Twenty-six leading tech companies have reduced their business travel emissions by an average 49 percent in 2023 compared with levels in 2019, according to a new analysis by the Travel Smart campaign, run by Transport & Environment (T&E). Still, only seven have implemented formal emission-cutting targets for travel-based emissions-this may be a cause for concern that this trend may reverse unless they introduce hard targets.
That’s excellent news about the decline in business travel emissions-but unfortunately, most firms are not making serious commitments. Companies such as Alphabet (Google) and Apple, two of the biggest companies in the tech sector, have yet to set formal reduction targets. As such, these companies tend to see smaller reductions in emissions—just 23% for Alphabet and 31% for Apple—to their peers with established goals. This has witnessed some instances of concern relating to the likelihood that business organizations such as Google and Apple return to pre-pandemic travel emissions patterns in the near future primarily because there is no set target.
The lockdown period curtailed business travel considerably, as several firms resorted to working from home and holding virtual meetings. This would eventually mean lesser carbon emission in the long term. But according to the T report unless the tech companies come up with specific targets for travel emissions and commit to them, those corporations may revert back to old levels of unsustainable travel in the near future.
Out of the 26 companies analyzed, seven have established formal targets to lower travel emissions. Wipro is, however an exception of standing out from among other companies with targets to go beyond expectations. Indian tech giant has set a target to reduce travel emission by 55% in 2030, however, till 2023 the company has been in a position to decrease by an impressive 71% from the base of 2019. Clearly if such obvious targets have been set, its implementation is even more important, for it keeps the companies on their tracks and manages to make even more significant progress.
Besides Alphabet, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, and Salesforce have also been setting targets to reduce emissions. Such targeted companies are increasingly realizing more stable and higher reductions in their business travel emissions than non-targeted ones. Conversely, one would anticipate tech leaders like Alphabet and Apple to spearhead sustainability-related activities; however, these leaders have still not targeted formal goals for reduction in travel emissions and have remained a cause of concern for their long-term leadership on climate issues.
One of the companies that is distinctly leading in this report is Wipro, for having taken the proactive stance in reducing the emissions from business travel. The 71% reduction in travel emissions by Wipro is proof that having ambitious yet realistic goals really pays off, as the company pledged to its emissions at 55% reductions by 2030, something that has seen them go far above their targets, and also sets a high bar for other technology firms.
For instance, Microsoft, another such company with official targets, is doing a grand job in curbing business travel emissions. By concentrating on virtual meetings and optimizing travel when required, Microsoft has made great strides in reducing carbon footprints.
If companies like Alphabet and Apple do not set up formal targets, the possibilities are very high that their emissions may reach pre-pandemic levels. This could nullify their efforts in establishing them as sustainability leaders especially considering the reliance to their remote technologies during the pandemic. As people now get increasingly used to remote work and virtual collaboration, these firms have an opportunity to be at the forefront of such a movement, and it will only come to fruition if they follow up on transparent, benchmarkable objectives.
So, in summation, the good news is that emissions among tech companies about their business travels are coming down, while the bad news is that there is no official target concerning this reduction. So, the task for the companies, in order to once again lead the climate, lies ahead of setting clear goals, committing to reduce emissions, and bringing action toward a sustainable future.
