One per cent gains do add up THE REVIEW ›› GREEN WATCH
WITH Al Gore highlighting the high stakes played for in managing our environment in his new and apocalyptic book, The Future, it is worth remembering the importance of conserving resources and reducing waste, writes Roger Gardner. The call to green action is, if
anything, getting stronger, and the travel industry is generally ahead of the game. Behind the scenes, there are armies of people and smart systems processing waste with the effect of leaner business operations, lower costs and carbon emissions. Consider for a minute that
on average air passengers are estimated to produce about 0.6kg waste per flight and that, in 2011, the US Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) estimated in the case of US airlines alone, that you could build 58 new Boeing 747s from waste aluminium cans! Alternatively, it is sobering to
think that, according to recycling-
guide.org, recycling just five cans saves enough energy to power an 11W energy-efficient light bulb for over 100 hours. In the hotel business, guests
average over 1kg of waste per night, according to Waste Management World, with much of it coming from food and drink. Multiplied by the huge number
of hotel room nights worldwide, that amounts to a massive opportunity. So the drive to conserve and reuse really matters and it is important that we all have a clear sense that waste is a resource. At the time of the NRDC
survey, the downside of aircraft waste was that 80 per cent ended up in landfill. How things have changed in a couple of years. Waste is now mainly separated on board then recycled or incinerated for energy recovery with Thomas Cook reporting that it has reduced waste per passenger by 50 per cent and Emirates that it had collected well over a 1,000 tonnes of recoverable materials from its catering operation in 2011. British Airways reports that, from its ground operations, it
sends only three per cent of waste to landfill and it is currently working to turn solid municipal waste into jet fuel. Good practice is taking root because it also makes good business sense. Business also has the imperatives of regulation, accreditation schemes and PR to drive better behaviour whereas travellers are probably only prompted by consciences. Travellers may have misgivings about meals wrapped in cellophane or card rather than delivered on a tray, but it helps the environment: less weight, less waste and less fuel burned to carry packaging and crockery. If we are to tread more lightly
upon the planet, we have to make some sacrifices. Travel still comes with a significant carbon cost so, alongside the travel service providers, travellers need to think lean on what they take, buy and discard. Making a difference in green
practice is about winning hearts and minds. Airlines, train companies, hotels and travel management companies spend significant effort engaging staff and now travellers in waste management. Sustainable Aviation, the aviation sector
"Travel still comes with a signifi cant carbon cost so, alongside the travel service providers, travellers themselves need to think lean on what they take, buy and discard"
environmental action group, urges airlines to use every trick in the book, including financial incentives, to get cabin and ground staff to maximise recycling. Or take South West Trains for example who, working with UK recycling company SITA, handed out reusable water bottles to passengers last summer to help reduce plastic waste. Awareness is important but offering a way to save money or giving a freebie often works better. So, returning to Al Gore, his
book derides what he calls ‘quarterly capitalism’ whereby global companies chasing profit ignore long-term environmental concerns. Doubtless there is truth in this but commerce responds to the customer so his/ her behaviour really counts. Perhaps because of its carbon-
intensive nature, the travel industry has had to work harder than most on technologies, operations and services to ease environmental damage. Waste management may be a
small overall contributor in the scheme of things but without a silver bullet in the environmental game, the hoped-for big effects will always be made up of a lot of one per cent gains.
58 THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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