The number of European-based companies that have written sustainability initiatives into their travel policy has risen “significantly” over the past four years, a study has found.
The rise in firms with a focus on sustainability is up from 39 per cent in 2012 to 57 per cent this year.
The study by the GBTA 's research arm, GBTA Foundation, of around 300 US and European-based travel buyers found that an increasing number of US companies are incorporating sustainability programmes into contracts, 11 per cent in 2011 to 19 per cent today.
However, GBTA said they still “continue to lag behind European counterparts”.
“Overall, sustainability initiatives appear to be more integrated in Europe-based organizations, with opportunity for improvement among US based organisations,” said GBTA Foundation’s VP of research, Joseph Bates.
“We found that European companies are focused on efforts that result in both financial and environmental benefits, while American companies have a strong focus on the human relations aspect of sustainability.”
The study also analysed the impact of sustainability initiatives, finding among companies that measure their environmental footprint, nearly all measure air travel activity – 96 per cent in Europe and 92 per cent in the US.
“It does not surprise me to see sustainability issues rising up the agenda for Travel Managers,” said Jim Burrell, senior VP for Enterprise Holdings in Europe, which sponsored the study Sustainability in Travel Programmes.
“Sustainability within the travel supply chain has been a core component of contractual discussions for a number of years. However, there is a definite shift to this becoming more about measurement and impact than just a nice to have.”
Nearly 300 U.S. and European-based travel managers were surveyed to better understand how they currently view sustainability initiatives and the role sustainability plays with ground transportation.
In addition, the study focused on future intentions regarding incorporating sustainability into programs as well as similarities and differences by regions and across time.