The Institute of Travel Management (ITM) recently introduced an Environmental Impact Reduction Toolkit to help businesses reduce their eco-footprint when travelling.

The UK-based organization provides support for travel management professionals and promotes best practices across the industry. The toolkit was announced at their 2007 conference entitled "Responsible Travel Management". The intent of the toolkit is to help create a framework for the travel management industry to help companies conduct business travel more responsibly and to better understand corporate social responsibility.

The toolkit includes corporate case studies highlighting successes in the use of video conferencing and ground transportation, a guide to RFP and travel policy environmental best practices, an FAQ document dispelling some emission reduction myths, and tools to calculate and analyze carbon footprints.

The toolkit is part of ITM's Project ICARUS, which was established last year to "promote carbon reduction in travel management programmes throughout the UK business travel industry." As part of ICARUS ITM is also working to implement a set of environmental accreditation standards and an awards process to give credibility and recognition to business travel suppliers who are working towards these goals.

ITM has been around since 1956 and has no doubt seen changes in their industry as transportation and technologies have evolved over time. ITM is demonstrating the need to help their members respond to new corporate needs with Project ICARUS and the toolkit, which will also make it easier for businesses to reach their CSR goals and emission reduction targets.

Via Institute of Travel Management; The Transnational; Environmental Leader