As we start another new year we wanted to outline our commitment to sustainability in 2023 and beyond. We all know that air travel is a huge contributor to global CO2 emissions and organising corporate flights is central to the Traveltrust business so we can’t ignore our responsibility to help reach the planet’s sustainability goals in order to slow down the devastating impact of climate change. All of us as individuals and as businesses need to play our part so we’re determined to do all we can to aid global efforts towards a brighter, cleaner future.
The Travel Sector’s Role in Climate Change
There’s no escaping that transportation is a major contributor to global emissions responsible for climate change. Overall the travel sector accounts for approximately 8% of annual global carbon emissions, with air travel alone contributing 3%.
Whilst this may not sound too high, pound for pound air travel is the transport sector’s worst offender. Each passenger produces 0.37kg of CO2 per mile flown, which is considerably higher than emissions per passenger mile of any other transportation method. This means that on a one way flight between London and New York City each passenger is responsible for 1,280kg of CO2. On a flight of 230 passengers that aircraft will have contributed 294,531kg of carbon, or 294 tonnes.
There are currently 27 flights a day between London and New York so that route alone is generating over 7.9m kg of CO2 daily, or 7,952 tonnes. Over the course of a year that route is therefore responsible for four times more carbon than Greenland emits annually. Clearly this is not sustainable and this is why action must be taken, not only to reduce emissions but to draw existing carbon out of the atmosphere.
Compare these numbers with train travel where each passenger is estimated to produce approximately 0.06kg per mile. Granted you can’t get a train from London to New York, but were a train to cover that same distance each passenger’s contribution would be 208kg of CO2, a reduction of 84% over flying. So whilst aviation alone is worth just 3% of global emissions, it is by far the most significant contributor within the travel sector.
Traveltrust’s Response
We’re acutely aware of our industry’s impact on climate change and have made it our focus to create sustainable travel programs for our clients as well as ensuring we as a business are meeting our own sustainability goals. With this in mind we are seeking to become B-Corp Certified – a designation that a business meets the very highest standards of social and environmental performance. Our commitment towards becoming a carbon neutral operation will be the bedrock for our future certification and we believe passionately in the aims of the B-Corp movement.
With respect to offsetting our carbon as a business we have had to consider emissions generated by our own company facilities, vehicles and premises – including utilities – alongside necessary business travel, commuting, supplies and operational waste. Calculating our emissions and then accurately offsetting them will be the responsibility of our sustainability partner Trees4Travel.
We’ve chosen Trees4Travel to help us reach our sustainability goals due to their excellent record within the travel industry. Combining innovation and technology the organisation is dedicated to creating smarter travel choices and impactful environmental change within our sector.
Working with Trees4Travel
As well as being specialists at offsetting in the travel sector, Trees4Travel were Traveltrust’s number one choice as sustainability partner because of their commitment to reforestation and agroforestry programs in the developing world. Unlike many carbon offsetting programs in the UK which invest in monoculture plantations, where trees of one species are grown on a single plot of land, Trees4Travel’s approach sees benefit to those living in extreme poverty, affording them new opportunities for economic self sufficiency.
What’s more, Trees4Travel invest in renewable energy projects alongside their reforestation efforts, making their approach one of the most environmentally responsible in the business. They also share updates on progress with their projects meaning we’re always able to follow how forests are growing and developing over time.
Helping Your Business Reach its Sustainability Goals
Through our partnership with Trees4Travel we can now offer all our clients transparency over their carbon emissions and the necessary requirements to offset them. We will share with you a simple dashboard detailing emissions data, featuring attractive graphs and charts allowing for ease of environmental accountability. You can then understand the volume of trees that would need planting to offset your emissions.
Using our earlier example of a business trip from London to New York, this flight would need nine new trees to remove the trip’s carbon emissions. Thanks to our partnership with Trees4Travel, calculating and offsetting your emissions has never been easier and we’re excited to be able to help our clients transition towards a more sustainable future.
To find out more about carbon offsetting with Traveltrust, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to run through the process in more detail.