WWF’s ‘One in Five’: Business travel can help save the planet too

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has recently launched a campaign to educate business travelers on how to reduce flights without sacrificing productivity – while helping preserve wildlife and save the planet in the process.

The WWF is touting video conferencing as being a major player ih the shift toward “non-travel” business travel as part of its “One in Five Challenge” -encouraging  businesses to find greener alternatives to flying.

The organization’s efforts aim to reduce business travel flights by 20% by 2014.

“There is a very real appetite among big businesses to reduce the number of flights they take,” said David Nussbaum, Chief Executive of WWF-UK. “In a WWF survey, 89% of FTSE 350 companies stated that they expect to cut business flights significantly in the coming decade and today’s launch confirms that the UK’s more forward-thinking companies are already taking steps to turn those good intentions into a reality.”

WWF claims that one in four UK companies are now measuring their carbon emissions, while cutting back on non-essential business travel is increasingly viewed as a quick way of making big carbon savings. With more companies producing annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, and growing pressure from government, it says there is an expectation to see carbon emissions being reduced.

The independently audited scheme sets yearly flight reduction targets and helps companies to get their staff engaged with the project. By providing a clear annual evaluation of the money and carbon saved by taking part in the Challenge, says WWF, the programme also hopes to demonstrate that companies can remain competitive while still cutting their carbon emissions.

“We have worked with WWF-UK to design a challenge that creates the business case for change,” said Gordon Baker, Chairman, JMP Consultants, auditors of One in Five. “The benefits of changing travel policies and behaviours is not always clear; either from a financial or carbon perspective. The one in five reporting process changes this and helps businesses account for the total cost of travel. Companies succeeding in the challenge will not only demonstrate their carbon credentials to consumers and suppliers, but also show that a reduction in business flights improves business operations and the bottom line. Low carbon travel and alternatives are now a positive proposition for successful business.”

“If we are serious about tackling climate change, it is essential that businesses work together to start a dramatic shift to low-carbon travel, including more extensive use of realistic alternatives to flying,” said Theresa Villiers, UK’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. “That is why I welcome WWF’s ambitious One in Five Challenge, which aims to do just that – challenge and support businesses in reducing the amount of flying they ask their staff to do and cutting their carbon impact on the planet.”

Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said: “The One in Five Challenge is an extremely effective and practical way for organizations round the world to be part of the solution.”

For more information, visit www.wwf.org.