The travel industry is heading directly towards turbulence. While travel numbers of all types are at a historical high, criticism of the industry is becoming overwhelming. The criticism revolves around both over-tourism and the industry’s contribution to climate change.
This isn’t just hot air. Travelers are starting to vote with their feet and change their travel patterns in accordance with their beliefs. Whether it’s the 23% of Swedes who have reduced their number of flights to benefit the climate, or the popularity of “staycations” (holidaying at home) for the sake of the planet, all the reactions are hitting the industry hard.
Holiday-makers increasingly choose sustainable travel options and operators
Other anti-travel-industry reactions include both the French and the Scandinavians adding the new word “Flyskam” into their vocabularies, which roughly translates to “the shamefulness of flying.” Another example is a decline in tourism to the U.S. (practically the only country in the world without growing visits in 2018), which is thought to be an international silent protest of the Trump Administration.
Statistics back up the trend. A study by Edelman shows that 64% of consumers are now belief-driven, meaning they won’t buy from businesses they believe are failing to take appropriate responsibility for their climate-change contributions.
The travel industry is an large industry that provide 10% of the world’s employment. With the advance of ESG ‘Environmental Social Governance’ and growing consumer pressure, leaders in the tourism industry need to future-proof their business by taking responsibility for the part they play in the environmental crisis.
But many travel businesses are small businesses to whom a sustainable transition may seem a daunting and complicated task. But as a matter of fact there are many small actions a small business can take to show consumers that they want to be part of the solution. Among possible solutions are:
Zero Plastic Policy
Decide against the use of single-use plastics and other plastics that can be avoided in your business. Plastic is among the world’s least popular products right now, and taking a visible stand against it sends a signal to your customers that you care. Change plastic cutlery to bamboo, start buying everything from laundry detergent to milk from providers that use cardboard packaging, and sell refillable bottles (and enable customers to refill them inexpensively).
Green Electricity
A major change, which has the added benefit of being among the easiest to implement, is converting to sustainable power sources. Today, many utility providers have a green product where you buy power generated from wind, solar or another sustainable source.
Green Gourmet
Interest in gourmet food continues to soar. At the same time, the interest in plant-based food is sky rocketing and vegetarianism is entering mainstream, as 6% of Americans today follow a strictly plant-based diet. Combined, these trends make healthy, local, seasonal and veggie-rich food a large drawcard for any restaurant. If you can also grow the produce yourself, or at least buy it from named local farmers, then you’re in the win.
Investing in food and beverage is worthwhile. For example, 41% of travelers in Thomas Cook’s 2019 study have chosen a hotel because of its restaurant. And a large part of Millennials today identify as flexitarian, meaning they follow a plant-based diet with occasional meat consumption.
In addition to local produce, using fair trade or Rainforest Alliance certified tropical products (such as coffee) means you have a clean conscious for the products that cannot grow locally.
Have the Right HVAC System
A lesser known carbon sinner, which is #1 on Project Drawdown’s list of climate problems, is a type of heating/cooling called HFCs (that are being phased out). Ensuring your systems are of the newer and more efficient (up to 9,000 times more effective) variety is a significant green contribution.
Reduce Food Waste
Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world is wasted, making food waste one of the cardinal problems to address in the fight for sustainability. If your business runs restaurants, then replace huge portions, of which much is uneaten, with smaller meals and free refills. Similarly, a smaller selection of meals available enables a lower food waste percentage and saves money.
Green Pension Plans for Employees
An large invisible power in the global financial markets is pension funds, which total USD 27.6 trillion in the OECD areas alone. In many countries, the employer does not only contribute but also chooses the pension fund provider for her/his employees. By recommending a pension provider that invests ethically in companies that are sustainable, you can ensure the same good financial results for your employees and prevent more capital being invested in coal mining, oil, gas and other polluting products.
Clean Construction
Around 38% of global energy related emissions come from construction. So as a business owner, insist renovations and new construction for your company are done in the most sustainable fashion. In my company, The Creators Community, we’re trying this by building a brand new 3,500-square-meter multi-story building made entirely out of wood for co-working in Drammen, Norway. Wood is a sustainable material that can now be treated in a way that prevents it from being a fire risk, which was the reason it lost out to concrete back in the day.
For existing structures, you can support bees, help prevent flooding and cut down heating and cooling bills by installing green roofs. A small example is green-roofed bus stops in Holland, where green roofs are added to the public space to absorb rainwater, capture dust and pollutants, regulate temperatures and add plants in urban spaces — which in turn reduce noise pollution, reduce stress, increase biodiversity, beautify the city, absorb carbon and improve the air quality.
No Chemicals
Many consumers (and scientists) believe many of the chemicals that surround us are to blame for chronic diseases and decreased life spans. You can take a stand against chemicals by swapping chemical cleaning products with natural cleaning solutions (such as vinegar, lemon and baking soda), decorating with organic materials and furnishings (in particular, bedding that comes in direct contact with your customers’ skin) and serving organic food that’s free from pesticides.
Responsible Design and Decor
Never use rainforest timber, coral, ivory or other scarce resources in your decor. Always choose FSC-certified timber, and try to avoid furniture produced socially or environmentally irresponsibly.
Instead, use local products, furniture and decor for your business. Locally produced products eliminate excessive transport, as well as support local craftsmen and designers. There was always something illogical about cutting down Malaysian forests to have furniture produced in China and then shipped to New York City. Instead of joining the madness, use local wood, local materials and local designers and make a thing of it. This adds another level of storytelling and a personal touch your customers will love.
An alternative, and even greener, trend in interior design is using repurposed furniture. You can choose a design style in which reused furniture, such as design chairs from the ‘50s, looks incredible. This not only gives you a personal and unique style, it saves natural resources from the production of new items — and can be extremely affordable.
Repurposed furniture can look great in a retro look
And décor in your business does matter. In a 2018 report by Thomas Cook, a third of travelers say the hotel they stay in matters more to them than the destination, and 43% say hotel decor matters more to them than it did 5 years ago.
Offsetting Through Tree Planting and Profit Donations
If all the above seem too hard for your business, you can start by donating part of your profits to a grassroots organization that supports tree planting, as it is assumed that global reforestation could capture 25% of global annual carbon emissions. Tree planting can be extremely low cost for a relatively high impact if you choose local organizations vetted by A Trillion Trees Campaign.
Alternatively you can go all in as a corporate activist brand that shows responsibility in all manners. Perhaps the world’s most activist brand in this regard is Patagonia, the outdoor clothing manufacturer that repairs customers’ jackets and goes as far as to advise them against buying more clothing. They recently made headlines as they gave away $10 million they saved in what they call “irresponsible tax cuts” to environmental causes.
Whatever You Choose, Communicate
Whatever you choose to do in your business remember to communicate about it extensively to your customers. Consumers understand that the green transition won’t happen overnight, and they will appreciate even small steps in the right direction. So transparency and communication is the key to higher engagement and thus strategically future-proofing your business.
