American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has launched a new sustainability feature in its corporate travel and expense software, Neo. Now, the travel management platform has a carbon emissions filter to help travelers make better-informed booking decisions; this is available for both air and rail tickets.
“Sustainable travel remains a top priority for the corporate community,” said Andrew Crawley, GBT’s chief commercial officer. “We have spoken to our customers and travelers, and we share their desire to carve out the most sustainable path forward for our industry. The new Neo emissions filter lets travelers consider their carbon footprint.”
GBT is working with companies around the world to prepare to get business travelers moving again. While travel managers are focused on program optimization, cost control and duty of care, they have not lost sight of their sustainability objectives. In a survey conducted by the Institute of Travel Management (ITM) in May 2020, 96 percent of its travel buyer members said the issue remained a top priority.
Meanwhile, GBT has published its annual environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, which details progress made on key corporate social responsibility priorities during the preceding year.
The report’s highlights include:
Environment & Sustainability
GBT’s environmental programs achieved significant milestones in 2019. It became the first global travel management company (TMC) to offset 100 percent of its emissions from employee business travel. Earlier this year, GBT announced its goal to become carbon neutral across all its operations.
Last year, GBT began an environmental impact assessment of all sites, tracking key environmental indicators, such as energy efficiency with motion sensors and LED lighting, water savings via filtering systems, waste reduction with recycling and implementing positive changes in all locations. Single-use plastics, Styrofoam and wax-coated paper were replaced with reusable cups, glasses and dishes in its major locations, including Australia, India, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Social, Diversity & Inclusion
GBT has three employee networks focused on promoting diversity and inclusion.
A network for LGBTA employees: GBT has, for five consecutive years, been awarded a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The CEI measures the success of LGBTQ-inclusive policies, practices and benefits in the workplace.
In March 2019, GBT launched Women of the World, a network designed to develop female employees and increase representation at all levels. Most recently, the Black Engagement Network was established for black employees and colleagues across the company to create a support group, provide development opportunities and increase black representation at all levels.
In August 2019, GBT announced its flagship global charitable cause—getting children back to school in times of crisis—and its multi-year partnership with UNICEF USA in support of their global efforts to provide safe and quality education for the world’s most vulnerable children.
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