BT4Europe is calling for ¡°coordinated action¡± between EU policymakers and industry leaders to standardise carbon emissions methodologies linked to business travel.

The European travel buyers network on Wednesday (30 July) released its latest position paper, ¡®Sustainable Business Travel ¨C CO2 Transparency and Global Comparability as Transformation Drivers¡¯, that urges businesses to make emissions data ¡°just as prominent as cost¡±?across travel booking systems and reporting tools.

¡°Sustainability is no longer optional, and greener business travel must be managed with the same discipline we apply to cost control, duty of care, and compliance,¡±?said Angela Lille, leader of BT4Europe¡¯s sustainability working group.?

¡°If emissions data isn¡¯t visible, standardised and integrated into our systems, we can¡¯t manage it ¨C let alone reduce it.¡±

The paper underlined the ¡°strategic importance¡± of business travel, but emphasised that corporates need access to ¡°reliable and comparable carbon data¡± in order to benchmark performance and support ¡°smarter¡± procurement decisions.

Among its recommendations, the paper urges policymakers, businesses and standardisation bodies to align calculation and reporting methods globally and to mandate the inclusion of emissions data as part of sustainability reporting frameworks such as the EU¡¯s recently watered down Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

BT4Europe pointed to the work of the?Energy & Environment Alliance (EEA)?as a model of sector-wide standard-setting. Mandated by the IFRS Foundation, the EEA is developing globally applicable sustainability metrics for the hospitality industry ¨C ¡°proof that collaborative, investment-grade standards are possible and impactful,¡± the group said.

Additionally, BT4Europe recommends business travel buyers and suppliers integrate CO2 data across all train, flight, hotel and car rental bookings as well as on invoices for all travel and accommodation services.

¡°Travel platforms, TMCs and booking tools play a central role in this shift by embedding emissions data into everyday decision flows and corporate reporting systems,¡± BT4Europe said in a statement.?

¡°Today¡¯s patchwork of emission calculators, certifications and labels creates confusion, undermines fair competition, and burdens companies operating under stricter European rules,¡± BT4Europe said in a statement.?

Lille added: ¡°Transformation happens when data becomes decision-ready. With shared CO2 standards, companies can reduce emissions effectively, meet growing disclosure requirements and protect Europe¡¯s position in a decarbonising global economy.¡±