Following research in December 2012, TUI Travel found that 50% of customers felt it was very important that their holiday company be more transparent about what they are doing to reduce their impact on the environment and to support local communities.
LONDON – TUI Travel PLC is calling for an industry standard on reporting fuel and carbon efficiency for UK airlines. The call for a set of common metrics to report carbon emissions will ensure greater transparency so customers can make informed decisions about which airlines to choose.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been given new duties to ensure airlines clearly communicate the environmental impact of aviation. TUI Travel supports the CAA’s proposal to develop a standardised methodology for accounting for and publishing airline carbon emissions. The UK Government has also announced new carbon reporting legislation for the UK’s largest companies.
In the latest Viewpoint video, entitled ‘Transparency in carbon reporting’, Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainable Development at TUI Travel PLC, explains, “If all airlines were reporting on carbon emissions using consistent metrics and sources of measurement then we believe the government could start to use this information to adjust taxes that they are currently imposing on airlines”.
Following research in December 2012, TUI Travel found that 50% of customers felt it was very important that their holiday company be more transparent about what they are doing to reduce their impact on the environment and to support local communities. Two thirds of customers stated issues about carbon emissions, climate change and pollution were very important to them.
An advocate of sustainable tourism, TUI Travel has been working on green initiatives for over a decade and reporting its carbon emissions since it was formed in 2007. TUI Travel currently reports its airlines’ carbon emissions per revenue passenger kilometre (gCO2/RPK), a common standard, but not yet “the standard” unit of measurement used by airlines to communicate their efficiency, however some airlines are still failing to measure or report their carbon emissions.
TUI Travel airlines are among the most fuel-efficient in Europe, with emissions of 73.0g CO2/RPK – which is up to a third more fuel-efficient than the average scheduled carrier in Europe.
Expanding, Jane said, “This new legislation presents a great opportunity for the airline industry to harmonise its reporting of carbon emissions and develop common metrics. It’s clear to us that our customers are starting to take this kind of information into account when booking holidays, which is why we believe we should be doing more as an individual company as well as an industry to make this type of information accessible and easy to understand.”
In the latest Sustainable Holidays Report, TUI Travel announced hitting its target of reducing absolute and relative carbon emissions by 6% two years early, and has now set a more stretching target of reducing TUI Travel’s airlines’ per passenger carbon emissions by 9% by 2015 (baseline 2008).
Photo caption: Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainable Development at TUI Travel PLC.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
