88% of businesses are eyeing sustainability in corporate travels

Firms, however, are facing challenges in developing a more sustainable corporate travel program.

In their bid to champion sustainability, almost nine in 10 Singaporeans are planning to develop a more sustainable corporate travel programme, a  study by SAP Concur has found.

According to SAP Concur, senior leadership (53%) is driving the sustainable agenda for corporate travel, followed by individuals "responsible for sustainability initiatives” (45%), employees (37%), and “those responsible for corporate travel” (35%).

Firms, however, are facing three main challenges to making their corporate travel more sustainable: lack of personal knowledge/training on sustainability issues (28%), lack of professional tools to visualise the environmental impact of travel (21%), and lack of employee engagement (17%).

On the flip side, some firms (28%) already have software in place to support corporate travel and expense management, whilst 40% plan to acquire such software "very soon."

Meanwhile, about 57% of firms said they have good or excellent business travel data for their software to analyse.

“For those that lack implementation know-how, technology could point a way forward – in terms of helping guide employees to sustainable itinerary options, tracking emissions, and ultimately formulating more efficient and sustainable travel strategies. Firms should examine how these tools can support their broader sustainability goals,” DCarl Jones, SAP Concur's managing director for Southeast Asia, said.