Tech firms slash business travel in 2023, but Alphabet and Apple fall behind: Study

Global tech giants cut their business flight emissions by half in 2023 compared to 2019, but companies like Apple and Google's parent Alphabet are falling behind and risk returning to pre-pandemic levels, a report by a Brussels-based NGO said.

Business travel in 2023 neared pre-pandemic levels but lagged behind leisure trips amid geopolitical conflicts and a more sluggish rebound in some key markets.

Emissions from corporate flights by 26 major tech companies examined by Travel Smart - a campaign led by Transport & Environment - fell on average by 49 per cent in 2023, it found.

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While this shows many tech firms are on the right track, only seven have set specific reduction targets that are key to keeping business flight numbers in check, said T&E.

Alphabet, which has not set a goal to cut emissions, and Apple, which set a broader target, are slowly crawling back towards 2019 levels, T&E said.

The two ranked among the worst performers, each having managed corporate travel emissions reductions of just 23 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively, in 2023.

"How can (Google chief) Sundar Pichai say that Google is progressing to a sustainable future when its travel emissions are going in the wrong direction?" said Denise Auclair, corporate travel manager at T&E.

Microsoft, IBM, and SAP are also on the list even though they had significant cuts, because they are among the companies that are flying the most without having set any reduction goals, T&E said.

"Tech companies have claimed to be climate leaders for a long time, and many have substantially reduced their business travel emissions, but if they want to be credible, they must set reduction targets," Auclair added.

Reached for comment on its performance, Apple said it had already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) emissions by more than 55 per cent since 2015 as part of its goal to be carbon-neutral by 2030.

"We're achieving this by making reductions across our entire carbon footprint — including business travel — and implementing significant cuts to the largest sources of our emissions," a spokesperson for Apple told Reuters.

Other firms were not immediately available for comment.