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BT has become the first company to reduce employee flights by 20 per cent, the target figure of WWF's 'One in Five Challenge', a campaign designed to help companies lessen their dependence on flying and slash their carbon footprint.

The UK telecommunications company has successfully reduced its business flights from 85,130 to 65,510, eliminating 20,000 flights in just one year. With this move alone, BT cut its CO2 emissions by more than 1,700 tonnes. If all this carbon were packed up into a cube, it would have sides the height of Big Ben.

Lucy Bertenshaw, campaign manager at WWF UK, said: 'What BT has achieved in such a short period of time is fantastic. They have shown real leadership and proved that it is possible for a business to make significant cuts in their flights. BT is setting a great example to other companies in demonstrating a pioneering approach to managing its travel by actively promoting the use of conferencing services to further reduce carbon emissions.'

The WWF highlights a number of benefits for companies looking to reduce business travel, including lower costs, less working disruption and more efficient use of office time. With one in four companies now measuring carbon emissions, cutting back on non-essential business travel is seen as an easy way to make significant carbon savings.

Gabrielle Ginér, sustainability and climate change programme manager at BT, said: 'We are delighted to be the first company to receive this prestigious award and be recognised for the proactive steps we are taking to reduce our business travel and minimise our impact on the environment.'

BT aims to reduce its group worldwide CO2 emissions by 80 per cent, from 1997 levels, by 2020.

The 'One in Five Challenge' launched last year and to date has nine participating organisations, including retailer Marks & Spencer, Swedish construction company Skanska and telecoms group Vodafone UK.

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