Managing corporate travel to increase sustainability has rapidly morphed from a feel-good nicety to an absolute necessity. Research shows business travelers are calling for more eco-friendly travel options, and companies are listening.
In a recent blog post, BCD Travel’s Tony McGetrick offered three ways travel buyers can jump-start sustainability using program management tactics already in their toolkits.
- Give sustainability greater weight in supplier selection.
You probably already consider sustainability when evaluating agency, air, hotel and car partners. But plan to expand: Three-quarters of travel managers say they’ll focus even more on sourcing with eco-minded suppliers over the next two years, according to research from the Global Business Travel Association and SAP Concur.
- Guide travelers toward more eco-friendly choices.
Using Traveler EngagementTM tactics to boost sustainability is simple because your on-the-road employees want to reduce their impact. Over the past year, 58% of travel managers received traveler requests for more eco-friendly trip options, according to GBTA and SAP Concur.
- Leverage collaboration technology to reduce nonessential trips.
Video-enabled collaboration tools are getting better and more ubiquitous every day. In 2020, try incorporating them into your program as non-travel offerings in ways that won’t hurt your bottom line.
A directed virtual collaboration strategy for internal meetings enabled one company to significantly reduce its environmental impact by avoiding over 900 trips. The company also saved US$5.5 million and boosted productivity by redirecting over 15,000 hours of employee travel time.
Read McGetrick’s full article for more details. Learn more about how Sustainable Collaboration can guide your program toward lower-impact business travel.
