PROJECT ICARUS WINS SUPPORT FROM WWF
ITM's Project ICARUS and WWF-UK
The Institute of Travel Management (ITM) today announced that WWF-UK will be endorsing Project ICARUS as part of their new campaign to reduce business flying. The organisation is already advising companies wishing to reduce business travel emissions to reference ITM's ICARUS environmental toolkit, created through financial support from Omega, an academic body providing expertise on aviation and the environment.
WWF addresses global threats to people and species, such as climate change, so they have an interest in lower carbon ways of doing business, including greener business travel.
WWF-UK will run and administer a ‘Cut 1 in 5' campaign, getting companies to commit to reducing their total number of flights by 20% through greater use of videoconferencing and other lower carbon alternatives to flying. As part of this campaign, WWF-UK will be recommending the Project ICARUS toolkit to companies who need a proven methodology to help them reduce their emissions from business travel. For those companies that wish to go beyond a 20% reduction in flying or reduce their emissions from other aspects of business travel, WWF-UK will also be encouraging companies to join Project ICARUS' accreditation scheme. Further opportunities for WWF-UK and ITM to collaborate are also expected when promoting this campaign to businesses.
Paul Tilstone, Executive Director of ITM says, "ITM is delighted to be working together with WWF-UK in this way as their campaign goal of ‘1 in 5' complements the Project ICARUS target of 60% emissions reduction by 2050 through travel avoidance and modal shift.".
WWF are due shortly to publish research which will show the high level of interest in greening business travel programmes across the FTSE 350. As part of the collaboration between WWF and ITM's Project ICARUS, this research will be fully available to all ITM members.
One of the WWF team, Jean Leston - Transport Policy Officer for the WWF Climate Change team, has also joined the Project ICARUS Advisory Group to work in the provision of information and assistance. The Institute of Travel Management is very excited about working alongside one of the world's best known environmental organisations at this stage in the association's sustainable business travel project.
For more information about Project ICARUS visit www.itm.org.uk/icarus . ITM members can view the WWF "Travelling Light" report by clicking here.
To learn more about Omega visit www.omega.mmu.ac.uk
