IHG HOTELS & RESORTS, GBTA FOUNDATION CONVENE SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS TO DELIBERATE THE DECARBONIZATION OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
Climate Week NYC event unpacks challenges, opportunities amid a climate-conscious world. |
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IHG HOTELS & RESORTS, GBTA FOUNDATION CONVENE SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS TO DELIBERATE THE DECARBONIZATION OF BUSINESS TRAVEL
Climate Week NYC event unpacks challenges, opportunities amid a climate-conscious world. |
Category: Worldwide - Industry economy
- Sustainability
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2024-09-26
 Travel’s top sustainability leaders gather at Climate Week NYC (photo by Andrew Werner)
Photo credit © InterContinental Hotels Group
Business travel remains a cornerstone of the global economy. According to GBTA’s 2024 Global Business Travel Index Forecast report, global business travel expenditures are expected to hit a record $1.48 trillion USD in 2024, and exceed $2 trillion by 2028.
However, as the world grapples with the escalating challenges of climate change, the need to reimagine how travel can be both essential and sustainable has never been more important.
Catherine Dolton, Chief Sustainability Officer, IHG, said: “While business travel continues to evolve and grow, the importance of human connection to solve complex problems and drive business growth remains. Our industry’s scale gives us an important opportunity to reduce carbon emissions, however, to make meaningful strides we must work together more and inspire innovation. At IHG, for example, we continue to innovate through our recently introduced Low Carbon Pioneers initiative. The first community of its kind in the industry, this group of low operational carbon hotels will help us test, learn and share findings on sustainability measures.”
Delphine Millot, Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Managing Director at the GBTA Foundation, said: “GBTA and its Foundation are at the heart of building a sustainable future for global business travel. In fact, Climate Week NYC wouldn’t be possible without the collective power of the business travel industry to bring together businesses and policy makers in person to foster change. The continued success of our industry depends on mobilizing organizations through events this like this as well as our new Sustainability Acceleration Challenge to drive practices that materially reduce emissions from business travel.”
Held at IHG’s Kimpton Hotel Eventi, more than 80 event attendees represented major companies and organizations across all sectors of the travel industry. Using IDEO’s “Creative Tensions” interactive format (developed alongside the Sundance Institute), attendees challenged each other’s thinking on climate action and discussed the industry’s most pressing challenges and opportunities. For example, one key debate centered on whether to prioritize actions with the biggest impact or the fastest results. While attendees had varying approaches, the consensus was that collaboration and innovation are essential to decarbonizing business travel.
Alex Gallafent, Executive Design Director, IDEO, said: “Leaders today must balance competing demands and tensions while transforming their businesses to meet the challenges of the Climate Era, and there are no easy solutions. These tensions, however, are fuel for inspiration, learning, and commitment – discovering how others are approaching similar challenges is critical to making brave choices and acting on them. Building the future isn’t a spectator sport, which is why IDEO is proud to partner with the world's leading organizations and help them thrive responsibly, sustainably, and in ways that return value to the world.”
Held September 22-29 this year, Climate Week NYC is the largest annual climate event of its kind, bringing together over 600 events and activities across the City of New York – in person, hybrid and online. Each year, global business leaders, political change makers, local decision takers and civil society representatives gather to drive the transition, speed up progress and champion change that is already happening.
IHG's sustainability commitments are driven by its Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan, which is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
About IHG
IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.
With a family of 19 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has more than 6,400 open hotels in over 100 countries, and a development pipeline of over 2,200 properties.
- Luxury & Lifestyle: Six Senses, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo
- Premium: voco hotels, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels
- Essentials: Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Garner hotels, avid hotels
- Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites
- Exclusive Partners: Iberostar Beachfront Resorts
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 375,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.
About the GBTA Foundation
The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA’s global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. The GBTA Foundation’s sustainability initiatives, including the Sustainable Procurement Standards, are possible due to its Sustainability Partners.
About IDEO
IDEO is a global design company helping the world’s most audacious leaders create braver tomorrows. For over 40 years, we've partnered with individuals and organizations in search of something better. We design breakthrough products, services, brands, and experiences; craft strategies that help businesses grow; and build critical capabilities that transform organizations.
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