ITM tackles ‘responsible corporate travel’

An initiative has been launched by the Institute of Travel Management to help business travel buyers and suppliers to understand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the environment, duty of care and sustainability.

Called Project Icarus, the first phase been the creation of a working party of senior buyers, academics and consultants has been to create resources for all aspects of responsible corporate travel, including the industry’s first Environmental Impact Reduction Toolkit. 

The toolkit will cover best practice for carbon emission reporting; travel avoidance options; a diagnostic tool to assess switching travel modes to reduce carbon; support for buyers and suppliers to reduce their organisation’s environmental travel footprint, as well as carbon offset programmes.

The decision to make carbon offset programmes a feature rather than the focus of the toolkit was a deliberate one, according to ITM chairman Mark Avery (PricewaterhouseCoopers).

He said: “Achieving sustainable carbon emission reduction is a long term solution, and we will be adopting a similar approach in each of Project Icarus’ outputs.”

In addition to the Environmental Impact Reduction Toolkit, Project Icarus will be developing ITM’s Environmental Programme Audit, which will enable buyers to submit targets and methodologies for CO2 reduction for audit. Then formal accreditation will be issued to recognise activity undertaken and to encourage further progression. Travel suppliers will also be able to submit their environmental programme claims to ITM for auditing and inclusion on an environmental register.

“Both audits will allow organisations with environmental concerns to implement programmes that are measured, approved and can therefore be included in public CSR reporting,” said  ITM executive director Paul Tilstone. “Project Icarus will apply this approach across other CSR activity including sustainability and duty of care.”

Avery added: “Responsible corporate travel is the fastest growing issue in our industry right now, but Project Icarus is grounded firmly in realism.

“It is clear that many buyers, especially in the SME sector, have not engaged with the issues and options available because they regard CSR as being relevant only to larger organisations and corporations. CSR is relevant to any company that purchases or provides business travel, regardless of size, spend or requirement.”

Report by Phil Davies