Industry Insights with Olivia Ruggles-Brise, VP Sustainability, BCD Travel
Olivia Ruggles-Brise
VP Sustainability
-
BCD Travel
In this interview, Olivia Ruggles-Brise, an expert in travel and tourism policy and stakeholder sustainability engagement, and the Vice President of Sustainability at leading global travel management company BCD Travel, shares her insight into how the corporate travel community are engaging with SAF, and the importance of all sustainability initiatives, as well as some of the key challenges facing aviation in its path to net-zero.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role?
I joined BCD two years ago as Vice President of Sustainability. My job is to align and drive sustainability throughout BCD and our network. I spend a lot of time engaging with key stakeholders, partners, and groups within the industry to further the wider sustainable travel agenda. Together with my team, I am also responsible for making sure the company works towards our Science-Based target, uniting with colleagues in our locations around the world to reduce emissions, energy, and water consumption, and eliminate waste. For BCD, sustainability means more than carbon emissions or even environmental actions. We also believe in driving social change. Our flagship social impact program, Making a Difference, supports charitable projects that focus on children across the world. Through NGO partnerships and industry collaboration, our human trafficking awareness committee drive education and awareness on this issue that impacts the lives of millions of people globally. We also continue to expand our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives, making meaningful progress in creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace. These are just some examples of how BCD’s sustainability framework goes beyond carbon.
My background is in travel and tourism policy and consultancy. I studied languages—and travel has always been in my blood. I’ve seen the emergence of sustainability in travel firsthand and worked for many years with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) where the topic evolved from a niche discussion among experts to a mainstream priority for companies, employees, and consumers. I’m privileged to play a small role in ensuring that the industry has a sustainable and successful future.
What do you see as the role of corporates in driving the aviation sector to decarbonize?
Corporate travel makes up a significant part of aviation’s business. At the same time, business travel is often an important component of a company’s carbon footprint. It’s a win-win for companies to work together with airlines to decarbonize aviation. Companies can use their buying power to support airlines that meet higher sustainability standards. This includes airlines with newer planes, those investing in new technologies, or those focused on fuel-efficient operations.
How are corporates using SAF to contribute to business-wide sustainability efforts?
Companies can mitigate their business travel emissions by purchasing SAF, after they have taken other steps like cutting back on day trips, sending fewer people to meetings, using lower-emission travel options like trains, and choosing sustainable suppliers. For companies where business travel is a large part of their Scope 3 carbon footprint, SAF can help lower emissions that are hard to reduce. By buying or investing in SAF, companies also help the aviation industry decarbonize by increasing demand, which will eventually lower the cost of these fuels.
What other initiatives are corporations using to mitigate climate impact from travel?
We know from our latest travel policy survey of 211 buyers, that 64% of companies expect sustainability to have the strongest impact on corporate travel in the upcoming years. This underscores its growing importance in shaping modern travel policies, practices and supporting the initiatives that corporations are using to mitigate the climate impact of their travel. There are many ways that corporations can do this. The first step is to really assess the value of the trip and if it even needs to happen. Combining meetings so that there are a smaller number of longer trips is a popular strategy. We call this ‘meaningful travel.’ Then, if travel is necessary, use the lowest carbon form possible, such as taking the train or choosing an electric vehicle. If flying, select a route with a more efficient aircraft. Companies can build sustainability into their procurement processes and choose travel suppliers, such as airlines or hotels, that are performing better on sustainability. Making travelers aware of some key actions can also help drive behavior change. More sustainable choices and good information is vital for this. An example is providing flight emissions information or hotel sustainability certifications at point of sale.
A successful sustainable travel program relies on solid data and reporting. Using a strong methodology like GATE4, developed by BCD’s consulting arm, Advito, companies can factor in not just distance and cabin class, but also aircraft type, load factors, and belly cargo. With this information, companies can set goals, track progress, and even use carbon budgets.
We tend to focus on carbon emissions, but we shouldn’t forget that the biodiversity crisis is closely linked to climate change. Building in biodiversity impact considerations, for example through your choice of hotel, can also make a difference.
More recently, offsetting has become controversial, but there is still an important role for high-quality offsets which drive capital investment into robust projects that remove or reduce carbon emissions and support biodiversity.
Do you believe aviation's 2050 net zero targets are in sight?
Achieving net zero by 2050 remains, in my view, a massive challenge for the aviation industry. The current pathways are hugely dependent on an enormous quantity of sustainable aviation fuel, a tiny proportion of which is currently available. It is even questionable whether the planet itself can support the quantities required, both in terms of sustainable feedstocks and renewable energy. Other technologies such as electric and hydrogen are making progress; but they will represent a small part of the necessary mix. That said, there is enormous energy behind this endeavor. If we can balance growth with the availability of sustainable solutions, including swapping out older aircraft with the more fuel-efficient aircraft currently in production, then net zero aviation by 2050 is certainly in sight.