The BTA is calling for the industry to urgently prioritise sector-wide collaboration to ensure sustainable development in its first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Responsibilities report launched this week.
The report, titled ‘We Can’t Do It Alone’, features interviews with over 30 stakeholders across the business travel industry, with input from hotels, aviation, rail and technology sectors.
It is structured by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as drawn by the United Nations (UN). It
BTA CEO Clive Wratten said: “The findings of this report demonstrate a desire for industry collaboration on a scale that we have not previously seen. It is critical that we take responsibility for our ESG activity as we recover from the pandemic, and now we have a focus to streamline these efforts.
“We are calling on the entire network of the business travel industry, as well as regulators, authorities, and governments worldwide to make this sustainable development possible; we cannot do this alone.”
The report says specific ESG priorities and concerns vary per sector but the entire industry is unified in its current approach to sustainable development, as SDG 13, Climate Action is disclosed as the number one priority of the 17 goals.
It outlines some of the barriers to ESG development, including cost, measurement, communication and lack of government support.
The report is the first step in the BTA’s current ESG campaign.
In the next phase Wratten will consult external experts to gain expertise on the prioritised goals, resulting in a ‘Roadmap to a Sustainable Future’ to be launched in the autumn.
