05 August 2009

Environment Ã¢â¬Ëœhaving little impact on business travelÃ¢â¬â¢

Company environmental policy is playing little part in driving down business travel costs in the current economic climate.

Of the 15% of business travellers who anticipated travelling less this year, three out of five respondents (57%) will be doing this in response to declining business or cost issues and only one per cent as a result of a company environmental policy.

A majority of business travellers (59%) say that environmental concerns have no impact on their travel.

Thirty seven per cent are seeing environmental concerns partially or significantly impacting their choice of business travel.

An overwhelming 64% of business travellers do not think air travel should be restricted to help protect the environment.

But there is a strong belief that airlines should be taxed to compensate for the effect of carbon emissions on the environment.

More than half of respondents (53%) agreeing that a tax should be put in place, of which 62% believe the tax should be passed on to passengers.

This falls to a third of respondents (29%) believing that a similar tax should be brought in for train companies, for which, 58% agree the cost should be passed on to passengers.

The results came from research from the Barclaycard Commercial business travel survey.

It found that more than a quarter (26%) increasingly believe the onus is on employers to manage the effects of business travel on the environment, up eight per cent from last year.

A third (34%) of respondents working in companies with a turnover of more than £100 million believe it is their company’s responsibility to reduce the impact on the environment.

A further third (33%) said the government should have overriding responsibility of the environmental impact of business travel, with a fifth (19%) saying it is the individual’s responsibility and a tenth (12%) the responsibility of airlines and other travel suppliers.

Less than a fifth of those asked (18%) had an environmental policy at work governing business travel. More than a tenth (11%) of those questioned didn’t know whether their company had a policy in place.

Even fewer companies monitor their business travel carbon footprint (7%) or offset their carbon emissions (4%).

Barclaycard Commercial managing director Neil Radley said: "2009 will see the environment make gains as business travel is trimmed back in the face of economic uncertainty.

"But it is sad that this is not due to firm policies putting sustainability at the heart of the business process.

"These policies would ensure that we crystallise long-term gains: both for the environment and for businesses in terms of bottom line and improved competitiveness. It makes commercial sense to nurture green shoots."

by Phil Davies