Press Release
For Immediate Release
25 August 2008
NEW CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBLITY STANDARDS AND AGENDA SET FOR ASIA-PACIFIC REGION AT ACTE SINGAPORE EDUCATION CONFERENCE
Singapore --
There are new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards for major business travel events in Asia-Pacific - and they've been set by the group that introduced the concept to the industry four years ago. The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) once again raised the bar for carbon reduction - and heightened CSR awareness - at its 7th Annual Asia-Pacific Education Conference in Singapore, 20-21 August. The two-day agenda, set against an underlying CSR theme, included a comprehensive educational program spanning advanced travel management techniques for maximum cost control during economic uncertainty.
"Essentially, we combined two critical messages into one simultaneous priority," said ACTE executive director susan gurley. "The educational agenda was designed to help corporations and suppliers maximize cost-savings and growth opportunities in the current economic environment, while raising awareness of the world's eco structure and social environment, and the industry's responsibility to both."
The first step toward erasing ACTE's 7th Annual Asia-Pacific Education Conference's carbon footprint was to offset carbon generated by transporting participants from 21 countries, an effort that was underwritten by Lufthansa. The second step entailed reducing the event's litter and landfill contributions. paper handouts and printed promotional materials were eliminated, disposable water bottles were replaced by water coolers, paper cups were then rendered into garden mulch or compost, and lanyards and identification badges were initially made from recycled materials and collected for further recycling.
A strong emphasis was placed on resource conservation too. Event leadership experimented with natural lighting, and all meeting facility lighting was switched off when not in direct use. Participants were reminded to conserve resources by switching off all lighting and air conditioning when leaving their hotel rooms.
Three critical recommendations emerged from the ACTE CSR "invitation-only" Global Business Summit held in partnership withCSR Asia: "Mainstreaming CSR in Business Travel Management - The Strategic Role of the Corporate Travel Industry."
Two panel members addressed environmental issues. "The time has come to set up an industry standard by which we can measure each vendors' carbon footprint to enable corporate buyers to make informed purchase decisions," stated Wayne Koh, Regional Travel Manager, Asia-Pacific, Autodesk. This benchmark would enable corporate consumers to choose suppliers who most closely match an individual customer's CSR philosophy."
David Sheil, Director of Operations, Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia, defined a specific regimen for corporations to follow. "The process begins by gathering data on your institution's carbon footprint, analyzing it to form the basis of a carbon management program - which would include a travel emissions management strategy, which then becomes the basis for benchmarking future emissions gains or reductions," said Sheil.
Yet perhaps the most significant statement to surface from this conference was a new emphasis on the social aspects of CSR. John Martens, Counter-Trafficking Project Specialist, International Office for Migration (IOM), said, "Trafficking in persons is an issue of public and private concern, and private sector companies, including those in the corporate travel industry, have a key role to play in addressing this challenge. The International Organization for Migration recommends that companies ...develop a corporate strategy for an anti-trafficking policy that permeates all of their activities, ensure that their personnel comply with the policy, and encourage their business partners, including suppliers, to do likewise."
Martens also counseled companies to consider developing partnerships with governments, inter- and non-governmental organizations to take specific actions to prevent trafficking in persons and protect victims of the trade. "Specific preventive actions would include raising public awareness, and instituting training programmes for personnel to improve identification of, and responses to, trafficking situations," noted Martens. "Specific actions to protect victims may include the provision of skills training, employment opportunities, and/or the allocation of material resources to support their sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration."
ACTE's education on anti-trafficking was first introduced at its 2006 Asia-Pacific Education Conference through the support of the MTV Foundation Europe.
"The industry can draw several powerful CSR conclusions from ACTE's 7th annual Asia-Pacific Education Conference," said Gurley. "The first is that the industry is outgrowing the offsetting approach to carbon reduction. While carbon reduction will always be part of the CSR equation, the industry is ready for carbon elimination through new fuels, new practices, and new approaches to sustainability. And finally, the humane treatment of people is becoming a top priority, because people are the ultimate beneficiaries of any CSR programme and our greatest resource."
About ACTE:
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) represents the global business travel industry through its international advocacy efforts, executive level educational programs, and independent industry research. ACTE's membership consists of senior travel industry executives from 82 countries representing the €200 billion business travel industry. with the support of sponsors from every major segment of the business travel industry, ACTE develops and delivers educational programs in key business centers throughout the world. ACTE has offices in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and the United States. for more information on ACTE, please go to www.acte.org.
Innovatorsnovators to the Business Travel Management Profession
"The Most Widely Adopted Standards in the Industry"
Education • CSR • Traveller Safety/Data Privacy • Advocacy
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Contact:
Kenneth Phua
Regional Director Asia-Pacific
Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE)
t: 65-6440 9169
e: [email protected]
For more information, contact:
Debbie Flynn
CEO
Brighter Group
The Pod, London's Vertical Gateway
Bridges Wharf, Battersea
London SW11 3BE England
T: 020 7326 9880
F: 020 7326 9890
E: [email protected]
W: www.brightergroup.com