- Sustainability is a shared responsibility and value creator – BT4Europe Sustainability Working Group leads by example
BT4Europe’s Sustainability Working Group today announced a year of high-impact policy advocacy, hands-on participation in EU consultations, and targeted communications that advanced practical, inclusive sustainability in European business travel. As an independent European association, BT4Europe reaffirmed its commitment to support the European Commission throughout the implementation phase of CountEmissionsEU and to champion integrated, comprehensive sustainability reporting across transport, hospitality, and events.
Angela Lille, Chair, BT4Europe Sustainability Working Group, said:
“2025 proved that when policy ambition meets practical implementation, European business travel can become a catalyst for smarter growth and real emissions reduction. Our priority now is to help turn CountEmissionsEU into a trusted, everyday tool across the travel ecosystem—aligned with ISO 14083, easy to use, and integrated with hospitality and events so companies can see the whole picture.”
Throughout 2025, the Working Group engaged in five major EU consultations to ensure policy delivers measurable impact for European corporate travel buyers and suppliers. Contributions included:
- PEFCR Hotels – promoting simpler, globally aligned standards that support CSRD reporting.
- EU Tourism Strategy – ensuring business travel is recognised as a catalyst for sustainable change.
- CountEmissionsEU – calling for rapid implementation and harmonisation with ISO 14083.
- Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP) – advocating for fair CO₂ standards, SAF infrastructure, and harmonised reporting.
- European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) – supporting consistency with IFRS and inclusion of business travel emissions.
The Working Group updated its Sustainability Position Paper in July 2025, introducing a financial and methodological lens to help companies translate sustainability ambition into credible, comparable reporting across all business travel categories.
BT4Europe encourages Corporate Buyers to co-create Sustainable Hospitality Reporting Standards
Recognizing that sustainability is now a financially material concern for the industry. As an active participant in the Task Force for Sustainable Hospitality Reporting Standards, BT4Europe is helping to establish a common financial language for the sector—one that aligns sustainability performance with investor confidence and procurement requirements.
With investors, lenders, and insurers increasingly directing capital towards assets and businesses that demonstrate climate resilience and readiness for a low-carbon economy, sustainability performance is no longer optional – it is central to financial decision-making in hospitality. For business travel, the availability of sustainable hotels can only scale through appropriate investments, and corporate buyers have a decisive role in driving this transformation through their demand.
The EEA Taskforce, in collaboration with BT4Europe, is developing audit-grade, financially relevant disclosure standards for hotels and lodging, anchored in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). These standards will shape how capital assesses risk, values assets, and supports growth across the hospitality sector. They will also provide a reliable basis for ESG criteria adopted in public and private procurement activities, ensuring interoperability with corporate reporting requirements under CSRD.
BT4Europe calls all hospitality stakeholders including Corporate Buyers to have their say: EEA global consultation for the Hospitality Sustainability Reporting Standards is available on www.bt4europe.com and on www.eea.international.
Angela Lille, Chair, BT4Europe Sustainability Working Group who represented European corporate buyers at the Task Force on Hospitality & Lodging Sustainability Standards under the Leadership of the EEA Energy and Environment Alliance, said:
“Corporate buyers have the power to accelerate sustainable hospitality through their choices. By engaging in this global consultation, we can ensure reporting standards reflect commercial realities, regional diversity, and the needs of business travel. Together, we can create a framework that strengthens investor confidence and positions our industry for a resilient, low-carbon future. We will continue to work side-by-side with the Commission, Parliament, International Organisations, and Member States to ensure sustainability is not just reported—but delivered.”
BT4Europe believes that together we have the power to transform the business travel industry and balance business efficiency and environmental responsibility.
