Participation to focus on sustainable business travel initiatives through the Forum’s Mobility Platform

London, UK – October 6, 2022 – American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), the world’s leading B2B travel platform, has joined the World Economic Forum. Amex GBT’s initial participation will focus on the development of sustainable travel initiatives through the Forum’s Mobility Platform.

The World Economic Forum is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Amex GBT is the only travel management company to be a member.

The Forum’s Mobility Platform is designed to bring together the world’s key mobility companies, policymakers and stakeholders across all sectors to develop global mobility systems that are safe, clean and inclusive.

Paul Abbott, CEO of Amex GBT, said: “Travel is a force for good. It is the engine room of the global economy, driving trade and growth. It drives social progress by bringing people together – connecting communities, helping to bring down barriers and build respect and understanding. For the world to continue enjoying these benefits, we must address the impact of travel-related carbon emissions on the environment.

“Governments and companies must therefore work together to tackle this challenge head on. The World Economic Forum can bring the right people to the table. My commitment to customers, colleagues and partners is to represent the voice of our industry and to help drive meaningful change for all stakeholders and the planet.”

Amex GBT plans to participate in a range of initiatives with the Forum:

  • Clean Skies for Tomorrow: working across the aviation value chain to achieve net-zero 2050 sectoral goals, by accelerating the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – strengthening the business case for investment, bridging the price differential with traditional jet fuels, and stimulating SAF supply and demand.
  • First Movers Coalition (FMC): driving demand for new technologies and innovation to reduce emissions in sectors where it is needed the most, collectively with leading climate experts and mission-aligned organizations. FMC is a public-private partnership between the US State Department (through Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry), more than 10 countries and 50 leading companies, representing more than $8.5 trillion in global market capitalization. FMC aims to create demand for advanced clean technologies in eight sectors that represent approximately 30% of global carbon emissions. Amex GBT has already signed the FMC’s aviation commitment.
  • Target True Zero: collaborating with stakeholders on the deployment and scaling of true-zero emissions aviation using hydrogen and electric technologies.
  • Champions for Responsible Travel and Tourism (CHART): the CHART Alliance is a global, multistakeholder community of industry leaders leveraging their individual and collective power to ensure their travel and tourism businesses, workforce, destinations and supplier ecosystems are resilient and sustainable in the face of future risks and deliver long-term economic, environmental and societal value.

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Notes to editors: 
Amex GBT is joining WEF alongside mobility platform partners Accenture and Shell Aviation, community member and founding champion, respectively, of the Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative. In June 2022, Amex GBT, Shell & Accenture launched a landmark SAF program on the Avelia platform – a pioneering SAF blockchain-powered book-and-claim platform, developed by Shell and Accenture, with the support of the Energy Web Foundation (EWF). With one million gallons of SAF initially offered in 2022, the program aims to aggregate corporate demand and help scale up supply and use of SAF. More information here.

Amex GBT has a presence in 140 countries around the world with a commitment to support local communities on a global scale. As a long-standing partner of UNICEF USA, Amex GBT supports campaigns for education during times of crisis and vaccine equity. By joining WEF, Amex GBT endeavors to support in providing humanitarian assistance to UNICEF USA and the COVAX facility responsible for distributing billions of doses of vaccine and medical supplies to countries in need.

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