Booking Holdings Releases Its Inaugural Climate Action Plan Outlining the Company's Goal to Achieve Near-Zero Emissions For Its Own Operations by 2030, and Net-Zero Emissions by 2040
Booking Holdings Also Publishes Its Third Annual Sustainability Report
NORWALK, Conn., March 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Booking Holdings released its inaugural Climate Action Plan, the first of its kind for any global online travel company. The Climate Action Plan functions as a strategic framework for how Booking Holdings intends to make its operations, services and the travel industry more sustainable. The plan sets forth three key commitments aligned to the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to pre-industrial levels, and the Company's goal to achieve near-zero emissions for its own operations by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2040.
As the world's leading provider of online travel and related services, Booking Holdings recognizes its responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the effort to safeguard our planet. By addressing key barriers and fostering accountability, the Company intends to lay the foundation to drive forward the sustainable transformation of the travel industry. The three main commitments outlined in the Climate Action Plan offer clear, science-based* emission reduction and sustainability development targets. They include operating our own business sustainably and building a culture of sustainability, making it easier for travelers to book sustainable trips and collaborating to decarbonize the industry.
The Climate Action Plan will help Booking Holdings achieve net-zero and transition to a lower carbon footprint across all of its brands by articulating the Company's longer-term climate change vision and strategy, and will help drive forward the travel industry's sustainable operations efforts, as well as expand offerings of sustainable travel choices throughout the world.
"We are proud of the different ways we are already contributing to making it easier for everyone to travel more sustainably, including the launch of our Travel Sustainable Program and Badge in 2021," said Glenn Fogel, Chief Executive Officer of Booking Holdings. "As the need to address the detrimental effects of climate change becomes more urgent than ever before, our Climate Action Plan is another pioneering step in making our vision of a more sustainable travel future a reality, raising the bar for our sector, and helping to safeguard our planet."
In tandem with the release of its first-ever Climate Action Plan, Booking Holdings also released its third annual Sustainability Report, detailing the Company's initiatives throughout 2021 to engage responsibly with the world, drive long-term societal value and promote a more sustainable travel industry — culturally, environmentally and socioeconomically.
Booking Holdings' Climate Action Plan and Sustainability Report can be found here.
About Booking Holdings
Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG) is the world's leading provider of online travel and related services, provided to consumers and local partners in more than 220 countries and territories through six primary consumer-facing brands: Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, KAYAK and OpenTable. The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. For more information, visit BookingHoldings.com and follow us on Twitter @BookingHoldings.
*Targets have been set utilizing the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), criteria for a 1.5° C future to develop short- and medium-term reduction targets.
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