LIFT will make it easier for small- and medium-size companies in particular to implement sustainability goals and maintain business mobility while reducing the CO2 share of business travel in the long term. LIFT puts travel and mobility managers in a better position in the future to have quick and concrete answers ready to reduce their carbon footprint. With the help of the expertise of the business travel agency partners, measures such as intelligent booking, transparent billing, calculation of the CO2 footprint or CO2 compensation models can be implemented consistently.
VDR President Christoph Carnier emphasized LIFT’s importance. “Sustainability remains a key issue in business travel as well,” Carnier said. “That’s why we want to strengthen our green footprint once again in 2023 and provide our members with competent and solution-oriented support. The VDR initiative “LIFT Climate” brings us a big step closer to our association goal – strengthening sustainable business mobility.”
BCD’s own global sustainability approach incorporates six focus areas, including governance, ethics and compliance; workplace practices; environment; sustainable procurement; service performance and charity and community support. We ethically manage our environmental, social and financial responsibilities to ensure our ongoing business success – without limiting options for future generations. VDR shares our sense of urgency and corporate commitment to do the right thing.
“We are pleased that we were able to win over business travel agencies (travel management companies) for the implementation and execution of the process model,” said Ludger Bals, project manager and Task Force Lead for VDR-NxT. “Because they actively support the project through their multiplier effect as well as their professional expertise.” The generic process model, which comprises eight steps, is enriched with the offerings and services of the respective travel provider and presented to the interested pilot customers. Concrete measures are then identified to reduce the carbon footprint of business travel while still maintaining corporate mobility. The basis for this is a close, uncomplicated form of cooperation between companies, suppliers, travel management companies and the VDR as an association and link.
The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the “LIFT Climate” funding measure and will be put into practice with pilot companies this year. The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as part of the “LIFT Climate” funding measure and will be put into practice with pilot companies this year. Other participating agencies include ATG, CWT, DERPART, Egencia, FCM and Lufthansa City Center.