Business travel represents a substantial force in the global economy. Just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, it contributed to more than USD 1.2 trillion, about 25 percent of the travel and tourism sector’s overall economic impact, to the global GDP. Businesses had resumed spending on travel after substantial declines in 2008 and 2009.

A research by Global Business Travel Association Foundation had found that for every one percent change in business travel spending, the US economy typically gains or loses 74,000 jobs, USD 5.5 billion in GDP, USD 3.3 billion in wages and USD 1.3 billion in taxes. The report also stated that personal vehicle (35 percent) was the most popular mode of transportation among US business travellers in 2016, followed by airplane (28 percent) and rental cars (13 percent).

Internal travel encompasses trips taken for intracompany purposes, where employees participate in activities such as training, team building or inspection of field operations. External travel, on the other hand, refers to travel done by employees for engagements outside the company, including in-person meetings with clients and suppliers, trade conferences and customer sales calls.

"Obstacles to business travel, such as cumbersome visa protocols and long flight connections, constrain access to knowhow and limit growth opportunities, especially in developing countries," said Frank Neffke, research director at Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab.

Benefits Of Business Travel

In the past, companies have experienced that, on average, 40 percent of customers would eventually be lost without in-person meetings and support.

Detailed statistical modelling over 18 years and 14 industries indicates that for every dollar invested in business travel, US companies make a USD 9.50 return in terms of revenue. The modelling also found that US business travel has yielded USD 2.90 in profits for every dollar spent.

There is a small segment of employees for whom travel is deemed essential for conducting business. This category accounted for around 15 percent of all corporate travel expenses in 2019 and includes decision makers in manufacturing companies with a wide distribution of factories and plants, and field-operation workers. For some corporate travellers, it is possible to move oversight responsibility to local personnel and/or utilise digital medium. This segment will see their business travel decline. A large segment of business travel is done to cultivate new or important client relationships. This segment will bounce back as soon as Covid-related restrictions are lifted.

A tiny portion of business travel comes from the public sector, professional associations and nonprofits. During the pandemic, many professional associations were able to hold virtual events to replace in-person conferences and will likely be more cautious in their return to travel.

Business Travel Catches The Virus!

Business travel has taken a big hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and its future is still up-in-the-air, waiting for the end of the pandemic and firming up the ‘New Normal’. In 2020, total global business travel expenses contracted by 52 percent, while managed corporate-travel spending in the United States alone plummeted by USD 94 billion (71 percent).

The World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) latest annual research shows that the global travel and tourism sector suffered a loss of almost USD 4.5 trillion to reach USD 4.7 trillion in 2020, with its contribution to GDP dropping by a staggering 49.1 percent compared to 2019. In 2020, sixty-two million jobs were lost, representing a drop of 18.5 percent, leaving just 272 million employed across this sector globally, compared to 334 million in 2019. The threat of job losses persists as many jobs are currently supported by government retention schemes and reduced hours, which could be lost without a full recovery of the travel and tourism sector.

Some business travellers expect to take at least as many business trips in 2022 as they had in the year before the Covid-19 pandemic was declared. While teleconferencing will reduce the need for some business travel, many survey respondents cited the need to meet in-person to rekindle relationships with customers, suppliers and business partners. Another frequent reason cited for the need to travel for business was a job change.

The countries most eager to travel for business once Covid-19 travel restrictions are lifted seem to be China, US and Australia. Of course, the potential increase in Covid cases from the Delta and future variants of the virus may still cause further backsliding on rising confidence levels for resumption of business travel. (TT)

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The AZuR network has welcomed North Rhine-Westphalia’s first circular economy strategy, viewing the explicit inclusion of used tyres as confirmation of its longstanding engagement. The strategy aims to move the state from linear value chains towards a circular economy and strengthen its position as a leading European location for such practices, with priority areas spanning circular construction, chemicals, technology, circular cities and a high-performing secondary raw materials sector.

Used tyres occupy a dedicated page within the strategy, granting political visibility to a material flow that already requires integrated approaches. These range from extending the service life of suitable tyres through repair and retreading to recovering secondary raw materials via mechanical and chemical recycling alongside complementary processes. The document identifies used tyres as a significant material flow in the state and highlights steel and rubber recovery as well as retreading.

The state government has signalled its intention to expand circular approaches to tyre reuse and recycling, expressly incorporating public procurement and the vehicle fleets of public companies. This reflects a core principle of the tyre circular economy, whereby suitable tyres should remain in use as long as possible, with repair, retreading and regrooving extending service life before mechanical and chemical recycling recover industrially reusable materials.

AZuR is paying particular attention to the political focus on retreading. The strategy notes that retreading is established for commercial vehicle tyres while passenger car retreading has declined, and the state government declares its intention to support retreading projects and further recycling processes. For the network, the inclusion of used tyres creates a starting point for linking the entire tyre circular economy with raw material security, secondary raw material markets, public procurement and industrial competitiveness.

AZuR maintains close contact with the relevant state ministries, contributing the experience and solutions of its network partners across the entire tyre value chain. It will continue this exchange and feed practical experience into implementation of the strategy, with the goal of keeping tyres and their contained raw materials in circulation for as long as economically viable.

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Continental has introduced the ContiMotion EVO, the successor to its well-regarded ContiMotion sport touring tyre. The new model targets motorcyclists seeking a balanced blend of riding enjoyment, safety and longevity. It arrives with multiple product enhancements over the previous generation.

Technical upgrades include new carcass materials that deliver greater stability and consistency, translating into improved handling and more agile dynamics. Updated compounds further boost performance in both wet and dry conditions. The tyre also features Continental's EasyHandling technology for predictable steering, a hybrid silica tread compound for reliable grip, an advanced compound and dedicated pattern for extended mileage and ZeroDegree steel-belt construction with new carcass materials for high-speed stability.

The ContiMotion EVO suits sporty weekend riders and touring enthusiasts alike. It fits motorcycles such as the BMW R12 nineT, Triumph Daytona 660, Ducati Supersport 950, Honda CB 650R, Suzuki GSX-8TT and Yamaha MT-09. It can also be paired with the existing ContiMotion.

Christoph Ettenhuber, Head of Business Field Motorcycle Tires, Continental, said, “With the ContiMotion EVO, we’re offering a versatile sport touring tyre. It combines intuitive handling with reliable grip in both wet and dry conditions – all while delivering impressive mileage for everyday use. The ContiMotion EVO has been upgraded in key areas without losing the fundamental renowned qualities of its predecessor. Riders benefit from a tyre that is noticeably more agile. The ContiMotion EVO is compatible with a wide range of popular naked bikes, roadsters and modern classics.”

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Goodyear takes centre stage at Silverstone this weekend as title sponsor of the Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone, the second consecutive year it has headlined the European Le Mans Series event following its return to the calendar last year after a six-year break.

The manufacturer will equip 37 cars across LMGT3, LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am with its Racing Eagle tyres. LMGT3 entrants will use the Medium compound, chosen for its adaptability across varying conditions and driving styles, while LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am crews run their own Medium specification, a staple of the series since debuting at Le Castellet last season. Wet-weather Racing Eagle tyres remain available should conditions demand.

Silverstone's fast nature is set to shape tactics, with fuel consumption a likely determinant of pit-stop windows. Goodyear anticipates LMGT3 outfits will favour single-stinting to maximise pace on fresh rubber at every stop, whereas LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am squads could split between single and double-stinting approaches.

Off-track, Goodyear has arranged several activations. Vector Sport's #10 car ran a special Goodyear Racing livery last weekend at Caffeine & Machine's Warwickshire venue and will race in the same colours. The company also backs Friday's ELMS Charity Run, where Racing Eagle tyre stacks will mark each kilometre and runners finish beneath an inflatable Goodyear arch, with proceeds going to the Luca Guintoli Foundation, supporting families affected by childhood cancer. Goodyear Racing Eagle tyres additionally feature in NASCAR action at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

Stephen Bickley, Goodyear Endurance Program Manager, said, “Silverstone should be a fairly straightforward race from a tyre strategy perspective. The high-speed nature of the circuit means fuel consumption will be high, so fuel strategy is likely to be the main factor influencing pit stop timing. The tyre allocations broadly give teams the flexibility to change tyres at every stop, so there is less of a need to stretch a set of tyres purely to save time in a pit stop. We therefore expect teams across both categories to largely focus on single-stinting tyres. The biggest variable at Silverstone is always the weather, which can quickly change stint lengths and pit stop timing.”

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The new AZuR CO₂ savings certificate gives commercial vehicle fleet operators a way to quantify and prove the emissions reductions they achieve through smarter tyre strategies. The tool turns calculated savings into transparent, verifiable documentation, allowing businesses to showcase their resource efficiency efforts. The certification sits within AZuR's wider vision of a closed-loop tyre economy, in which quality tyres are kept in service as long as possible through repair, retreading and regrooving, and materials are recovered through proper recycling channels only once further use is ruled out.

Three distinct levers form the basis of the assessment, and fleets may adopt them separately or together. Reusing sound tyre casings through retreading cuts demand for virgin materials and stretches each tyre's service life. Reprofiling technology from Bear-Machines adds as much as a quarter more mileage to compatible commercial tyres, depending on the tyre and how it is used, while simultaneously trimming fuel burn. Digital tyre management powered by CO2OPT analyses a fleet's tyre usage patterns through artificial intelligence, guiding the selection and deployment of suitable tyres; under the right operating conditions, this can shrink fuel consumption and its associated emissions by as much as 10 percent.

Reliability of the reported figures rests on a defined calculation framework applied to each fleet's own data. The retreading portion draws on life cycle assessment work from Fraunhofer UMSICHT, while the remaining measures follow their own established methodologies and fleet-specific inputs. The result is auditable evidence linking implemented tyre management practices to calculated CO₂ reductions.

Beyond emissions figures, the certificate reveals how deeply a fleet has embraced circular practices by showing its share of retreaded tyres. Three tiers structure this indicator: Category A covers fleets above 50 percent, Category B spans 25 to 50 percent and Category C captures 5 to 20 percent. Documented savings and a practical circularity measure are thus combined in a single certification.

Early adopters already illustrate the concept in action. Over a 12-month window, SIS Internationale Speditions GmbH calculated 31.99 tonnes of CO₂ saved through retreading, CO2OPT software and the fuel savings that followed, with retreaded tyres on more than half its vehicles, earning Category A. The Steinkühler Group, meanwhile, reached 44.72 tonnes of calculated savings in the same period using retreading, reprofiling, CO2OPT and resulting fuel reductions, landing in Category C.

Christina Guth, Network Coordinator, Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR), said, “Many companies are already investing in lower-emission vehicles and alternative drive systems. However, it is often overlooked that tyres can also make a quantifiable contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With the AZuR CO₂ savings certificate, we demonstrate how retreading, reprofiling and intelligent tyre optimisation can be combined in a joint tyre management strategy.”

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