News provided by Travel Plus Canada
JIM BYERS | APRIL 22, 2019
Earth Day has come and gone. But Transat’s commitment to be a leader in sustainable tourism continues day after day and year after year.
“Our goal is to be the North American leader in the tourism industry when it comes to sustainable development,” the airline’s website states. “In 2015, we began the process of obtaining Travelife certification, and in 2018 we became the first major international tour operator to be Travelife certified for all its activities.”
To obtain that status, Transat had to report on its accomplishments with regard to more than 200 indicators, an exercise that enabled it to develop a new, seven-part action plan whose implementation should enable the company to maintain our certification until 2020.
“Twelve years ago, we began a structured approach aimed at becoming a model of sustainable tourism,” Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer, Transat, said after the Travelife certification was announced last year. “In the process, we strengthened our environmental management and our social engagement, including toward children, trained our teams on the importance of sustainable development, retooled our operations to better address customers’ concerns, and urged our partners to implement sustainability practices. Today, we are very proud to receive the Travelife Certified attestation, recognizing best practices in responsible tourism across all of our tour operator and travel agency activities, which were painstakingly reviewed to secure certification.
“We will now work steadfastly to pursue the continuous-improvement processes required to maintain this certification and become a company that shows ever-increasing respect for the principles of sustainable development. Like our customers and partners, we care about these issues that are so crucial to the future of our industry and the planet,” Guérard added.
To obtain that status, Transat had to report on its accomplishments with regard to more than 200 indicators, an exercise that enabled it to develop a new, seven-part action plan whose implementation should enable the company to maintain our certification until 2020.
“Twelve years ago, we began a structured approach aimed at becoming a model of sustainable tourism,” Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer, Transat, said after the Travelife certification was announced last year. “In the process, we strengthened our environmental management and our social engagement, including toward children, trained our teams on the importance of sustainable development, retooled our operations to better address customers’ concerns, and urged our partners to implement sustainability practices. Today, we are very proud to receive the Travelife Certified attestation, recognizing best practices in responsible tourism across all of our tour operator and travel agency activities, which were painstakingly reviewed to secure certification.
“We will now work steadfastly to pursue the continuous-improvement processes required to maintain this certification and become a company that shows ever-increasing respect for the principles of sustainable development. Like our customers and partners, we care about these issues that are so crucial to the future of our industry and the planet,” Guérard added.
The company has four pillars of action in its corporate responsibility program: reducing its environmental footprint, working with communities, improving the workplace and improving its operations.
Although air transportation accounts for just two per cent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, Air Transat believes that everyone must do their part to combat climate change and support airline industry standards and goals established by international authorities. To that end, the company 15 years ago installed a fuel management program “which has since become one of the most innovative and rigorous in the industry.”
Efforts undertaken by Transat include:
- Installation of sophisticated flight-planning software that optimizes fuel consumption for a flight based on factors such as weather, traffic, winds, etc.
- Using software tools that enable detailed tracking and analysis of fuel consumption.
- Optimizing flight procedures for their pilots
- Using cost indexing to determine the most economical speed for aircraft on specific routes., and
- – Giving pilots comprehensive fuel-efficiency training.
The company also works hard on the ground.
In 2011, for example, the Air Transat head office building in Montreal became the first building in Canada to earn LEED-EB Platinum certification.
In 2015, Air Transat carried out energy optimization work at its hangar in Montreal. This included installation of a solar wall that is generating GHG emissions savings of 260 tonnes per year.
Air Transat replaced more than 5,200 traditional light fixtures with LED lighting in Montreal and Toronto, realizing annual electricity savings equivalent to the annual usage of 30 single-family homes.
They’ve also worked with employees on awareness programs regarding saving energy, recycling, proper disposal of hazardous waste and other issues. Building managers have been encouraged to implement new initiatives to reduce water and energy use.
The company also maintains and promotes sustainable transportation programs available to its workers, including such things as OPUS fare cards and Green Commute.
At their destinations, Transat set up a recycling program in the offices of its incoming tour operator in Mexico and the Dominican Republic (subject to locally available services)
Transat works closely with its destination countries on various charitable initiatives, including a partnership with SOS Children’s Villages and contribution to implementation projects in their destination countries. The company also supports four international development missions each year, and works to get 300 participants a year volunteering day activities in their various communities.
Transat also conducts an in-house fundraising campaign; executing the Big Hearts Challenge campaign benefitting Centraide/United Way (Canada) and SOS Children’s Villages (international).
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