Company name: Google
Industry: Technology & computing
Headquarters: Mountain View, California
Employees globally: 182,000
Footprint: Offices and data centres in around 200 cities and nearly 60 countries
Global revenue: €283 billion (FY23)
European T&E spend 2023: €160 million, of which around half was spent on air travel
Global T&E spend 2023: €750 million
Primary TMC partner: American Express Global Business Travel
Primary booking tools: Concur
Primary travel risk management provider: International SOS
Primary payment provider: Citi
Travel programme insights: Around 60 per cent of Google’s business travel activity is for internal purposes, with the company increasing T&E budgets in 2024 to enable more face-to-face engagement. It appointed American Express Global Business Travel as its sole global TMC in 2020 but a significant amount of travel continues to be booked through ‘open’ channels. In 2024 the company is aspiring to deliver an improved user journey and a simple, interconnected process across booking, payment and reimbursement. In 2022 Google was awarded the Travel Team of the Year accolade at the Business Travel Awards Europe following the launch of its Travel Accessibility Desk to help travellers with disabilities navigate pre-trip considerations and ensure appropriate on-trip assistance – including escorts, pre-boarding, in-room facilities and other requirements.
Sustainability targets: Google is working towards achieving net-zero emissions across all its operations and value chain by 2030. This includes a commitment to halving its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030 compared to its 2019 baseline.
Travel-related sustainability actions: Google joined Avelia, the blockchain-powered SAF book-and-claim platform created by Accenture, American Express Global Business Travel and Shell, in August 2023, a year after it was launched. In February this year Google was among eight new members of United Airlines Ventures’ Sustainable Flight Fund which focuses on sustainable aviation fuel research, technology and production. Google was behind the launch of the Travel Impact Model, a freely accessible methodology that predicts the CO2 emissions of flights. It powers the emissions seen on Google Flights and, via its work with the Travalyst coalition, the emissions displayed by the likes of Booking.com, Expedia and Skyscanner. An independent body, the International Council on Clean Transportation, serves as secretariat of TIM while a TIM Advisory Committee oversees its development.
Sustainability reporting: According to its 2023 sustainability report, Google’s total emissions amounted to 10.2 million tCO2e. Of those, business travel accounted for 211,000 tCO2e – some 2.1 per cent of overall company emissions – a 43 per cent reduction compared to its 369,000 tCO2e in its 2019 baseline year. Business travel emissions include emissions from air, rail and car rental, but the company does not mention accommodation in its sustainability report. Distance and fuel-based travel data is collected through its online booking system and through a third-party travel agency and its emissions are calculated using the DEFRA standard.
