Booking.com celebrates one year of Travel Sustainable with new carbon emission calculations feature

November 15, 2022

News

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of its Travel Sustainable program, Booking.com has announced new product features which include the CHOOOSE-powered carbon emissions data calculations for accommodation bookings in Europe.

Leading digital travel platform Booking.com has announced an array of new product features in celebration of the first anniversary of its Travel Sustainable program, introduced in 2021 to provide travellers with transparent and credible information to make more mindful choices for their trips. With the ongoing aim to recognize the efforts of a wide range of property types to operate more sustainably and to provide travellers with consistent and easy-to-understand information, the company is introducing three distinct badge levels to the Travel Sustainable program.

Aligned with the principle that reputable, third-party certification remains the gold standard in the industry, the new levels to the Travel Sustainable program provide even better visibility and recognition for currently uncertified properties that are taking steps to operate more responsibly concerning their impact on the environment and their local community. The levels help illustrate a clearer pathway for accommodations to work towards eventual certification, especially for those that might be at an earlier stage in their sustainability journey. The aim is also to help encourage and incentivise more accommodations to continue making progress towards that goal.

For travellers, the new badge levels introduced to Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable program have been designed to demonstrate a broader spectrum of where different accommodations are at on their individual sustainability journeys, as well as the specific measures they are implementing. The enhanced structure aims to also more clearly highlight those accommodations that have made outstanding commitments and investments on this front to achieve one of more than 40 recognized ecolabels and certifications.

Carbon emissions information for accommodations and flights

As part of Booking.com’s new partnership with climate tech company CHOOOSE, carbon emissions data for accommodation bookings in Europe will be displayed for the first time on the platform to both understand where and how to present this information so it is useful for customers in their decision-making process. The aim is also to explore how to best integrate offsetting options as part of the booking process, understandably and seamlessly. The new features will first go live for accommodation options in Europe, with the intent to expand globally.

Similarly, together with CHOOOSE and in line with the aviation framework developed together with the Travalyst Coalition, Booking.com will also start providing information about the carbon emissions associated with flight options on the platform. The total carbon emissions footprint for a selected flight will start to be shown on the flight details page over the coming weeks. The option to sort flight searches based on this carbon emissions data will be introduced in 2023.

“As we optimize and develop our Travel Sustainable program further, our ambition is to continue making it easier for everyone to make more sustainable choices for their next trip,” said Danielle D’Silva, Head of Sustainability at Booking.com. “We’re examining every part of the trip on our platform and actively looking for ways to provide more information to travellers in a credible and trusted way. Whether it’s an apartment for a weekend getaway, an electric car for their upcoming road trip or carbon emissions data about a flight, our aim is to nudge our customers and partners towards these more responsible options and do our part to ensure a healthier future for our planet and industry.”

Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable Program is a key pillar of the company’s climate action commitments. For more information on Booking.com’s Travel Sustainable program please visit sustainability.booking.com, as well as for more detail on the company’s Climate Action Plan as part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG).

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About us: CHOOOSE™ is a venture-backed leader in technology-based climate action, building digital tools so that everyone, anywhere, can easily integrate climate action into everyday life and business. Through flexible integrations, customer-friendly interfaces, automated carbon measurement, and a connected marketplace of climate solutions, CHOOOSE delivers a complete platform that enables its partners to build and manage high-impact climate programs. Learn more at www.chooose.today.