4 March 2011 | Tierney Smith
Transportation, Europe

 

Nearly half of businesses have been flying less over the last two years, due to the recession, according to a new WWF report.

The ‘Moving on: why flying less means more for business’ report published by WWF (March 3) found 47 per cent of businesses cut back the numbers of flights taken in the last two years, saving money in the recession and 85 per cent of those say they will not return to ‘business as usual’ flying.

David Norman, WWF-UK Director of Campaigns, said: “Even as business picks up after the recession, companies are holding on to the gains they made by cutting flights during the downturn. Many have found that cutting business flights can be both good for the planet and good for business.
 
“The notion that people have to fly more to grow their business has been firmly grounded.”

The survey included 158 companies, selected from the top 500 largest companies in the UK, and the main reasons given for the reduction in travel were significant savings, particularly during the recession and reductions in companies’ carbon footprint.

These were followed by increased flexibility for staff and a change in work-life balance; the ability to work during travel disruption; and a new culture of working which questions the need for travel.

Emissions from UK aviation have grown 120 per cent since 1990, and the aviation industry worldwide accounts for 3 per cent of all global emissions. However, a study by the Civil Aviation Authority, in 2009, found that business flights only accounted for 12 per cent of flight from UK airports.

Of the companies asked, 86 per cent said they were reducing their carbon footprint from business travel, or intend to do so. Over 40 per cent of businesses now have a policy in place to limit business flights and another 20 per cent aim to develop one.

This switch was reportedly driven from the top, with board-level decision, and has been replaced by increases in audio-conferencing, and video-conferencing and web-conferencing, and a majority of companies asked believed changing the way the meet and travel has been good for business.

Terri Vogt, Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at FirstGroup Plc, one of the companies surveyed said: “All flights now require pre-authorisation to ensure that alternatives to travel have been considered. In the financial year 2009/10, FirstGroup increased the use of audio conferencing by 30 per cent, with over two million minutes of meeting time logged…We’ve achieved a reduction of 33 per cent in business flights, which has resulted in a 41 per cent reduction in our travel spend.

“In the same period, we have reduced our carbon dioxide emissions associated with business air travel by 57 per cent, equating to 671 tonnes of carbon dioxide.”

Domestic and short-haul flights have been the easiest for businesses to cut, mainly due to improvement in the UK and European train networks, according to the survey, which businesses backed. There is also support for nationwide high-speed broadband.

The report comes from WWF’s One in Five Challenge, which helps companies and government, cut their costs and their carbon emissions from business travel.

 

Image: Sjors Provoost | flickr

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