Even if you fear the cost of sustainable travel, your TMC can help you participate on a budget.

Is your organization focusing on the cost of sustainable travel as the economy opens back up again? If so, you’re not alone. Studies and statistics indicate that sustainable travel is one of the top priorities for businesses of all sizes around the world.

But focusing on and prioritizing sustainable travel is one thing. Putting it into practice is another thing entirely, particularly for small to mid-size companies.

Your travel management company (TMC) has the ability to support your shift to a more sustainable business travel program. How does that work? Here are the stats behind sustainable travel, plus a few different ways that your TMC partner can support your sustainability initiatives and reduce the cost of sustainable travel.

Sustainable Travel Behind the Numbers

The 2021 Davos World Economic Forum marked a significant moment for sustainability. At the Forum, more than 400 companies signed a pledge to decarbonize by 2050. The 400-plus companies included well-known multinational organizations as well as smaller companies that are committed to long-term sustainability.

Recent survey data from Deloitte further confirms that sustainability is a growing emphasis for companies around the world. Almost one-third of all travel managers report that their company is committed to reducing emissions — including specific reduction amounts to be achieved within specific time frames. Also, 79% of all companies have made or are working on some sort of pledge regarding sustainability.

Of course, business travel is one of the most obvious levers for sustainability that companies can pull. Around half of all respondents to the Deloitte survey indicated that they are planning to optimize business travel policies to decrease environmental impacts within the next year.

5 Ways Your TMC Helps Reduce Cost of Sustainable Travel

You don’t have to fight the sustainability battle all by yourself. Given that business travel is one of the biggest opportunities to put sustainability ideas into practice, your travel management company should be one of your most important partners. Many small- and mid-size businesses fear that the cost of sustainability will too high, but a TMC can help on that front by identifying and implementing cost-effective sustainability measures.

Here are 5 specific ways that your TMC can assist you on your journey to a more sustainable future.

1. Policy Creation

Your travel policy will directly affect how sustainable your travel program can be. You and your team will be able to identify several ways to reduce the footprint of your company’s overall travel program. The travel policy is where you can implement those tactics and enforce compliance.

Your TMC can help you codify those tactics into a travel policy. And your TMC can also make suggestions on other ways to enhance your travel program’s sustainability. Keep in mind that TMCs are working each and every day with companies large and small to achieve their travel-related objectives. When you lean on your TMC for help with sustainability and policy creation, you gain access to all of the lessons learned through your TMC’s relationships with other organizations.

2. Technology Implementation

Technology is an essential tool for reaching your sustainable business travel goals. Whenever you implement software, no matter the reason, you automate tasks that were once completed manually, and you also reduce the likelihood of human error. The same holds true for business travel software.

Any TMC worth its salt will be able to make recommendations on the best travel software for your unique needs. Most TMCs are working week in and week out with different software for different clients. Based on that experience, your TMC will be able to help you implement the technologies that will lead to real sustainability results.

3. Vendor Selection

Airlines using sustainable jet fuel, hotels with environmentally friendly practices in place, rental car companies offering fuel-efficient vehicles. These are all ways that supplier selection influences the overall sustainability of a travel program.

And a TMC can help you choose suppliers that will drive greater sustainability for your organization. Again, TMCs are working daily with companies large and small to help them achieve their travel-related objectives. This experience is invaluable as you choose the best suppliers and vendors for your travel program.

4. Data Collection

Your company needs to be able to demonstrate the success of its sustainability practices. It’s difficult to demonstrate that success if you are not capturing data needed for analysis.

TMCs are extremely helpful in assisting you with tracking your travel performance, sustainability included. With the right technologies in place and the right management, data collection is automated and your team is able to analyze how well its sustainability initiatives are performing.

5. Trip Frequency Optimization

According to the Deloitte survey previously mentioned, many companies are attempting to reduce emissions by limiting the number of trips they take by trip stacking. These organizations learned during the pandemic how to do business while traveling less. They are now using that experience to continue traveling less for the sake of sustainability.

TMCs work with companies to create and sustain hybrid meeting schedules, including both in-person and virtual options. A TMC can also help optimize itineraries to reduce the overall number of flights taken. This naturally improves the sustainability profile of any company.

Work With the Leading TMC

At JTB Business Travel, we are the leading travel management company. We work with organizations of all sizes that have varying travel-related objectives. Many use our services to drive business growth while also supporting sustainable business practices. Behind every service we offer and every recommendation we make is a common-sense approach to business travel.

Contact us today and discover how to make your travel program more sustainable on any budget.