Corporate Efforts and Challenges in Advancing Sustainable Business Travel
Alexandra
The Current State of Sustainable Business Travel
In 2025, corporate efforts toward sustainable business travel continue steadily, yet progress in critical, high-impact areas remains a struggle. Recent global benchmarking reveals that companies are more committed than ever to tracking and managing carbon emissions related to employee travel, but a faster pace of change is needed to truly transform the industry’s environmental footprint.
A global survey, involving a diverse range of 285 corporations representing approximately $22 billion USD in annual business travel expenditures, offers valuable insights into corporate sustainability efforts within business travel programs. It shows that while there are measurable gains in sustainability maturity, notably more organizations are joining forces to decarbonize travel. However, the path ahead demands accelerated adoption of innovative, low-carbon travel solutions and sustainable procurement strategies to create impactful change.
Key Findings
- Tracking of carbon footprints in business travel programs has increased significantly, showcasing rising corporate accountability.
- Investment in sustainable procurement practices lags behind, impeding overall progress towards decarbonized travel.
- Collective action and faster implementation of carbon management strategies are essential to meet future sustainability targets.
Industry Recognition and Awards
To promote leadership and improvement, the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation introduced the first-ever Acceleration Awards and Leaderboards. These acknowledge pioneering companies that demonstrate notable progress and innovation in making business travel more sustainable. Categories cover global leaders, emerging leaders in smaller programs, regional leaders, industry-specific leaders, and those showing transformative impact through marked improvements. Award winners are selected based on verified performance scores, emphasizing both achievement and continuous advancement in sustainability practices.
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A Brief History of Sustainability in Business Travel
The push towards sustainability in the corporate travel sector is a relatively recent development within the broader transition toward more responsible tourism. Historically, business travel focused predominantly on cost, convenience, and efficiency, with environmental and social impacts considered secondary. The growing awareness of climate change and corporate social responsibility in the early 21st century ignited a shift toward integrating sustainable practices.
Over the past two decades, technological advancements and environmental data monitoring enabled companies to quantify their travel-related carbon footprints. This realization spurred the establishment of standards and guidelines, encouraging corporations to set emission reduction targets and align travel behaviors accordingly. Organizations began to implement traveler guidelines prioritizing lower-emission options, such as virtual meetings, eco-friendly airlines, and hybrid vehicles. Today, these initiatives have grown into broader industry-wide challenges and benchmarks, such as the GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Despite clear engagement, industries face several obstacles in accelerating sustainable business travel:
- High-Impact Areas Demand More Effort: Certain segments, such as long-haul flights and accommodations, still exhibit slower adoption of green alternatives.
- Procurement and Supplier Influence: Companies need to incorporate sustainability criteria into vendor selection to drive change throughout the supply chain.
- Cultural and Behavioral Shifts: Changing entrenched corporate travel habits requires education, incentives, and active management.
- Technological and Infrastructure Gaps: Availability of low-carbon travel options varies greatly by region and travel mode, limiting immediate alternatives.
Collaborative efforts between corporate travelers, travel managers, service providers, and technology innovators will be key to overcoming these barriers. The future demands not only incremental improvements but bold commitment and widespread adoption of decarbonization strategies to align with global sustainability goals.
Table: Sustainability Focus Areas and Their Progress in Business Travel
| Focus Area | Progress Level | Main Challenges |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon Emission Tracking | Advanced - Widespread implementation | Ensuring accuracy and integrating across platforms |
| Low-Carbon Travel Options | Moderate - Growing but limited by availability | Infrastructure and regional limitations |
| Sustainable Procurement | Initial - Still emerging in most companies | Supply chain influence and criteria enforcement |
| Employee Engagement | Developing - Increased awareness campaigns | Behavioral change and travel culture barriers |
How This Affects Tourism and Sailing Destinations
Corporate travel decisions have a significant impact on various tourism sectors, including marine and sailing destinations. Sustainable business travel practices encourage companies to select destinations and transport modes with lower environmental footprints. This could foster greater demand for travel via ferries, yachts, and other marine vessels that prioritize clean energy and limit emissions.
For sailing and boat rental markets, a rising emphasis on sustainability aligns well with the growing interest in eco-friendly and experiential travel. Sailing offers an inherently low-carbon mode of transport across water, appealing to corporations looking to combine business with greener leisure activities. Marinas and yacht charters located in eco-conscious destinations may see increased bookings from business travelers choosing to extend trips with leisure sailing or to conduct meetings in less carbon-intensive settings.
Moreover, marine tourism hubs can benefit from increased visibility as sustainable travel grows in priority, encouraging investment in green infrastructure such as electric boat chargers, waste recycling programs, and sustainable marina management.
A Forward-Looking Perspective
As the corporate world continues to enhance its approach to sustainable business travel, destinations worldwide—especially those with active boating and sailing industries—are poised to experience shifts in visitor patterns and expectations. The integration of carbon management into travel procurement processes could drive more business travelers to seek greener alternatives, which includes choosing yacht charters, sailing trips, or visiting marine resorts that support sustainable efforts.
The ongoing challenge remains to synchronize corporate commitment with practical, innovative solutions that accommodate the natural rhythms and infrastructure of travel destinations. With growing awareness and regulations, the sustainability of business travel will likely become a fundamental determinant in destination marketing and boat rental demand over the next decade.
Summary and Conclusion
The 2025 findings from the GBTA Sustainability Acceleration Challenge highlight both the commendable strides and significant challenges corporations face in decarbonizing business travel. While the increased tracking of emissions and rising corporate engagement are cause for optimism, achieving meaningful progress requires accelerated action in sustainable procurement and the expansion of viable low-carbon options.
This evolving landscape creates new opportunities for destinations focused on eco-friendly tourism, including sailing and yacht charters, that can meet the expectations of a growing segment of environmentally conscious travelers. For boating enthusiasts and business travelers alike, the integration of sustainability is shaping the future of travel and leisure.
For those interested in exploring a wide selection of sailing yachts and boats to rent in destinations worldwide that support this green approach, the international marketplace GetBoat.com offers tailored options to suit every taste and budget. As corporations and travelers increasingly seek sustainable experiences on water, services like GetBoat provide an excellent pathway to enjoy the sea while respecting the planet.
