The Business Travel Magazine Oct/Nov 2019

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable procurement of products is a
real option as well. Many business travel
suppliers are doing what they can within the
confines of cost to find viable alternatives to
more polluting options.
An early win was the campaign this year to
rid the hospitality industry of plastic straws as
metal, bamboo and birch wood alternatives
were readily available, with many hotel
groups now adopting the change.
The search for viable biofuels
Finding a renewable source of fuel is more
challenging. Transportation causes 27% of
greenhouse gas emissions so much of the
noise has been around changes to cars, vans,
planes and trains.
The world’s major airlines are busy trialling
biofuels to part or totally replace jet fuel, with
some even building factories to satisfy future
demand. Airlines are additionally using
slower cruising speeds, taxiing on one engine
rather than two or towing between gates,
using continuous descent approaches,
optimising air routes and even recycling
retired planes. Huge effort is also going in to
reducing the weight of on-board items, which
helps cut fuel burn. IATA reckons that by
2025, some one billion passengers should be
travelling on flights powered by a mix of jet
fuel and sustainable alternatives.
Modern fleets are key in the sustainability
strategy of airlines. For example, the new
Airbus A350 series is 25% more fuel efficient
than its previous generation aircraft.
Motoring changes gear
The car industry is making
headway along a
similar path, with
more fuel-
efficient vehicles. Emissions of the average
new car coming off the production line from
next year will be 95 grams of CO2 per km,
down from 150 grams.
More challenging is the major modal shift
to electric cars as battery life, battery cost
and the lack of tax breaks and other
subsidies are conspiring to slow conversion
rates. Nonetheless, the National Grid reckons
that 11 million electric vehicles will be on our
roads by 2030.
Track stars
Decarbonising rail is a more complex ask due
to the significant expenditure required.
Electric trains emit between 20-30% less
carbon than diesel trains and while the likes
of Sweden, Switzerland and Germany have
made headway, the UK is lagging behind.
One ray of hope is solar-powered trains.
The Riding Sunbeams project, pioneered by
climate change charity 10:10 and London's
Imperial College, in conjunction with Network
Rail’s Wessex route and Community Energy
South, links around 100 solar panels to an
ancillary transformer on the railway’s traction
systems. This world-first project is currently
undergoing tests.
Hyperloop mass transport is another idea
for the future. With no direct emissions, it
could potentially carry large volumes of
people and cargo in faster-then-air travel
times inside low-pressure tubes. It is
currently being pioneered by Elon Musk
and Virgin Hyperloop One.
Elsewhere on the ground, airports and
airlines are switching to electric vehicles and
recycling water when washing aircraft,
while London Underground is trialling a
scheme to use waste heat to reduce
energy costs for local residents.
Modern fleets are key
in the sustainability
strategy of airlines. For
example, the new Airbus
A350 series is 25% more fuel
efficient than its previous
generation aircraft”
THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.COM
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