The UK corporate travel and meetings industry is at a turning point. Sustainability and ESG compliance have moved from aspirations to boardroom priorities. Regulators, stakeholders, and customers now judge travel programmes not just on cost and convenience, but on carbon impact, supplier ethics, and social responsibility. For travel managers and buyers, this marks a fundamental shift in how programmes are designed, negotiated, and measured.

Why ESG matters now

Regulation and reporting requirements are tightening. Frameworks like Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) in the UK and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in the EU demand transparent environmental reporting, while many organisations adopt ESG standards such as TCFD, CDP, GRI, and Ecovadis for added assurance and reporting on performance.

Transport is the UK’s largest emitting sector, making corporate travel central to compliance. Companies that ignore ESG risk reputational and financial damage, while those that lead gain resilience, sustainability, and stakeholder trust.

From policy to practice

This shift means embedding sustainability and ESG into every decision. Travel managers are increasingly expected to:

• Track, measure and report carbon emissions: Being able to provide high quality, audit proof data is now non-negotiable with many organisations recalibrating their net-zero strategies to include validated, auditable targets aligned to science-based reduction targets.
• Manage, reduce carbon emissions: Taking action to manage and reduce carbon emissions, from budgets to overall impact change.
• Negotiate ESG clauses in supplier contracts: These clauses ensure transparency on sustainability commitments and create accountability across the supply chain.
• Select eco-certified hotels and venues: Accreditation programmes like ECOsmart, which Clarity has integrated into its booking platforms, allow bookers to identify properties audited for sustainability practices, from waste management to green meeting packages.

Validating supplier ethics and diversity

While carbon tracking is relatively mature, measuring supplier ethics and diversity remains complex. Travel managers can take several steps:

· Stay informed about industry standards: Organisations such as the Business Travel Association (BTA) offer guidance and best practices through initiatives like Planet Plan, which aims to drive sustainable corporate travel by embedding ESG principles into travel management and supporting organisations with transparent measurement, education, and shared knowledge.

· Use measurable KPIs: Metrics like percentage of spend with diverse suppliers, number of certified diverse suppliers, and year-over-year growth in diverse supplier engagement offer tangible benchmarks.

· Leverage audits and certifications: Independent audits and certifications validate ethical practices, ensuring suppliers meet standards on human rights, governance, and inclusivity.

Sustainability and ESG are now strategic imperatives in corporate travel. Success means moving beyond offsets to embed environmental responsibility, ethical sourcing, and diversity into every decision. At Clarity, we see this not just as compliance, but as building travel programmes that reflect modern business values and shape a better future.

Donna Fitzgerald is Chief Growth Officer at claritybusinesstravel.com.