Expedia announces it will reach net zero by 2040

It will reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 75% by 2030

Expedia Group has released its first Climate Action Plan in which it details its ambitions and commitments to reaching Net Zero by 2040.

The group which has been carbon neutral since 2017 now wants to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its operations by 2040, with 2022 as the base year.

It plans to achieve this by various strategies but near-term targets include reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 75% by 2030.

It will continue to match 100% of its electricity usage with renewable purchases through 2023 and it wants to engage with the value chain to ensure that 75% of suppliers by emissions have also set science-based targets by 2028.

Additionally, the plan contains a more robust greenhouse gas inventory of operations, and an assessment of the risks and opportunities posed to our business by climate change. 

The Climate Action Plan also includes:

• Establishing an internal, cross-functional climate governance and oversight through a Net Zero working group
• Developing a detailed Net Zero Roadmap that outlines how we will achieve our interim and long-term targets
• Integrating a climate lens into the strategic planning processes and KPIs of relevant teams across our business

The company are said to be committed to “catalysing the wider travel industry’s ability to achieve the global goal of halving emissions by 2030 and reaching Net Zero as soon as possible before 2050”, as set out by The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, which it signed in 2022.

In the Climate Action Plan, Expedia outlines commitment to ensuring travellers are able to choose more sustainable options, with the goal of “making lower-carbon travel and tourism products a preferred choice across our platform and eventually the default for the global industry”. 

Expedia Group launched a number of new sustainability-related features on the platform over the last year, such as showing information about the average carbon emissions of flights and the eco-certifications received by hotels. 

A filter added for electric vehicle chargers at hotel and vacation rental properties has become “quite popular”.

Alongside the Climate Action Plan, it launched the new Nature Positive Tourism Fund, founded in partnership with the global not-for-profit Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

The fund will demonstrate how tourism can be a force for environmental conservation and climate action as well as community development.

The company said: “We are excited to embark on this project with WCS and continue expanding our work. 

“Together, we will show travellers the value of nature while ensuring nature positive tourism delivers economic value for the local people contributing to conservation efforts in these critical habitats.

 “We know that the global travel industry must transform to realise a Net Zero future, and we are committed to playing our part.”