sport. Notably, other cities, including Portland on the US west coast, are set to follow suit.

Doughnut's sweet solution for travel
The application of the Doughnut model to the travel industry prompts an important question: what would the model look like in practice? To begin, it is essential to adopt an approach that values both positive and negative ecological and social externalities.

One promising strategy for reducing carbon emissions in business travel is to hold polluters accountable for their actions. We can achieve this with a carbon tax, which would incentivise emission reductions and reward airlines with more efficient fleets.

However, it is also important to consider the positive social impacts of travel, such as enabling students to study abroad or transporting life-saving vaccines.

Similarly, in the hotel industry, we should value the renovation of older properties through incentives over building new ones, which can contribute to soil artificialisation and biodiversity loss. When it comes to food, the current pricing discrepancy between organic and conventionally grown food is a cause for concern.

One way to address this issue in the hotel industry is by incentivising mostly local and vegetarian food options. Furthermore, water usage is crucial, and implementing a social pricing system could be effective. For instance, offering the first 50 litres of water for free, with additional usage priced significantly higher, could help reduce waste.

One size does not fit all
While climate scientists recommend halving our emissions by 2030, it is important to consider the unique circumstances of different industries. For example, a company selling exclusively electric cars may not be expected to meet the same emissions targets as other industries.

Similarly, a railway company may not need to cut their emissions in half as the externalities of their actions are highly positive: from an ecological perspective, they reduce emissions, noise and climate change; and from a social perspective, they positively impact the health of communities and create green jobs.

By recognising the nuances of each industry, we can create a more effective approach to sustainable development. Ultimately, the travel industry must shift its focus from growing to thriving. This requires embracing a new model that prioritises economic development without sacrificing social and environmental responsibility.

The Doughnut Theory provides a promising framework to achieve this, inspiring cities like Amsterdam to adopt new principles as a tool for transformative action.

As we move forward, it's crucial for the travel industry to take action and pave the way towards a more equitable and regenerative system. Despite the many challenges ahead, we must remain steadfast in our pursuit of progress.?