Environment
Overview
Our Group environment policy commits us to doing as much as we can to protect the resources on which our business depends. We constantly strive to improve our environmental performance and minimise negative impacts resulting from our operations. Increasingly, this includes monitoring and influencing the environmental standards of our suppliers.
In 2008 UK & Ireland won two silver awards in the British Travel Awards for: Most Environmentally Responsible Large Tour Operator and Most Environmentally Responsible Airline.
Aviation emissions and noise
Destinations are already being affected by climate change and customers are increasingly sensitive to the impact of their decisions about how and where they travel.
We accept the contribution that aviation makes to climate change. We've been working hard for a number of years to make our operations as efficient as possible – our fleet includes some of the world's most modern and fuel-efficient aircraft and our exceptionally high load factors also ensure relatively low impacts per passenger kilometre. But we recognise the need for continuing progress.
We're a founding supporter of the Sustainable Aviation Initiative – an alliance of UK airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers and air traffic management focused on achieving verifiable reductions in noise and emissions through a series of eight goals and 34 commitments.
UK & Ireland
UK & Ireland has developed an Environmental Focus Group to
assess how the airline can reduce its effect on the environment. To
complement this, an Operational Efficiency Working Group is looking
at technological improvements such as single engine taxi, catering
weights and flight planning.
Northern Europe
Since spring 2007, all passengers flying with Thomas Cook Airlines
Scandinavia have the option to buy carbon offsets, through a scheme
run by GreenSeat.
Continental Europe
In March 2008, our German tour operators Neckermann Reisen, Thomas
Cook Reisen and Bucher Reisen introduced a voluntary carbon offset
fee in collaboration with carbon offset provider Atmosfair. The
optional contribution offers customers on all-inclusive holidays
the chance to support selected projects that reduce harmful
greenhouse gases. Current projects include a hydropower plant in
Honduras.
Read more on how we're reducing aviation impacts
Natural resource use
UK and Ireland
Over the next two years, Thomas Cook Publishing will introduce
environmentally-friendly paper for its flagship Travellers series
of books, in partnership with the Forestry Stewardship Council
(FSC).
In UK & Ireland an environmental working group has introduced energy initiatives at the Manchester Hangar building. Heating plant improvements have reduced CO2 emissions by 11.3 tonnes and further measures to improve energy efficiency in all our corporate and retail bases are planned for 2009.This table shows our half hourly electricity consumption and the associated CO2 emissions from the past three years. There was a slight increase in the 2007/08 year due to an increasing number of staff working from these premises.
| Year | kWh electricity consumption | CO2 emissions (tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | 5,396,846 | 3022.23 |
| 2006/07 | 4,742,380 | 2655.73 |
| 2007/08 | 5,031,619 | 2817.71 |
Northern Europe
In Northern Europe we are committed to restricting the use of oil,
gas, chemicals and other non-natural substances. We are also
following closely any technological developments in aircraft
production and maintenance that may have environmental impacts.
We have installed four solar panels at our Copenhagen offices and are also looking at ways of reducing energy consumption and recording related data.
Continental Europe
Energy consumption in heating and air conditioning systems in
Germany is kept to a minimum by zoning areas and reducing the
temperature at night and at weekends. And office lights are
automatically switched off during the day in summer.
The emissions from cooling devices – which use less energy – heat water for domestic use. And we save around 40,000 litres by using rainwater to water the grounds. Other green initiatives include water saving devices in all toilets and a reduction in salt usage for de-icing in winter.
Following an energy audit in 2008, Thomas Cook in Belgium has implemented various measures to reduce consumption. These include: coating windows to keep out extreme temperatures; switching off all lights automatically an hour earlier; and using energy-saving mode for all printers. We are also considering the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof.
Waste management
UK and Ireland
In 2007 Thomas Cook Airlines piloted an in-flight can recycling
scheme and, with other participating airlines and the Travel
Foundation, has produced an insider’s guide for similar
schemes,
Practical Steps in Sustainable Tourism
The project has inspired our airline to develop systems for recycling paper, card, plastic and aluminium on all inbound flights to the UK – to begin in 2009.
We also recycle redundant brochures and confidential waste from our stores. And in two UK offices we've removed all desk bins: staff go to central recycling points and sort their waste. There are plans to extend the 'Bin Ban' to further offices.
In Manchester we introduced recycling points for confidential waste in January 2008. As a result we have recycled 200 tonnes of paper, equating to 180 trees.
In 2008 our Peterborough Headquarters produced 187 tonnes of general waste and 55 tonnes of cardboard waste. In the future we will look at ways of reducing these figures as well as integrating all UK waste figures in order to monitor this area more effectively.
Northern Europe
Our Northern European airline has led the charter airline industry
on waste disposal and recycling initiatives. It has directly
influenced policy at a number of departure and destination
airports, and established a precedent for the rest of the industry
as well as our own airline operations across the Group.
In 2007/08 the airline disposed of 454 tonnes of sorted waste at airports which was either recycled or incinerated to provide energy through combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
Continental Europe
In both Germany and Belgium all office waste is sorted and
recycled. In Belgium our colleagues use external company Ecosmart
to assist in this process.
Supply chain impacts : hotels
Our principal suppliers are hotel owners and operators. We work with them to ensure increasingly high environmental standards.
Environmental ratings in our brochures help customers make informed choices. We've worked with the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) to launch the Travelife awards – an internationally-recognised award scheme for hotels and other business partners who attain high standards of environmental management. We are now featuring the Travelife Bronze, Silver and Gold Award logos in our brochures.
Suppliers who work with this EU-supported scheme are independently audited across a wide range of sustainability criteria including environmental management, employment issues and involvement with local communities.
It is part of the Travelife Sustainability System service, which provides online guidelines and helps tourism businesses to improve their sustainability performance. We have encouraged all our suppliers to register on the site and start assessing their sustainability. In 2007/08 we trained 55 employees as qualified Travelife auditors and seconded a senior manager to the project to support its further development. To date we have audited 285 properties, of which 42 achieved Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards.
Northern Europe
In Northern Europe we work with both the EU Flower and Nordic Swan
labelling schemes for hotels – as well as awarding our own
green leaf label to those that meet our own environmental
standards. Our yearly property audits include questions on energy,
water, chemicals and waste management. Hotels that adopt our
environmental action plan are identified with a green leaf symbol
in our brochures.
Eight Sunwing Hotels have now achieved the EU Flower and the
average optional score has increased from 33.9 to 41.4
points.
We encourage hotels to use locally-produced goods: these can
sometimes be preferable to apparently 'greener' products that need
long-distance transport.
Continental Europe
Thomas Cook Germany pays great attention to compliance with
relevant ecological standards, particularly in its hotel
contracting activities. We tell potential partners planning new
properties that we require hotels to meet ecological standards
appropriate to their environment – for example, in relation
to use of solar energy, low-energy air conditioning, renewable raw
materials (eg no illegally-logged tropical timber) and connections
to public water supply and drainage systems. Buyers and agents
working for us, for example in Spain, are in constant contact with
architects and building contractors specialising in
environmentally-friendly hotel construction.
For existing properties, Thomas Cook Germany requires compliance with environmental standards when contracts are concluded. These include measures such as minimisation of packaging, conscientious handling of natural resources such as water, establishment of no-smoking zones and preferential use of local, seasonal produce. In the case of new contracts, these form the basis of the partnership.
Supply chain impacts: publishing
Ink Publishing, which produced in-flight magazines for MyTravel Airways – and will continue to do so for the combined airline – has undertaken to conserve energy and give preference to renewable sources of energy and materials wherever practicable, prevent pollution and assist in developing solutions to environmental problems in the publishing industry. It uses recycled print and stationery products wherever possible and ensures that all paper used for printing our products comes from sustainable forests.
Northern Europe
Our Nordic businesses have committed to printing all their service
and marketing materials in an eco-friendly way, either qualifying
for the Nordic Swan label or meeting similar environmental
criteria.
Thomas Cook Airline has a robust process of assessing contractors' environmental performance and will actively work with them to achieve improvements.
Other initiatives
UK and Ireland
Our UK Airline played a key role in returning two stranded
loggerhead turtles back to the wild. Thought to have been swept
over the Atlantic from the USA or Mexico in a storm, they were
rescued from the south coast of England and nursed back to health
at the Blue Reef Newquay aquarium in Devon. Thomas Cook flew them
from Gatwick to a new natural habitat in Gran Canaria.
During 2009, UK & Ireland plans to introduce a sustainable travel plan. This follows a survey in which 65% of employees said they would be happy to car share. Neilson employees, who already operate a sustainable travel plan, took part in National Bike Week in June 2008.
Northern Europe
In 2008 Northern Europe set up an environmental foundation to allow
capital to be reinvested internally in green initiatives. The money
will be raised by offsetting annual business travel. Among the
projects being considered are eco-friendly uniform parts for the
crew, an extension of the solar panel energy system and the
installation of a light sensor system in administration areas.
Our Nordic staff can now access an environmental education programme in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish on our intranet.
Targets for 2009
- One of our targets for 2008 was to establish a new and expanded environmental policy for the Group. This was partially achieved and will be finalised and implemented in 2009.
- Increase employees' environmental awareness through a communications campaign
- Develop environmental improvement programmes, specifically concerning waste, electricity, gas and water (For example Thomas Cook Northern Europe will reduce natural gas and electricity consumption at headquarters by 5% per employee compared to the last financial year.)