Setting the responsible green path
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TUI released an update into its three-year sustainability plan earlier this week (see here), as part of an encompassing strategy to become a leader in sustainable travel that has been already been running for 10 years. Jane Ashton, director of group sustainable development at TUI shares her highlights of the group’s environmental efforts in the last decade.
All new ideas start from somewhere, and it seems Jane Ashton’s sustainability angle at TUI has not always been the easiest strategy to put forward.
It has been 10 years since she received full backing from across the company to launch a report and within that one single goal; to make TUI the leading travel company in sustainable practices.
For a company the size of TUI, that is quite a task. Given that its businesses range from the airline sector to hotels; then to ground handling and the destinations themselves, then the usual office-based departments such as human resources and marketing, Ashton said it was crucial the report and commitments she devised a decade ago spoke about tangible short-term aims with the main target in mind.
“It was an ‘off the wall’ proposal at the time,” she explained to Travel Daily. “But the Sustainable Tourism Initiative was launched by Tony Blair and our involvement played the biggest role in creating awareness and backing. It was the first time the industry, government and tourism partners had sat together and reached common objectives, taking in the different approaches.”
Internally, this led to the launch of regular targets set by TUI, most recently its three-year Sustainable Holidays Plan (2012-2014).
In fact, the report itself is an achievement for Ashton, after spending years convincing department heads that sustainability should be engrained into all that TUI does.
“I am proud of getting the three-year plan in place as TUI is a diverse business taking in the destinations, divisions and strategy that all can feed into. It was quite an achievement,” she said. “I feel strong about the issues and want the company to engrave responsibility into all that we do, including our suppliers.”
In a first-year update of the plan released earlier this week, the group extended the carbon emission cuts target for its airlines after already achieving the one originally set, while its reduction in brochure production and other means has lowered its footprint in the retail sector. For more on the update, click here.
However the report highlighted there is more to be done in eco-certifying its hotels and building awareness amongst its customers and employees.
“Most of the targets are on track and some are challenging but we had deliberately set the bar high. For those that we have not reached, we will double our efforts to make progress and this is part of the process that we expected,” Ashton explained.
“There is a long way to go to raise awareness. It is difficult to get through and no travel company has cracked it yet. The message is getting there but there is still more to do, not just in TUI but sustainable communications in the travel sector,” she added.
This ‘bigger picture’ approach is helping TUI to gain sustainable recognition outside of its office walls.
The group held more activities during Make Holidays Greener month in July, which has even prompted one Greek island to consistently clean up its beaches after TUI organised a one-day clear-up initiative.
Its aircraft orders, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and new fuel-saving winglets on its aircraft, have been the first in the European airline market, while TUI’s involvement in projects like Travelife and ABTA’s guidelines for animal welfare have cemented its commitment to the cause.
Furthermore, TUI was the only tour operator to feature in the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, placing the company in the top 10% of the FTSE 350 for its approach to carbon transparency, while also being recognised by Dow Jones for its data on eco-efforts.
So where are the trends heading now for sustainable tourism? Ashton is confident that the situation will continue to improve and even hints at a turning point.
“Awareness and interest in sustainable holidays has been going up in 10 years, it plateaued in recent years with the recession but it is on the rise again,” she explained.
“Price used to be the barrier but not so much now. There has been a marked reduction as fair trade goods are more common place in day-to-day purchases and it is better value for money. We have to continue telling our customers, and future customers, about the choices they make when they choose a holiday and the impact is has.”
But for the time being, the reward appears to be coming from within TUI itself.
As Ashton concluded: “It is gratifying to see the departments now come to us when systems are being developed and see how they work within the sustainable framework. Our commitments have been useful in aligning the business to focus on one goal and they now realise these are all part of being a responsible brand”.
10 years on: Jane’s highlights
Travelife – “Launching this scheme with ABTA has been fantastic as it has become a leading sustainable management system for suppliers. There is continuous improvement going into this programme and we will sharpen the criteria, which will go live next year.”
The Travel Foundation – “Work with this charity continues through TUI and its AGM is coming up next month which will provide an update into what is has been up to.”
Eco-Traveller – “This schools programme nationwide has been a great success. The students are really receptive and engaged on hearing about the impacts of travel on the environment and communities. It has already reached half a million children and there has been more take-up recently.”
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