Global Business Travel Association Honors Enterprise, National and Alamo for Sustainability Leadership and Innovation
ST. LOUIS, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) has again honored Enterprise Holdings – which owns and operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands – with its Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Award.
The Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Award was presented yesterday at the 18th Annual GBTA Foundation Gala Dinner in New York. "Providing long-term benefits and seamless transportation solutions to our customers, partners and communities is the hallmark of Enterprise's approach to sustainability," said Brad Carr, vice president-corporate business development for Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental company in the world.
In total, the annual revenues of Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate, Enterprise Fleet Management, rank near the top of the travel industry, ahead of many airlines and most cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies. In addition, not only does Enterprise Holdings account for the largest airport market share in the U.S., but its domestic fleet also accounts for more than half of all rental vehicles in the country.
Project ICARUS
The 2015 Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Award was sponsored by the GBTA's Project ICARUS sustainability program and designed to highlight leadership, innovation and commitment to developing sustainable programs, products and services for business travelers.
All nominees were judged by their ability to develop business products and services that enable travel buyers to pursue effective sustainable travel policies and programs, serve the community and the traveler, reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, improve the environment and provide a sustainable return on investment for the travel buyer.
Enterprise Holdings was recognized as a leader among travel industry buyers, suppliers and intermediaries for its comprehensive commitment to making sustainability a core function within its business. For example, with a global network of more than 8,600 airport and neighborhood locations, Enterprise Holdings is uniquely positioned to expose travelers to innovative fuel and engine technologies and advance their adoption. Enterprise Holdings likewise was recognized for its fuel-efficient fleet and efforts to promote emerging automotive technologies, such as hybrids and electric vehicles.
The company also was recognized for implementing operational efficiencies that reduce energy use across its branch locations. In 2014, Enterprise invested nearly $5.7 million in sustainable upgrades and construction projects at its airport branches and introduced a new smart building system in select neighborhood branches throughout North America. The system enables managers to automate and control select equipment functions remotely using a mobile app, so energy resources are only deployed as needed. Because of the system's significant energy reductions, Enterprise is expanding the use of its smart building system and exploring how airport operations can utilize its technology.
In addition, Enterprise offers services that help companies better manage their carbon footprints. These include the opportunity for customers to purchase carbon offsets as part of the vehicle-rental process through Enterprise Holdings' partnership with TerraPass in the U.S. and Canada, and Climate Care in the UK. The program empowers customers to offset the CO2 emissions generated by an average rental car, and then enables them to fund certified offset projects that work to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. For example, the TerraPass program has generated more than a half million dollars toward its $1-million commitment. The overall impact: 95,000 metric tons of carbon have been offset, which – based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards – is equivalent to saving 10.6 million gallons of gasoline and 220,000 barrels of oil.
In fact, Enterprise Holdings recently sponsored a study – "Sustainability in Travel Programs" – conducted by the GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association. Nearly 300 U.S. and European-based Travel Managers were surveyed to better understand how they currently view sustainability initiatives and the role sustainability plays with ground transportation. The study found that more U.S. companies are incorporating sustainability programs into contracts, but they continue to lag behind European counterparts.
Stakeholders
Enterprise Holdings continues to collaborate with other sustainability-focused partners to identify opportunities to advance sustainability throughout the travel industry. In 2014, Enterprise CarShare's Ryan Johnson participated in a SXSW Eco panel discussion, "City Transit 411: Urban Myths & Urban Mobility," on the role private transportation providers play in meeting demands for sustainable mobility in urban markets.
The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center – the largest independent plant research center in the world – also has distinguished itself by developing promising new ways to produce plant-based fuels. The future use of these fuels for both ground and air transportation could help make the business travel industry more sustainable. Furthermore, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation established an endowment for sustainable energy research at the University of Missouri, which is already yielding promising results in the field of biofuels.
This year, Enterprise also is celebrating 10 years of working with the Arbor Day Foundation and the United States Forest Service to plant one million trees annually as part of the Enterprise 50 Million Tree Pledge. Supported by a $50 million commitment from the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation, this private/public/nonprofit partnership has resulted in millions of trees being planted in areas suffering damage from wildfires and other natural disasters (an interactive map of the plantings is available online). By the end of 2015, 10 million trees will have been planted through the program in forests across Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Canada, Germany, the U.K. and Scotland.
More information about Enterprise's sustainability initiatives can be found at www.drivingfutures.com.
About Enterprise Holdings
Enterprise Holdings – the largest car rental company in the world as measured by revenue, fleet and employees – operates a global network of more than 8,600 neighborhood and airport locations under the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. In addition, Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management together offer a total transportation solution, including extensive car rental and car-sharing services, commercial truck rental, corporate fleet management and retail car sales. Combined, these businesses accounted for $17.8 billion in revenue, employed 83,000 and operated 1.5 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal year 2014.
Enterprise Holdings currently is ranked as one of America's Largest Private Companies. Furthermore, if it were publicly traded, Enterprise Holdings would rank on Fortune's list of the 500 largest American public companies. Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates more than 6,000 fully staffed offices in the U.S. – almost 70 percent more than its nearest competitor – and all located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population. The company's affiliate, Enterprise Fleet Management, provides full-service fleet management to companies and organizations with medium-sized fleets. Other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name include Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Rideshare, Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Truck Rental and Zimride by Enterprise. For more information about Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com.
This press release and car rental industry news are available in the Enterprise Holdings Press Room.
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SOURCE Enterprise Holdings
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