Brussels  – The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, welcomes the European Commission's initiative to propose a harmonised framework for calculating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, called CountEmissionsEU.

With GBTA members making it a priority to reduce the carbon footprint of their business travel, emissions data is essential to achieving this goal.

CountEmissionsEU will ensure that the right data is provided, and a common calculation methodology is in place, paving the way for effective decarbonisation of the business travel sector currently hindered by the fragmented methodologies.

A harmonised methodology will also provide benchmarks for measuring progress toward corporate sustainability goals.

GBTA believes that data should be available for both pre-trip estimates and post-trip data on emissions associated with travel. Both types of data are needed and serve different purposes: pre-trip estimates are used to encourage travellers to choose greener options, and post-trip data is used for reporting purposes.

As a truly global association, GBTA hopes that this regulation will become a global standard. Promoting the use of a widely used international standard could encourage other regions of the world to follow the EU's lead and adopt a similar instrument, further reducing emissions from the transportation sector.

GBTA has engaged with European officials to obtain more information on the direction of regulation and to raise awareness of the complexities of the sector. To view the Global Business Travel Association's full position paper on the CountEmissionsEU proposal, click here.

About GBTA

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premiere business travel and meetings trade organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area and serving stakeholders across six continents. GBTA and its 8,000+ members represent and advocate for the $1.48 trillion global travel business and meetings industry. GBTA and the GBTA Foundation deliver world-class education, events, research, advocacy and media to a growing global network of more than 28,000 travel professionals and 125,000 active contacts. For more information visit gbta.org.

About the GBTA Foundation

The mission of the GBTA Foundation, the US 501c3 charitable arm of the Global Business Travel Association, is to help the global business travel industry create a positive impact and better future for people and the planet. The GBTA Foundation focuses on the strategy and execution of GBTA's global sustainability programs, supporting initiatives related to climate action; diversity, equity and inclusion; and other talent-related topics via education, research and advocacy. For more information visit gbtafoundation.org.

Nikki Stimson
+44(0) 7764 618199
GBTA