Tech firms halve business travel in 2023 but Alphabet, Apple lag, study shows

(Reuters) - Global tech giants halved their business flight emissions in 2023 compared to 2019, but companies like Apple and Google's parent Alphabet are falling behind, risking a return to pre-pandemic levels, a Brussels-based NGO said in a report.

Business travel last year approached pre-pandemic levels but trailed behind leisure trips, as geopolitical conflicts and a slower rebound in key markets hindered full recovery.

Emissions from corporate flights by 26 major tech companies analysed by Travel Smart, a campaign led by Transport & Environment (T&E) dropped by an average of 49% in 2023, it found.

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

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

The two were among the worst performers, with reductions in corporate travel emissions of just 23% and 31% in 2023, respectively.

"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, despite significant cuts, are also at risk as they are among the companies that fly the most without having set 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.

Asked about its performance, Apple said it has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 55% since 2015 as part of its goal to become 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 companies were not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Dagmarah Mackos; Editing by Aurora Ellis)