There are few instances in which the eyes of the business world are entirely on sustainability
. Among the few rare exceptions to this rule is Climate Week NYC, a five-day-long event that consists of conferences, press events, discussions, and symposiums, all designed to maintain the spotlight on sustainability.

While the majority of carbon-related rhetoric within commercial aviation is typically aimed at the consumer (by emphasizing the importance of lowering one’s carbon footprint), this event’s target audience is mostly the leaders of corporate America. Every year, millions of business travelers take to the skies across the globe, accounting for a massive portion of carbon output despite corporate passengers representing only a small minority of travelers.

For one week, skyscrapers in Manhattan were filled with endless events, all centered around the idea of promoting a sustainable future. Simple Flying was fortunate enough to have attended multiple such events throughout the week and spoke to industry experts and company executives alike. Let’s reflect on the most important takeaways of our week, and discuss what progress might be made over the next few years.

Commercial

Encouraging sustainable business travel may be easier than sustainable corporate travel

Over time, initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of the consumer have found success difficult, as the average traveler is so overwhelmingly motivated by price that attempting to get them to switch flights to choose a more sustainable option can be challenging. Corporate travelers, however, are subject to the policies dictated by their employers.

An Airbus A330 landing at sunset

Photo: Guido Benedetto | Shutterstock

Travel company Sabre, which manages the largest portion of global distribution systems (GDS) for air bookings, has partnered with non-profit Travalyst to help push forward a Travel Impact Model (TIM) that will encourage corporate travelers to reduce their carbon emissions. During Climate Week NYC, Sabre and Travalyst gathered industry insiders to discuss their goals for the TIM.

Corporate citizens will need to step up

The need for corporations to set strict environmental guidelines has never been more critical. By setting strict environmental guidelines, companies can leverage the travel impact model to make sure their employees hit appropriate emissions targets.

Sabre at Climate Week NYC 23 Sept

Photo: Sabre

One of the major challenges that exist at the moment is that there is no standard way to measure individual business traveler carbon output, something that Sabre and Travalyst believe that the TIM could resolve. In an interview with Simple Flying, Jessica Matthias, the Global Sustainability Director at Sabre, had the following words to share:

“There is no perfect option right now for people who want to book sustainable travel. That’s why I believe it is so crucial that we, as an industry, have one standard way of measuring and displaying these figures.”

With assistance from Travalyst, a non-profit established by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Sabre believes that the new Travel Impact Model could be the key standard that the industry is looking for. In a room full of business aviation leaders, corporate executives, industry consultants, and more, there was nothing but curiosity and optimism about the future of TIM and sustainable business travel as a whole.

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