Amidst the bustling Climate Week NYC, IHG Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with the GBTA Foundation, convened a gathering of prominent sustainability leaders to tackle a critical issue: decarbonizing business travel. The event, co-hosted by IDEO, Accenture, American Express Global Business Travel, Delta Air Lines, and Hertz, emphasized the crucial need to balance essential business travel with the growing urgency to reduce carbon emissions.
Business travel plays a pivotal role in the global economy, with the GBTA’s 2024 Global Business Travel Index Forecast projecting global spending to reach $1.48 trillion USD by 2024, further exceeding $2 trillion by 2028. However, the looming threat of climate change necessitates a rethinking of business travel practices to ensure a sustainable future.
Catherine Dolton, IHG’s Chief Sustainability Officer, acknowledged the importance of human connection in driving business growth, while simultaneously emphasizing the industry’s responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint. She highlighted IHG’s commitment to sustainability through its Low Carbon Pioneers initiative, a first-of-its-kind community of low operational carbon hotels dedicated to testing, learning, and sharing best practices.
Delphine Millot, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Managing Director at the GBTA Foundation, underscored the importance of collective action. She stated that Climate Week NYC wouldn’t be possible without the collaborative efforts of the business travel industry to bring together businesses and policy makers. The GBTA Foundation’s new Sustainability Acceleration Challenge aims to further drive practices that materially reduce emissions from business travel.
The event, held at IHG’s Kimpton Hotel Eventi, welcomed over 80 participants from diverse sectors of the travel industry. IDEo’s interactive “Creative Tensions” format, designed in collaboration with the Sundance Institute, sparked engaging discussions on key issues, including whether to prioritize initiatives with the biggest impact or the fastest results.
While perspectives varied, there was a shared understanding that innovation and collaboration are vital in the journey to decarbonize business travel. Alex Gallafent, Executive Design Director, IDEO, emphasized the need for leaders to navigate competing demands and tensions while transforming their businesses to address the challenges of the Climate Era. He stressed that these “tensions” can fuel inspiration, learning, and commitment, and that understanding how others are approaching similar challenges is crucial for making bold choices and taking action.
Climate Week NYC, running from September 22-29, is the world’s largest climate event, encompassing over 600 events across New York City. It serves as a platform for influential business leaders, political figures, and community representatives to accelerate the transition toward climate action and celebrate progress already made.
IHG’s commitment to sustainability is anchored in its Journey to Tomorrow plan, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This event serves as a powerful testament to the industry’s willingness to embrace innovative solutions and work collectively to address the pressing environmental challenges of our time.
