for the majority of business travel have well-established sustainability initiatives and are very committed to the protection of the global community as a whole around climate change,” she says. “Take a brand like Hilton or Marriott with properties across the globe. They can make a real difference in terms of energy conservation and waste reduction. “By reducing high-pressure showers and opting for
lower water flow, by cutting back on laundry and maid services, only changing bedding on request and adopting low wattage light fittings in every property, the overall difference can be huge,” she explains. “While changing the type of lightbulb might seem like a small gesture, when large hotel chains implement the policy across all their properties, it can make a significant difference.” Another key consideration at 3Sixty and among
larger corporations is to examine all parts of the supply chain and look at the environmental impact of each component. Decisions made around sustainability can make an impact whether they are made by corporations or by individual travellers. “If we work with a Fortune 500 company that has a
HOW TO REDUCE THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF ASSIGNMENTS Carrie Hartman, president at global corporate travel and relocation platform 3Sixty, says an increasing number of businesses are opting for fewer but longer trips and assignments. She believes hotels and serviced accommodation providers should incentivise this trend. “There are numerous benefits to minimising the
frequency of trips, especially when it comes to boosting sustainability credentials,” she says. These include:
• Reduced environmental impact: Fewer trips mean fewer flights, which directly contributes to reducing a company’s carbon footprint.
• Reduced resource consumption: Fewer trips mean less consumption of resources associated with travel, such as fuel, travel-related materials (like plastics and paper for boarding passes and receipts) and energy usage in accommodation.
• Encouraging sustainable travel habits: Extended trips encourage more mindful and sustainable on-the- ground behaviours because assignees are not under pressure to fit everything into the shortest time. This gives companies and their employees more headspace to think about using public transport rather than taxis. It can also help to rebalance supply and demand in traditional short-term rental markets. This can be beneficial in areas where high volumes of rental properties can negatively affect the balance of housing in an area and drive up prices.
Carrie works with Fortune 500 companies and relocation management companies, tapping into a network of over a million accommodation options across more than 60 countries. She has observed that travel companies and hotels are increasingly focusing on carbon offsetting, the use of renewable energy and a trend towards incorporating sustainable materials into refurbishing units and constructing new ones. “A lot of the blue-chip organisations that account
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high degree of corporate travel and their commitment is to be carbon neutral by 2035, then we as a supplier need to be carbon neutral too. “We are audited and have to report twice a year on
carbon emission reductions within our own supply chain,” she explains. “That could be something like asking for sustainable lightbulbs in a hotel or serviced apartment, or it could be about the choice of flooring used for the refurbishment of a unit, ensuring that as much as possible is made from recycled sources and sustainable materials.”
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE WITH SUSTAINABLE VENTURES Carrie Hartman says she is also seeing a trend among corporates to assess the impact on local communities when planning and building new accommodation, hotels or developments. She cites Seattle, a resource-constrained, highly populated and expensive city, as an example. “In Seattle, where we are headquartered, there are
new residential and serviced apartments and corporate housing being built with sustainability in mind. Here we are seeing a trend towards the creation of prefabricated buildings that are made with 100% environmentally friendly materials.” When buildings are refurbished, everything is
either recycled, reused or upcycled and the units are carefully configured to the space available. Units can be assembled and built in 180 days instead of 18 months, reducing disruption to the inhabitants. Construction equipment is kept to a minimum – the units only require half the number of cranes that traditional buildings do, and every inch of these new and refurbished properties is carbon neutral. “A lot of times hotel chains will move into a city and
their goal is not to build something from the ground up, but to refurbish an existing block, for example,” she says. “We are starting to see a trend towards designing buildings and spaces that have a minimal negative impact on the environment.” A refurbishment project might deconstruct an existing building and replace it with prefabricated rooms
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