With the environmental impact of carbon emissions firmly on both political and public agendas worldwide, Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) has announced a number of new initiatives to help clients in their drive towards a ‘greener’ way of travelling.
CO2 Calculator
Formally launched this month by HRG’s independent consulting division, HRG Consulting, the HRG CO2 Calculator allows clients to assess – in one free, simple and easy to use tool – the environmental impact of their flight choices. By selecting their start and destinationairports from a drop down box, combined with the number of passengers travelling at any one time, the tool immediately calculates the CO2 emissions produced for both one-way and return flights, and provides an indicative value of the cost of ‘offsetting’ those emissions by making a charitable donation based on their company’s own carbon footprint.
Ian Flint, Head of Global Consulting at HRG, commented: “With many of our clients taking a keen interest in their own environmental policies and working with us to introduce initiatives designed to limit their carbon emissions, our CO2 calculator is an invaluable tool that is available without charge to clients.
“We are now working on an enhanced version of HRG’s CO2 Calculator which will include an automatic set of reports designed to highlight, by both airline and individual traveller, the annual environmental impact incurred by companies. We will then shortly be introducing enhanced solutions to incorporate ground transport (car and rail) and hotels, giving a complete overview of a company’s carbon footprint as it relates to their business travel activities.”
‘Green’ Hotels Indicator
HRG has also announced a new environmentally-focused development for HRG Online, its proprietary self service reservation (SSR) tool.
With immediate effect, those hotels meeting strict ISO (International Organization for Standardization) environmental criteria will be highlighted with a green tree icon, enabling bookers to select a ‘greener’ hotel for the duration of their stay.
“We are continuously improving our online tool for the benefit of our clients,” explained Paul Saggar, Director Technology Product Development at HRG. “The green tree icon is a distinctive reminder for travel bookers, alerting them to the existence of an environmentally friendly option in the destination of their choice and giving them the opportunity to select accommodation in line with their own environmental policies.”
Mileage and CO2 Reporting
HRG has also announced that the next phase of developments for its comprehensive online reporting tool, HRG Reporting, will encompass reporting by mileage and CO2 emissions, helping carbon-conscious clients track their activity and monitor progress against targets.
Paul Saggar commented: “In recent years there has been an evolution in the way that clients want reporting information presented: from the raw data, through to reports and commentary, and finally benchmarking. Given our objective to not only meet, but exceed client expectations, it is a natural evolution for us to further develop our online Reporting solution to include environmentally-focused reports.”
For further information and a demonstration of HRG’s latest developments, visit stand 513 at the Business Travel Show in Earls Court, London, from 13th – 15th February 2007.
- Ends –
For further information:
Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster
Jenny Collins/Alice Mayor
Tel +44 (0) 20 7467 9200
Email: blhrg@bisslancaster.com
Hogg Robinson Group
Laurie Waugh, PR Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1256 312623
Email: laurie.waugh@hrgworldwide.com
Notes to Editors:
Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) is the award-winning international corporate services company. Founded in 1845, HRG has over 60 years specific corporate travel expertise. Its corporate services interests include wholly-owned or majority controlled corporate travel operations in 24 of the key driver and growth markets throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Supported by contracted partners, the HRG worldwide network extends to almost 100 countries.
Totally committed to a value offering for clients, HRG offers a comprehensive range of corporate services which includes travel management, fulfillment services and low cost transactions as well as Consulting, Expense Management, Sports and Events & Meetings Management.