The Specialist Travel Association (Aito) has created two tool kits to help members assess their carbon emissions and improve sustainability in workplaces.
The tool kits were unveiled at the Aito Climate Crisis Think Tank’s webinar on Thursday (May 20).
More than 110 attendees joined the online event which heard from experts about how Aito members can tackle the climate crisis, personally, as businesses, as an association and across the travel industry.
The free tool kits were announced by Prue Stone, Explore Worldwide’s head of sustainability and chair of Aito Sustainable Tourism.
She said: “We need to make significant changes to our operations but making those changes can be a daunting challenge.”
She said the tool kits give “clear guidance” to develop new policies or adapt existing ones and they can signpost members to specialists.
Three specialists joined the webinar to talk about issues in the carbon emissions tool kit, such as measuring carbon footprints, reducing environmental impacts, and ways to offset carbon.
Charlie Cotton, founder of ecollective – which helps travel businesses tackle climate change – said businesses need a plan to get to net zero emissions.
“It will be a challenge, there is no quick win or golden solution, but there are lots of small and effective changes that will add up,” he said.
“The tool kits are amazingly helpful.”
He said firms can target an annual cut in emissions of 7-9%, and suggested strategies such as direct rather than indirect flights and using hotels and restaurants that are more sustainable.
Hugo Kimber, founder of Carbon Responsible, said it is important for firms to gather data about carbon emissions from across the spectrum of activities – from the consumers’ holidays to staff travel and vehicles.
“It does not have to be time-consuming…the key is to be transparent,” he said.
Samuel Welsh, sustainability executive at ClimateCare, said carbon offsetting is just one tool among a tool box of strategies which includes measuring and reduction.
“There is no silver bullet to net zero, it is part of an integrated approach,” he told the webinar.
He outlined three types of offsetting: ‘grid scale’ solutions such as solar and wind power; investments in the domestic sphere, such as better stoves and clean water in developing countries; and land use, such as rainforest protection.
Jono Vernon-Powell, chair of Aito Climate Crisis Think Tank (ACT) said it is important to not “pay lip service” to these issues as the sector needs to respond in a “meaningful way”.
He said Aito firms together send 600,000 clients on holiday each year and members’ “collective energy” can drive the sustainability initiatives forward.
Chris Rowles, Aito chair, said the climate crisis may mean that people travel less often but stay for longer on each trip and make sure their holidays are “worthwhile”.
The carbon emissions tool kit will be on the ACT website later on Thursday and the kit about sustainability in offices will be issued next week.
Further tool kits are planned for later this year covering issues such as child safety, slavery and plastics.