A recent survey by BCD Travel highlights a troubling trend among business travelers: sustainability is not a priority. The survey, which gathered respondents from professionals in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific who engage in business travel, reveals that nearly two-thirds rarely factor in environmental impacts when booking flights, especially if doing so incurs additional costs. Instead, key factors influencing their air travel decisions include schedule convenience (arrival and departure times), ticket price, and corporate policies.
The Disconnect Between Corporate Goals and Traveler Behaviour
Many businesses express commitments and have existing policies that promote sustainability and corporate social responsibility. However, survey findings reveal a disconnect between corporate objectives and individual traveler choices. In reality, organizations’ sustainability goals are not being directly reflected in the choices made by business travelers. While this does not expressly fall in the realm of greenwashing, it raises legitimate concerns about integrity, authenticity, and commitment, as well as highlights a breakdown in communication and implementation within an organization.
So what can be done about this misalignment? How can we close this gap between expressed values and actual behavior on the ground?
How Decision-Makers Can Drive Change
The job of addressing the disconnect between corporate sustainability objectives and traveler choices ultimately rests with decision-makers within the organization, particularly those in the human resources departments, corporate travel agencies, or procurement teams. To effectively integrate environmental considerations into business travel, organizations will need to establish policies that not only prioritize but also codify sustainability right alongside cost and convenience.
Implementation will vary for each organization; there is no one-size-fits-all policy. However, strategies could include providing incentives for selecting lower-emission flights, purchasing carbon credits, promoting airlines that use sustainable aviation fuel, booking accommodations exclusively with sustainably certified hotels, encouraging the use of travel eSIMs, or incorporating these practices into standard operating procedures. Additionally, tracking and establishing clear metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies will foster a sense of accountability within the organization.
By ensuring that corporate policies align with individual traveler behavior, companies can foster a culture of sustainable business travel rather than merely paying lip service to the concept. However, collaboration across departments and buy-in from business travelers are essential for successful implementation.
The Benefits of Travel eSIMs for Business Travelers
Incorporating travel eSIMs into corporate travel policies not only enhances convenience but also supports sustainability efforts and reduces costs. By eliminating the need for plastic SIM cards, companies can help reduce electronic waste—a growing concern, each year, the world generates a staggering 62 million tonnes of electronic waste. Travel eSIMs also eliminate roaming fees, making them a cost-effective choice for international business travel.
Work-related travel would naturally involve significant data usage, and travel eSIMs offer a practical, reliable, and cost-effective alternative for staying connected. These eSIMs provide seamless access to various data plans and the best local networks without the hassle of physical SIM cards. This is a great option for those traveling to Europe for business, as a Europe eSIM will work across the many national borders in the region. Similarly, an eSIM USA for travel would typically cover the USA, Canada, and Mexico. North America is a key destination for business traveler and a travel eSIM USA will be particularly beneficial due to the region’s vast landmass and the multitude of network providers.
Business travel constitutes a significant portion of global travel. It’s time for corporations and businesses to move from eco-conscious platitudes to tangible action. Effectively bridging the sustainability gap between corporate policies and traveler choices through proactive strategies is what would lead to a significant impact.
