Sounding Off: Do the right thing on sustainability - from big moves to small

Melissa Novotny

"Where your products come from, how they are delivered to you, how they are used within your operations and how they are disposed of after use are all questions to consider."

Quote from Melissa Novotny, operations and partnership manager at Sea Going Green, in an article this week on building toward a more sustainable industry.

Each Friday, PhocusWire dissects and debates an industry trend or new development covered by PhocusWire that week.

The sustainability discussion, after years of being swept under the carpet by many in the industry, is now unlikely to go away - meaning travel brands have some hard choices to make either now or in the near future.

The impact of climate change on the ecological diversity of the planet is finally no longer a subject of debate but a cause for concern.

For environmentalists, this moment marks the end of years of campaigning. Society and industries are waking up to the science and the impact that we all have on our world.

The campaigning doesn't stop, of course, but the awareness of our behavior is having is no longer something that can be avoided.

It's impossible for the world's largest industry to overhaul itself overnight to become more sustainable and better for the planet.

Aircraft that run on cleaner fuel sources need to be developed and deployed at scale; new hotels should be constructed with renewable energy at their heart; and there are plenty more examples.

These big ticket items are for the strategists and wallet holders. 

The micro level of industry operations can be considered just as important, however, with the supply chain giving local managers ample opportunity to do their bit.

Accommodation providers (both private and mainstream hospitality) and airlines should consider their policies around single use plastics as a matter of course, alongside where they source products from and who they choose to work with on food, beverage, local activities, etc.

Business with hardware and software providers should be viewed through the lens of the sustainability credentials of the partner. If a company doesn't run its systems on renewable energy, ask them why or what its strategy is to eventually do so.

The travel industry has become far too comfortable with doing things the easy way, rather than the right way.

This is inevitably due to costs and resouces. But the sector should be demonstrating that it can play its part and, more importantly, lead the way.

If a brand can inspire just one customer (or thousands) to do the right thing when they return home, by the way it behaves even on the smaller things, then it's a strategy worth implementing.

We don't have any choice.