In 2012, TUI Travel launched its ‘Sustainable Holidays Plan’, a three year strategy with four ambitious goals. The plan is underpinned by 20 clear and publicly stated commitments that include the delivery of 10 million ‘greener and fairer’ holidays, to operate Europe’s most fuel-efficient airlines, and to engage colleagues and customers in sustainability. In its latest report, The Sustainable Holidays Plan 2013, TUI Travel outlines its progress over the last year in meeting these targets.
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TUI Travel is leading the industry in sustainability - with over 1,200 of its hotel suppliers being awarded independent sustainability certifications in 2013 alone. Against a three year target of 10 million, over the year the Company took 3.8million customers on ‘greener and fairer’ holidays to these sustainability certified hotels, making a total of 5.8million customers since 2012.
TUI Travel operates six airlines, flying a total of 138 aircraft. It has reduced the absolute carbon emissions from the airlines by 15% - a reduction of one million tonnes of CO2 compared to 2008 which equates to taking 400,000 cars off the road for a year. This reduction was achieved through a mixture of fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, fuel conservation activities and capacity amendments.
The Company has additionally offset 1.2 m tonnes of carbon through investing in clean energy projects over the last five years –the equivalent to taking around 500,000 cars off the road for a year.
Jane Ashton, Director of Group Sustainable Development at TUI Travel explains, “The measures TUI Travel has implemented as part of the Plan are now starting to bear fruit, creating substantial cost savings and a measurable reduction in CO2 emissions. It has been fantastic to see such progress over the last few years, but there is a long way to go still and we must continue to raise awareness of the issues of sustainability in the industry.
“We have been committed to providing more sustainable holidays for over a decade and will continue to do all we can to lead the travel industry and ensure sustainability is centre stage.”
Highlights of the report include:
* £28m saved through environment efficiencies in 2012 & 2013*
* TUI Travel airlines’ reduced relative CO2 emissions by 9.3% in 5 years. Now 70.7g of CO2 emissions per revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) across TUI Travel’s airlines – an improvement of 3.2% since FY12, making TUI Travel airlines some of the most fuel efficient in the world
* TUI Travel airlines’ reduced absolute CO2 emissions by 15% in 5 years (reduction of 1 million tonnes of CO2 compared to 2008)
* TUIfly was ranked the most climate-efficient charter airline worldwide for the second year in a row and most climate-efficient airline in the world with more than one million passengers in the 2013 atmosfair Airline Index. Thomson Airways was ranked second most climate-efficient airline for short haul flights.
* Offset 1.2m tonnes of carbon through investing in clean energy projects over the last 5 years (equivalent to taking around 500,000 cars off the road for a year)
* 5.8m customers stayed in hotels with independent sustainability certification in 2012 & 2013
* TUI Travel featured over 1,200 hotels with sustainability certifications in 2013
* 650 participants attended TUI Travel supplier sustainability workshops in 2012 & 2013
* Engaged 630,000 children in sustainable tourism through the company’s Eco-traveller schools programme
* For the sixth consecutive year, TUI Travel was featured in the UK’s CDP Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) and was ranked in the top 10% of the FTSE 350 for their approach to carbon disclosure and governance. TUI Travel was the only Travel & Leisure Company to feature in the 2013 CDLI and the only company to feature for the 6th year running.
*An approximate figure of Group savings that have been tracked, gross of any upfront investments required to achieve those savings in 2012 & 2013. Part of previously identified cost savings.
Click here to access the report