The UK-based Business Travel Association (BTA) has urged the corporate travel sector to work together to ensure sustainable development.
The BTA’s first ESG (environmental, social and governance) report, under the title ‘We can’t do it alone’, is based around the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals and features interviews with more than 30 stakeholders from across travel, including hotels, aviation, rail and technology.
The report notes that while priorities and concerns “vary per sector”, the entire industry is agreed that climate action is the number one priority, followed by responsible consumption and production, affordable and clean energy, and gender equality.
It also finds that the main challenges to successful ESG development are cost, measurement, communication and the lack of government support.
Clive Wratten, CEO of the BTA, said: “The findings of this report demonstrate a desire for industry collaboration on a scale that we have not previously seen. It is critical that we take responsibility for our ESG activity as we recover from the pandemic, and now we have a focus to streamline these efforts.
“We are calling on the entire network of the business travel industry, as well as regulators, authorities, and governments worldwide to make this sustainable development possible; we cannot do this alone.”
Wratten also highlighted the problems caused by the impact of the pandemic on organisations’ ability to implement ESG policies.
“To date, many of the efforts of our industry are being under-reported,” he said. “Sadly, too many companies are being forced to work in isolation and numerous initiatives have stalled as organisations have battled the economic and social consequences of Covid-19.”
The BTA said the report was the “first step” in its current ESG campaign, with Wratten planning to consult with external experts to create a ‘Roadmap to a Sustainable Future’ to be launched in the autumn.