The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA)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.