Reducing CO2 emissions generated by business travel is rapidly becoming ingrained in companies’ ESG commitments. As a travel manager, are you confident that you are easily able to make the most sustainable travel choices for the business?
Clarity around sustainable travel choices is crucial.
A key step towards that clarity is the major upgrade to Reed & Mackay’s proprietary online booking tool (OBT) R&M/Book, announced at the Business Travel Show Europe 2023. The technology innovation will allow bookers to compare and select a more sustainable choice when booking travel. Reed & Mackay is one of the first TMCs to give travellers and bookers this opportunity.
Clients will discover two important aspects to the technology. First is access to pre-trip granular CO2 results. This will deliver information on the unique CO2 footprint of every travel option and allow bookers to compare with the trip average and know immediately how to make a more sustainable choice.
The second differentiator is that carbon-aware insights will be available for entire journeys. CO2 calculations are not just available for planes and trains but for cars and hotels too.
The tech development is the first phase of Reed & Mackay’s partnership with SQUAKE, pioneers in providing highly accurate and fully audited measurement of CO2 emissions.
Why is the new technology important for travel managers?
This exciting development has arrived at a critical time when it’s becoming clearer that sustainable travel is a vital part of industry conversation. This is highlighted in recent surveys reporting that UK business travellers are looking for more sustainable travel options as well as in calls for everyone in the travel industry to co-ordinate efforts for more sustainable and responsible travel.
Travel buyers and travellers will be able to use the bespoke calculations to compare flights based on enhanced CO2 performance data. This data also includes information such as aircraft type, load factors and routing.
Hotels for business trips can then be chosen by sustainability performance ratings. And ground transportation can be selected based on fuel, engine and car type.
It also means travelling sustainably doesn’t have to compromise traveller experience as it doesn’t mean changing convenience or preferences. It’s simply about having those choices first hand to reduce Scope 3 emissions and hit ESG commitments/targets.
At a glance: benefits of carbon-aware notifications
· Easy to find, available through our online booking tool R&M/Book
· Calculations are based on multiple data points to give the most accurate estimate. For example, when working out the carbon emissions of a flight from London to Barcelona, the calculation will consider not just the distance travelled, but factors like the aircraft type and number of travellers
· Travel buyers have the freedom to make sustainable choices, without compromising on traveller preferences or the businesses bottom line
· Scope 3 emissions can be hard to reduce; the notifications provide more opportunity for businesses to achieve their ESG targets
· It’s free to use.
A sustainable future
This is just Phase One of this exciting new technology development with many more updates coming soon.
Reed & Mackay is leading the way on sustainability and has itself been on a journey to be a responsible business, while helping educate clients on how to reduce, mitigate and compensate carbon footprint for several years. Find out more about what we’ve achieved for our clients and our business.
