ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Sustainable business travel. Sustainable thinking.

At Clarity, we always aim to actively encourage and prioritise sustainability in business travel.

So what is sustainability in business travel? Sustainable business travel involves using eco-friendly transportation, sustainable accommodations, carbon offsetting, responsible tourism, and promoting awareness among employees. By adopting these practices, we can conduct business travel in an environmentally responsible manner.

Our sustainable business travel policy aims to manage the costs, social impacts, and environmental impacts generated by using different business travel modes.

That means offering our customers a choice about how they travel and presenting to travellers all the information to allow for an informed, sustainable decision.

have you got a sustainable business travel policy?

environmentally friendly

Saving the planet one journey at a time.

We appreciate that sustainable business travel is likely to be at the top of your agenda.

It’s essential that both Clarity and our clients understand how to make environmentally friendly business decisions and travel options.

It’s all about choice; the ability to present to travellers all the information to allow for a sustainable business travel decision.

CARBON REDUCTION PLAN

By 2030 we will be carbon neutral.

Clarity takes sustainability seriously, internally, and externally with our customers and suppliers.

So much so, we engaged the services of a 3rd party specialist to deliver, in partnership, a Carbon Reduction Plan that will enable us to be carbon net zero by 2030.

This is how we’ll get there.

View our carbon reduction plan

Partnered with Greengage Solutions.

We engaged the services of a 3rd party specialist to deliver, in partnership, a Carbon Reduction Plan.

Emissions reduction targets.

To continue our progress to achieving Net Zero since the base year (2019) we have adopted annual carbon reduction targets.

ISO14001 implementation.

Provides assurance to company management and employees as well as external stakeholders that environmental impact is being measured and improved.

Changes to policy.

We have made changes to our policy that have resulted in a reduction in company travel and flights.

Reduction of energy usage.

Building management systems to reduce energy usage.

Installation of LED lighting.

Installation of LED lighting in our buildings.

GO2INSIGHT

Comprehensive CO2 reporting.

Firstly, to reduce any target you need to make a baseline. We provide you with all the information you need via our online reporting tool, Go2Insight.

All data is calculated and measured and this gives you an overview that can also be drilled down per traveller, as well as by any other data we capture – department, cost centre, budget code etc.

Go2Insight

An illustration showing sustainable flights

PROMOTE IT

Be prompt at the point of sale.

Promote sustainability in business travel at all stages of the booking process.

To prompt sustainability through choice
Providing booking considerations
Filter by Price / Duration / CO2 emissions
CO2 and travel durations clearly displayed for both air & rail
Enable the booker to make an informed decision

driven by your internal data

Future considerations and strategies.

Challenge individuals/departments to reduce their footprint?
Challenge the need for day trips, would video conference have been a better choice?
Domestic flights? Discuss the CO2 footprint differential to rail to promote better practice and more sustainable business travel options.
Challenge why so many people went on the same trip?
Consider CO2 league tables to promote competition?

In partnership, we can help you develop a sustainable business travel programme.

Get in touch

The sustainable travel balance.

Over the previous years, Clarity has been helping to offset clients’ travel, and we’ve even been offsetting our own.

Just take a look at the previous figures from 2019…

Corporate social responsibility.

We know just how important economic issues are throughout the country at this moment in time.

As an organisation that operates globally, we are committed to helping strengthen and support growth in regional and local areas where our clients are based. In meeting our social, ethical and environmental responsibilities, we listen to our customers and suppliers, adapt our policies and initiatives to meet changing legislation and partner initiatives, and deliver to ensure we maintain our workplace ethos of being ‘Brighter’.

Apprenticeships and graduate training

In 2014 Clarity introduced the Brighter Beginnings Apprenticeship Programme. To date, we have helped launch the careers of 40+ young people throughout the UK. In addition, Clarity have endorsed the NCFE Business Travel Level 3 Qualification at a variety of colleges.

We also deliver 50 hours+ (per year) of careers talks at local schools and colleges including: curriculum support, literacy support, safety talks.

We feel by building these strong relationships, Clarity creates partnerships with companies that share our core values. From this, we can generate shared social value to the wider community – a ripple effect if you like.

BTA Cares

We are heavily involved in the BTA Cares programme which is throwing its arms around business travel professionals when they need it the most. BTA Cares is helping to upskill, market and retrain members of the business travel community affected by redundancy, etc. to create employees who are attractive to both the travel industry and wider sectors.

Looking after employees

At the heart of Clarity are our people and we take our commitments to them very seriously. We want to recruit and retain the best people, continuously improving performance and providing industry leading training and development.

We are an equal opportunities, real living wage employer; have no staff on “zero-hour” contracts; accommodate flexible working, shared parental leave and the government’s Good Work Plan. We undertake pay audits and gender pay exercises to ensure our workforce are paid equally, and we are committed to driving social change throughout the industry. We have implemented ethical recruitment practises, backed by our Diversity and Inclusion Framework, that reduce barriers for minority groups to apply. This, along with using job boards, SME recruitment agencies, Jobcentres, LinkedIn Referrals ensures we attract a diverse candidate pool. We also undertake unconscious bias training to ensure a fair process for all.Above and beyond this, we take a proactive approach to issues surrounding health and wellbeing. Keeping employees fit, mentally, physically, and financially, is our priority. We have a range of initiatives in place to ensure staff feel supported.

Life Works: We offer a 24/7 confidential employee assistance programme called LifeWorks offering: Online resources and information supporting mental, physical, social and financial well-being; Expert guidance from professional advisors, about any work-related or personal life issues, Counsellors to discuss problems or connect with other specialists such as financial and legal professionals.

Mindful Employer and Health Space Programme: We are a Mindful employer undertaking staff wellbeing checks, operate a healthy spaces programme, and have a team of mental health ambassadors and first aiders (Healthy Space Team). We also have allocated private room in our offices, where staff can go to take time out as when they feel necessary.

Reducing the Disability Gap – As a Mindful Employer and Disability Confident Committed company (working towards level 2), we engage professional bodies and are proactively involved with initiatives/legislation.

Our Mindful newsletter covers a different aspect every month. We also have quarterly webinars delivered by our Healthy Space Team covering topics on happiness and isolation. Our internal Brightside Radio podcast, has regular Q&A phone ins and guest speakers which have featured Dr Lucy Rattrie (travel psychologist). In May 2021, we hosted a Mental Health Awareness week, where every day featured a webinar focused on mental health.

Employee Development – Employee development is a key focus at Clarity. Our internal CIPD certified learning and development team ensure our army of experts are well equipped to meet the evolving needs of all clients and suppliers. This includes vocational learning, travel qualifications and Strengthening Personal Resilience courses.

Fit for the Future – Our company-wide ‘Fit for the Future’ incentive is designed to help our staff get fit and healthy. We’ve teamed up with a leading fitness company to provide discounted fitness trackers to support the initiative and every step recorded goes towards supporting our Charity partner (Macmillan).

Work/Life Balance – We offer flexi time (consolidated hours / reduced hours) and homeworking. We also supported our staff to enable them to return to work as quickly as possible (following the initial Covid-19 lockdown periods) in addition to embracing the Government’s furlough scheme. Whilst some have enjoyed working from home others were eager to get back to the office.

Benefits – Christmas shopping day, pension scheme, eye test vouchers, life cover, competitions, brighter staff awards scheme, cycle to work scheme, educational trips to visit suppliers, sick pay, study loan, season ticket loans, flu jabs.

Working with suppliers – to promote mental health and wellbeing. Throughout lockdown, several suppliers invited our team to join virtual keep fit / yoga classes. We undertake extensive charity work, working with Macmillan Cancer Support to undertake fundraising including the ‘Mighty Hike’.

Local employment and buying local

We are committed to being both a best practice employer and an employer of choice for those seeking employment in the travel industry in the local area. 90% of our staff live within a 10-mile commute of their local office, and we use only local recruitment agencies to help us source new staff.

We also advertise in local job centres, papers and post job vacancies on local job boards and social media sites. From the stationary providers we use to the milkman that calls every morning, we try to ensure we purchase as much as we can from local suppliers to help boost our local economy.

Working with SMEs

Our clients have diverse requirements, and through our diversified client base throughout the UK, we are well aware of the challenges to find suitable accommodation in some fairly remote locations. We are often researching, sourcing, and engaging with many unusual, often rural hotels and SMEs and 3rd party suppliers. Our service offering is always about the best outcome for our client, no matter how unusual. The very nature of our approach also ensures a fair, equitable and transparent opportunity to supply is offered to all providers.

Global suppliers’ standards

We support the government’s Civil Society Strategy creating a country that works for everyone, promoting diversity, sustainability and responsible procurement. Eliminating corruption and tackling inequalities throughout our supply chain via our Sound Sourcing Code. All suppliers must adhere to this and demonstrate their modern slavery policy, gender pay reporting, and green initiatives. Issues in applying the principles must be flagged and actions documented. Some suppliers will not be found within our content when standards / policies cannot be 100% validated.

We are committed to building fair and sustainable relationships with our suppliers and recognise the essential contribution that our suppliers make in achieving our aims and aspirations for sound sourcing. Our ‘Sound Sourcing Code of Conduct’ outlines the standards that our suppliers must adhere to, including CSR policy, anti-bribery and modern slavery acts. We have a dedicated commercial team to help develop and maintain close relationships and to monitor performance.

WE CAN HELP

Become carbon neutral.

Clarity can help your business become carbon neutral. Please call 0800 731 1627 or fill in the relevant information below to be contacted by a Clarity Business Travel Expert.