Tui UK & Ireland has achieved the internationally-recognised ISO 50001 certification for energy management.
This makes the Thomson and First Choice parent one of only around 100 companies in the UK to achieve the certification.
A combination of investing in new technology and committing to staff attitude change to energy efficiency led to a reduction in carbon emissions from UK operations of 19% from October 2013 to September 2014.
The British Standards Institution, which reviewed the company’s energy management progress, highly commended Tui for its introduction of ‘Tui Turtle Dashboards’ as a key initiative to promote energy reductions among its retail staff.
A strong understanding of the company’s energy policy by employees was also recognised by the assessors during BSI’s audit.
The company began introducing smart meters in 2010/2011 to enable closer monitoring of its energy usage in the first phase of an energy-saving policy. Meters are now installed in 95% of Tui UK & Ireland’s agencies.
Other energy saving initiatives include introducing voltage optimisers, adapting building management systems, installing more efficient air conditioning and updating shop refits to include LED lighting in addition to engaging its people through the ‘Tui Turtle Dashboards’.
The introduction of ‘Tui Turtle Dashboards’ to visually display progress towards energy saving targets using a traffic light system resulted in significant behavioural changes by staff across the company’s more than 600 stores.
The initiative displayed red, sad turtles when action was needed and green, smiling turtles when energy saving targets were on track.
Regional sustainable development champions, who help drive the company’s sustainability agenda, were put in place to increase internal engagement with the company’s sustainability strategy and initiatives by delivering regular updates to their business areas.
Head of property and portfolio change Chris Logan said: “We are extremely proud of this achievement, and of the role that all of our colleagues have played in it.
“It confirms Tui UK & Ireland’s market-leading commitment to sustainability and proves our commitment to energy saving across the business.
“But we won’t stop there. We will continue to review our energy management system and introduce new sustainable initiatives throughout our company.”
Mark Gouldstone, sustainability management specialist at BSI said: “Achieving certification is a credit to everyone at Tui UK & Ireland and clearly demonstrates their commitment to being a sustainable organisation.
“The team should be proud of the hard work that has gone into implementing a system that enables them to improve energy performance, achieve sustainable growth and in turn maximise savings.”