In the current growth-driven economy, many business processes are viewed through a triangle of price, scope and timing. This is no different for travel, where the focus has largely been on cutting costs in the most efficient way to increase profit margin. Often, though, to attain this something must be sacrificed in the process. Want a trip booked in a timely manner and to be of high quality? Then you won¡¯t be able to do so cheaply.

It¡¯s widely accepted that to retain balance within these models, there tends to be an element of growth and movement as we progress and business developments evolve. For a number of years, business travel has been under scrutiny for the severely negative impact it can have on the environment. No longer can price, scope and timing be the only factors considered in business travel; the global anxiety around ecological impacts is deepening and permeating through to board level conversations. Now, it¡¯s down to governments and global corporations to take responsibility and emphasise that growth need not be at the hands of dismantling our habitat.

And there¡¯s steps already being taken to tackle the issue. As the voices of campaigners like Extinction Rebellion grow louder, so do the concerns of travel managers and TMCs. Travel programmes are curated with the ecological factor front of mind as we move further into the digital age. Now, more than ever before, we¡¯re gifted with a multitude of technologies that can not only support us in predicting and mitigating problems, but to do so efficiently. For businesses with global offices spread across various destinations, there are tools that can support choosing the most sustainable options.

Extinction momentum: driving the change

So what¡¯s driving this monumental shift in attitude? Science. Science is revealing that our lifestyle of air travel, excessive use of single-use plastics and disregard for our actions is ramping up carbon emissions and saturating oceans with plastic. But economic growth is what improves standards of living and brings us closer to global prosperity ¨C it¡¯s just that the way in which we¡¯re pursuing it is not currently sustainable.

Modern workforces, too, are starting to reflect upon the damage caused by generations of fossil fuel use and plastic production. In recent years, the focus has shifted to examine air travel and the level of carbon footprint which is left behind each time we fly, a mode of transport which is integral to business operations from a cost efficiency and time perspective. On an individual level, many are adjusting their lifestyle and dietary choices to minimise their impact on the environment. But often, when it comes to jumping on a plane for a holiday the damage caused isn¡¯t always taken into consideration.

Increasingly, it¡¯s governments and businesses who are coming under fire and expected to lead by example when it comes to implementing sustainable solutions ¨C large-scale entities which have a collective corporate social responsibility to drive real, significant change. These days, a brand¡¯s reputation is at risk if appropriate steps aren¡¯t being taken towards sustainability. Take the recent growing phenomenon of flight shaming. Employees expect the company they represent to acknowledge and take steps to combat the climate crisis, especially those from the newest cohort, Gen Z. Equally, it¡¯s up to employees to engage with sustainable travel schemes their companies offer and use available technology to guide their transport decisions.

Driving sustainable change

Leading the charge are companies who offer incentives around opting for slower, more sustainable transport, like Climate Perks. Aside from internally educating teams, their mission has been to offer perks like extra annual leave for staff who actively choose low carbon transportation, like rail or bus, rather than booking flights. This is also more cost-effective, the only visible downside being the extended journey duration, which is understandably a problem for businesses.

For global organisations like PWC, setting strict targets to reduce carbon emissions and challenging the need, frequency and mode of transport has been implemented in recent years. In 2019 so far the firm has reduced travel emissions per person by 2% against its target ¨C positive, but there¡¯s clearly work to be done. In France, railway operator SNCF has proposed merging Eurostar and Thalys, another European counterpart, under the project name ¡®Green Speed¡¯, their aim being to provide better rail connectivity and reduce the need for air travel.

Aside from this, a recent trend sees companies looking more into expanding their partner networks with hotels and travel companies that advocate sustainable business processes. According to Forbes, the range of hotels and airlines which offer reduced carbon options are increasing and this is music to the ears of travel managers keen to establish relationships with environmentally conscious firms.

Sustainable business travel encompasses more than simply the mode of transport involved in the trip itself, though. Many hotels have recognised the opportunity to differentiate themselves as eco-conscious, taking the reins of competitive advantage by removing single-use plastics from guestrooms, installing motion-sensitive lights and replacing single-use toiletries in bathrooms with bulk bottles. With these kinds of initiatives in place, travel managers can rest assured that once staff have arrived at their travel destination, their accommodation is just as mindful of excessive waste. As with most business processes, real tangible change begins with internal education and best-practice frameworks.

For most companies, the crux of the matter is that travel managers don¡¯t know how to approach setting up sustainable business travel schemes, let alone launch them companywide and manage them. The logistics for such programmes can seem daunting, but this is why technology is a vital resource to help with the transition.

Technology and data: building bridges

Historically, global responses to climate change have been minimal ¨C we¡¯re told to recycle plastic, take shorter showers and turn off light switches. This isn¡¯t enough to counteract some of the irreversible damage fossil fuels and carbon emissions are doing to the atmosphere. What businesses should be collectively focusing on is procuring technology that can determine the cleanest routes to take and which modes of transport will be the cheapest and most sustainable: Machine learning and AI will enable this. It¡¯s important we make best use of it.

One certainty is that travel is a core process in business; it brings teams together and allows for a higher level of synchronicity than purely digital communication. In short, it¡¯s necessary. But it¡¯s digital carbon calculators and other booking tools which will significantly reduce the environmental impact. Using these booking tools to set specific emissions goals and machine-learning powered option selections are what¡¯s needed. Travellers have access to these tools via mobile apps they can carry with them on their journeys that can intuitively calculate the cleanest routes and suggest logistics that are in line with company emissions targets and policy. The technology provides visibility for travel managers who are tasked with ensuring these guidelines are followed.

Advancements in artificial intelligence mean previous strategies used by TMCs are handled in half the time, especially when the algorithms are connected to data from external travel networks. Travel booking and planning is now more than ever a collaborative effort from an ecosystem of travel companies, accommodation services and transport networks. Working together is how to better manage business impact on the climate.

Using location data to intelligently suggest alternative route choices, via push notifications, is another way to manage and encourage sustainable travel. Often, it¡¯s fear of the unknown which would deter a business traveller from using complicated foreign rail networks, so again we¡¯re seeing technology bridge this gap by digitally calculating the cleanest routes and clearly displaying them to users. More often than not, we¡¯re unaware of the impact our trip is having on the environment. So when booking trips, viewing the options in a ranked index is a good way to choose low carbon modes of transport. Equally, if businesses are receiving emissions reports post-trip, this will allow firms to analyse their data and make sure travellers are adhering to agreed guidelines.

Aside from these specific tools, it goes without saying that businesses need to move towards paperless processes, especially for business travel. In 2019, boarding passes don¡¯t need to be printed for good measure. With this in mind, it¡¯s the travellers themselves who must also take on responsibility for mapping out sustainable journeys where possible and use the available technology to do so, from the mode of transport they choose through to picking up digital boarding passes and tickets.

Taking steps to reducing the footprint

In realistic terms, the move towards sustainable travel is still a work in progress. Firms are under enormous pressure to deliver results faster, grow exponentially, and maintain a high quality in all they do. The traditional triangle business model is swiftly moving towards a square; there¡¯s no way we can achieve these successes if we don¡¯t do so sustainably. The reality is that this won¡¯t happen overnight, and we need to re-evaluate how we connect and traverse the planet without causing more unnecessary damage.

Implementing a sustainable business strategy should begin with a phased approach, rolling out cleaner options and promoting them, such as rail travel for inland destinations ¨C take Europe, for instance, with its intricate and highly efficient cross-border rail network. Eventually, mandatory rules may become necessary, but for now it¡¯s important that we focus on adjusting current measures gradually so they fit into current business process. As always, the best course of action for travel managers is to ensure that staff understand and respect the guidelines around booking trips and use internal systems to arrange them. This is how to best track and monitor traveller behaviour, as well as calculate risk management and costs.

The truth is, there¡¯s still a lot of research and development needed to tackle the climate crisis from a business perspective. We¡¯re approaching it by taking individual responsibility, but as a collective, it¡¯s down to businesses and governments to practice what they preach and enforce emissions restrictions on travel. It¡¯s companies solely focused on the bottom line who will continue to turn a blind eye in order to maintain cost efficiency. But this is short-sighted.

Overlooking corporate social responsibility will become increasingly visible to staff and could eventually impact recruitment further down the line; lack of concern with sustainability and due diligence could drive away the best and most innovative minds, not to mention actively damage our home, planet earth. Aside from the corporations, it¡¯s our own responsibility as individual travellers to reconsider our travel options and use technology to guide us into taking the cleanest routes. Ultimately the time, money and research spent on advancing technologies must be put to good use, by harnessing them to guide us into making smart, sustainable travel choices.