Sabre & Google Partner to Cut Business Travel Emissions
Sabre Corporation, a global leader in travel technology, has partnered with Google to pilot a program to reduce the environmental impact of business travel. For the first time, Google's Travel Impact Model (TIM) has been used to calculate past corporate travel emissions using Sabre's 2023 business travel data.
The collaborative effort seeks to provide more accurate emissions data and suggest strategies for reducing carbon footprints associated with business flights.
Sabre: sustainable travel solutions
As a software and technology company in the travel industry, Sabre connects travel suppliers and buyers globally. It is at the forefront of solving complex challenges in travel. With headquarters in Southlake, Texas, Sabre operates in over 160 countries, serving a diverse clientele, including airlines, hoteliers, agencies, and corporate partners.
Jessica Matthias, Global Sustainability Director at Sabre, emphasised this, stating:
"Taking responsibility for our own emissions, striving towards the most accurate methodology, and working on innovative ways to reduce emissions alongside traditional methods are areas of focus for us."
TIM: A vital tool for measuring emissions
Google's TIM, developed in collaboration with the Travalyst coalition, is a transparent, continuously evolving tool designed to assess the climate impact of individual flights. The TIM provides businesses with a reliable, science-based method for calculating flight-related emissions.
Google has already integrated TIM into several major travel platforms, such as Google Flights, Booking.com, and Expedia, providing travellers and companies with valuable insights into their carbon footprints.
For Sabre, the pilot program marks a significant step in enhancing its environmental responsibility. The TIM allowed Google analysts to evaluate Sabre's 2023 business travel data, calculating emissions for each flight and identifying areas where the company could reduce its carbon output.
Analysis and findings: Focusing on high-impact routes
The analysis conducted by Google analysts revealed key areas where Sabre could make meaningful reductions. Long-haul flights, such as routes between Dallas and major European cities like London and Frankfurt, were identified as significant contributors to emissions.
The TIM suggested alternative, lower-emitting same-day flight options for two-thirds of these routes, offering Sabre the potential to reduce emissions by up to 10% on these journeys.
The findings will allow Sabre to set realistic reduction targets and optimise its future travel strategies.
"We were delighted to work with our partners at Google to extend the TIM to cover past emissions. Being the first company to use the TIM for value chain emissions disclosure is exciting. We hope this can inform and provide insights to help other companies reduce their emissions from business travel."
Sustainable business travel
Business travel accounted for nearly 7% of Sabre's carbon footprint in 2023, a figure the company is keen to reduce. By incorporating the insights from the TIM analysis, Sabre can adjust its corporate travel policy to reflect sustainability goals. Its online booking tool,
GetThere, has already integrated TIM emissions data, allowing Sabre's employees and clients to view accurate carbon estimates during the booking process.
Sabre is exploring the possibility of expanding TIM integration into its agency and corporate booking tools, enabling more customers to track and reduce their emissions from past business travel.
The broader impact: Addressing business travel Scope 3 emissions
While business travellers account for only 12% of global airline passengers, they are responsible for a disproportionately high share of emissions—around 30% in Europe, for example. With regulations like the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), many companies are prioritising the reduction of travel-related emissions.
However, accurately measuring Scope 3 emissions, particularly in Category 6 | Business Travel lacks granularity.
- Data availability challenges: Collecting detailed data on business travel emissions can be difficult due to limited transparency and traceability across the value chain.
- Complex value chains: Companies often have complex networks of travel arrangements and providers, making it challenging to account for all related emissions accurately.
- Calculation methodology variations: Unlike Scopes 1 and 2, which have more straightforward calculation methods, Scope 3 categories like business travel can be calculated using multiple different methods (e.g., spend-based, average data, supplier-specific), leading to varying levels of granularity.
- Limited control: Business travel emissions are primarily outside a company's direct control, making it harder to obtain precise data.
- Reliance on secondary data: In the absence of primary data, companies often rely on industry averages, proxy data, or rough estimates for business travel emissions, which reduces granularity.
- Data collection challenges: Gathering detailed information on every business trip, including mode of transport, distance travelled, and specific emissions factors, can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.
- Prioritisation of resources: Companies may focus their data collection efforts on larger emission categories, potentially leaving business travel with less detailed analysis.
To improve granularity in reporting Scope 3 Category 6 emissions, companies should:
- Prioritise collecting more easily accessible data first and progressively work towards gaining more granularity.
- Invest in data collection systems and collaborate with stakeholders to obtain more detailed information.
- Adopt standardised calculation methodologies to ensure reporting consistency.
- Utilise specialised tools and platforms designed for Scope 3 emissions data collection and management
Google's Travel Impact Model offers a solution. By providing more granular emissions data, TIM empowers companies to implement effective travel policies that promote less polluting flight options without sacrificing essential travel needs.
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