What's Happening?
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation has released findings from its 2025 Sustainability Acceleration Challenge, highlighting the state of corporate efforts to decarbonize business travel. The report, which includes input from 285 companies
with a combined annual business travel spend of $22 billion USD, shows that while there is a growing commitment to tracking and managing carbon emissions, progress remains limited in high-impact areas. The global average maturity score has slightly increased from 1.3 in 2024 to 1.4 in 2025, indicating incremental improvements. However, regional programs in Europe and North America have seen marginal declines, possibly due to regulatory changes and economic uncertainty. Smaller travel programs have made notable progress, while larger programs have regressed, suggesting that smaller companies may be leveraging sustainability leadership to differentiate themselves.
Why It's Important?
The findings underscore the critical need for accelerated efforts in sustainable business travel practices. As companies continue to face public scrutiny over their environmental impact, the report highlights the importance of adopting sustainable procurement practices and carbon management strategies. The Financial, Banking, and Insurance sectors lead in maturity scores, reflecting their significant emissions from business travel. The report also notes that while sustainable travel policies and carbon budgets show improvement, tools influencing booking choices and supplier sustainability assessments require further development. The use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) is growing, but adoption remains low, indicating a need for increased investment in emissions abatement.
What's Next?
The GBTA Foundation has announced the winners of the inaugural Acceleration Awards, recognizing top-performing and most-improved companies in sustainable travel. These awards aim to inspire industry-wide change by showcasing leadership in decarbonization efforts. The GBTA Sustainable Business Travel Transition Pathway, developed with Accenture, continues to guide organizations in moving from awareness to implementation. As part of its ongoing efforts, the GBTA Foundation provides resources to empower companies with actionable insights and learning tools, encouraging further collaboration to close the gap between ambition and action.
Beyond the Headlines
The report highlights the ethical and strategic importance of sustainable business travel, emphasizing the role of corporate travel programs in achieving net-zero goals. By integrating sustainability into travel strategies, companies can significantly reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to broader environmental objectives. The challenge remains in embedding sustainable practices into everyday business operations, requiring a unified demand signal and advanced levers such as sustainability clauses in contracting.
