Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero Travel & Tourism

Climate change has the potential to devastate travel destinations with rising sea levels, melting ice and extreme weather events. 

At Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero, leaders give a panel discussion on how they’re making the travel industry more sustainable.

Speaking on the panel is Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability and ESG at MSC Cruises, Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Vice President of Sustainability at BCD Travel and Nicole Sautter, Director of Global Sustainability at American Express Global Business travel (Amex GBT). 

How cruises can become more sustainable

Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability and ESG at MSC Cruises explains how the company is trying to make cruising more sustainable. 

“We’re really focusing on three things:

• Ship technology and design
• Energy and operational efficiency 
• Fuels

“Our ships are now about 50% better than the design requirements under the IMO. We’re also now about 40% better than a ship built 10 years ago, so huge strides and that all helps.”

Sustainability in corporate travel

BCD Travel is a corporate travel management company serving clients in more than 170 countries. Olivia Ruggles-Brise, Vice President of Sustainability at BCD Travel, explains how it incorporates sustainability in corporate travel. 

Olivia says: “Our motto is to ‘travel smart, travel better’ so we work with corporates to maximise the value of their travel programmes.

“There are two parts to our net zero journey: we look at what we’re doing as a company and we look at how to help our customers to reduce their carbon impact.

BCD Travel has science-based targets to reduce its own emissions by 2030.

Travel after the COVID-19 pandemic

Amex GBT is the world’s leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel. Nicole Sautter, Director of Global Sustainability at Amex GBT, discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business travel.

“Contrary to popular belief at the time, the pandemic hasn't killed business travel, it actually transformed it in many ways. 

“What we see today is that business travel is used as a driver of corporate culture, bringing the workforce together.

“In many ways it has actually created a renewed appreciation for in-person meetings.”

Essential diary dates for 2024 and 2025…

Sustainability LIVE continues to expand its events with more to come in 2024 and 2025, discover our essential diary dates below.

2024 diary dates:

• Sustainability LIVE London | 10-11 September 2024
• Sustainability & ESG Awards | 10 September 2024
• Sustainability LIVE: Climate Week NYC | 24 September 2024
• Sustainability LIVE Malta | 17 October 2024
• Sustainability LIVE: Diversity & Inclusion | 12 November 2024
• NEW | The CSO Network
• NEW | ClimateTech Magazine
• NEW | Scope3 Magazine
• NEW | Diversity Magazine

2025 diary dates: 

• Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero | 5-6 March 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Singapore | 18 March 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Dubai | 22 April 2025
• Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 4-5 June 2025
• Sustainability LIVE London | 9-10 September 2025
• Sustainability & ESG Awards | 10 September 2025
• Sustainability LIVE: DE&I | 11 November 2025