SUSTA I NAB I L I TY] but companies are wanting to know more. Where are they sourced from? Were they ethically made? Have they been made sustainably? What is the environmental cost of those items? Sydney-based Brookfield Asset Management strategic sourcing manager, Rachel Tracey, also participating in the webinar, said it was important for her company to be working with travel related companies that were prioritising sustainability. “A recent example is a hotel RFP that we conducted a couple of months ago where, in previous years, we have may have asked one question on whether the hotel has a sustainability programme,” EY’s Winchester said. “Now, for the most recent one, we are asking a lot more: global certifications, third party audits, how and when is carbon measured, how water consumption is measured. This is all taken into the evaluation process.” Australian-based Sabre Corporate Development’s Talan Miller, which offers team-building programmes to corporates, says there has definitely been an enhanced awareness in recent years within client organisations on sustainably run programmes. “This now extends to how some will select their event themes and also monitor the use of consumables and packaging in our team building offerings,” he said. “Like CSR / charity initiatives in large organisations though, there is a spectrum that ranges from the genuinely passionate and committed, to those who may see it as a ‘box ticking’ or PR exercise and are still on the journey.” Sabre offers specific team-building concepts, like ‘Eco Warriors’ that link team challenges to actions and education around sustainability and conservation. “We are also taking more pro-active steps to link the recycling of consumables from our painting and boat builds, for example, to school projects and community groups. We are fastidious in selecting event materials that are either re-usable, or recyclable and / or biodegradable. Our own team see this as important, and now clients are definitely watching as well, especially the Millennial and Gen Z clients for whom this seems to be even more front of mind.” I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT As in any industry, some companies are moving faster than others in this space; getting ahead of the game before their clients start asking questions (if not already) and because they are good global citizens. Australia’s oldest PCO company in Australia, ICMS Australasia, now includes its sustainability goals in all its RFPs, which tables its Sustainability Procurement Targets for events under management. Specialist meetings and incentive travel company in Australia and New Zealand, 212F, recently released its KoruGreen initiative partnering with an event sustainability professional to develop what the company says is the industry’s first greenhouse gas calculator. It helps estimate greenhouse gas emissions of its events and then will pay to offset these by investing in projects that reduce emissions through the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform. “We also provide clients with guidance on reducing emissions in their programmes,” explains 212F’s general manager of events, Adam Leslie. Australian PCO arinex is also focusing on sustainability in its work, recently hosting seven international incentive representatives on a six-day educational trip to Fiji that highlighted opportunities for sustainable activities. One example was at Kokomo Private Island Resort where participants learned about the property’s efforts in coral planting and manta ray conservation. TAKE YOUR CLIENTS WITH YOU At the Flight Centre Corporate Illuminate Conference, EY’s partner in the climate change and sustainability team, Adam Carrel, said one interesting thing that resonated more than any other with this writer: take your customers on this journey with you. He said people working in the travel sector have an uncanny ability to sell people a dream, citing as an example of how he left his beautiful beachside Perth house with his young family, flew to tropical north Queensland to put on a stinger suit to go swimming and have a holiday because of the picture that had been painted for him. “So much of the travel industry markets itself right now on the fear of [travellers] missing out. You have the ability to switch that around to an idea of the joy of sustainability; of making people genuinely feel that when they travel they are taking part in the restoration of the natural world. “You cannot wait for the consumer to tap you on the shoulder and say ‘okay, I’m ready to spend on this now’. You have to bring the consumer with you.” EY's Adam Carrel says sustainabilty must become a focus for the travel industry The Sabre `Eco Warriors' team event is all about sustainable practices. meeting newz [nov dec] 2022 [35]
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=