FAQ KlimaLink
Why is the climate footprint of travel important?
The climate footprint shows the greenhouse gas emissions and therefore the climate impact of travel components and entire trips. Greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically reduced to slow down global warming and thus enable future generations to lead a healthy and safe life. KlimaLink presents the climate footprint of travel services in a transparent manner, making it possible to compare the climate impact of offers and facilitating the choice of more climate-friendly options.
How does the carbon footprint help to ensure that more climate-friendly holidays are booked in future?
More sustainable travel offers are not yet visible enough and there is a need for targeted sensitisation and advice. It is therefore our declared aim that sales and travellers are made aware of more climate-friendly options directly during the booking process by displaying the carbon footprint. We need to make it as easy as possible for travellers to choose the more climate-friendly option. Climate footprints can also be used by tour operators as a basis for designing more climate-friendly travel products.
Why a new organisation for climate protection in tourism?
KlimaLink emerged from the industry project "Climate-conscious travel" by Futouris (sustainability initiative of the travel industry). The aim is to transparently present the carbon footprint of travel at points of sale (online and offline points of sale) based on a uniform calculation standard. To this end, reliable emissions data is made available on a central IT platform over the long term and control structures are created to keep the standardised calculation methods up to date. KlimaLink is the supporting organisation for the fulfilment of these tasks.
What are the goals of KlimaLink?
The purpose of the KlimaLink association is the development of CO2e-calculation standards in the tourism industry and the digital provision of emissions data. The aim is to enable the climate footprint of different trips and travel components to be displayed directly in the booking systems.
Who are the members?
The 22 founding members of the association are constantly being joined by other companies in the tourism industry. These include associations, tour operators, mobility companies, hotel companies, technology providers, certifiers and climate protection organisations. A current list can be viewed at any time at here. According to the statutes, "Associations, companies and organisations in the tourism industry as well as persons interested in the purpose of the statutes can become members."
Why aren't the other big players in the travel industry also members of KlimaLink?
In principle, many of these other companies are indirectly involved in the project via the travel associations or through membership of the Futouris sustainability initiative. Other players in the industry are very welcome. The more companies and organisations that participate, the greater the reach will be.
How is the organisation financed and what role / tasks do the members have?
The association and its activities are financed by membership fees. These are staggered according to the number of employees in the companies as follows:
- Companies / organisations (up to 5 full-time positions): 500 Euro
- Small companies / organisations (up to 25 full-time employees): 1,500 euros
- Medium-sized companies (26 to 249 full-time positions): 3,000 euros
- Large companies (250 full-time employees or more): 6,000 euros
The members support the aims of the association and are actively involved in the organisation of the association's activities, e.g. by attending general meetings and/or participating in working groups.
Where can I find the statutes and further information on KlimaLink?
You can find the articles of association and other information material at here.
What is the difference to climate protection organisations such as atmosfair and myclimate?
Atmosfair and myclimate focus on offsetting greenhouse gases, while KlimaLink focuses on creating transparency regarding travel emissions. However, there are points of overlap, as atmosfair and myclimate are founding members of KlimaLink in order to promote uniform calculation standards for travel emissions and then use these as a basis for their own calculators.
Why do we need a uniform industry standard for calculating emissions from travel?
The aim is to create transparency regarding the climate impact of travel - for travellers, but also for companies in the travel industry. Uniform calculation methods enable the standardised presentation and comparability of CO2e emissions across all tourism services of a trip. This means that the climate impact can be considered when organising offers and making travel decisions. The travel industry does not yet have a corresponding uniform and reliable standard.
Which calculation methods are used?
In the Futouris project "Climate-conscious travel", an initial version of the common basis for calculating travel emissions was developed with the help of experts from science and practice. This will be continuously developed and supplemented by KlimaLink. The calculation methods for travel components already available on the KlimaLink platform can be found here .
Aren't there already enough CO2 calculators?
In a feasibility study preceding the "Climate-conscious travel" project, the Centre for Sustainable Tourism (ZENAT) analysed existing climate accounting systems on behalf of Futouris and the DERTOUR Group and evaluated the different standards. There are already good calculation bases for emissions from air travel and methods that also determine the climate impact of other travel components. However, a climate accounting standard that covers all elements of the tourism value chain and is simultaneously applied by a majority of industry players has been lacking to date.
How is it ensured that the methods developed remain up-to-date?
To this end, the following objective was enshrined in KlimaLink's statutes "Standard development and adaptation: The association coordinates an ongoing harmonisation process within the travel industry. Standards for the most important travel components (flight, train, bus, cruise, hire car and hotel) are continuously reviewed. The aim is to create an industry-wide recognised common calculation basis that is regularly updated." This further development takes place at KlimaLink in working groups made up of member companies and external experts. In the event of disagreement in the working groups, a specially convened expert advisory board provides support with recommendations.
What role do regulatory framework conditions play at EU level, e.g. the forthcoming EU Count Emissions Directive?
Current and upcoming EU regulations form the framework for KlimaLink's work. In order to be compliant with the upcoming "EU Count Emissions" directive for the uniform quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from various modes of transport, the KlimaLink calculation standard was officially audited by the independent, accredited organisation GUTcert in spring 2024 and the conformity of the methods in the mobility sector with the ISO14083 (Quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector) on which the directive is based was confirmed.
Why does KlimaLink calculate CO2 equivalents (CO2e) and not just CO2 emissions?
There are other important greenhouse gases (GHG) in addition to CO2. These contribute to varying degrees to the warming of the global climate. To compare the emissions of the various gases with each other, the effect of the gases on the climate (global warming potential) over a specific period (100 years) is used and standardised to the most important greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. In this way, GHG emissions can be stated together in CO2 equivalents (CO2e). As KlimaLink aims to map the climate impact of travel services as comprehensively as possible, other greenhouse gases and climate-damaging effects are included where relevant. For this reason, the term CO2e is generally used throughout the calculation standard.
How is the climate footprint of flights calculated?
A large number of factors are taken into account when calculating the climate impact of flights.
- Distance, flight route, detours
- Aircraft type
- Equipped with winglets/sharklets (at the wingtips to reduce drag)
- (Reserve) fuel weight
- Payload
- Flight profile (take-off and landing)
- Rollers on the floor
- Seating and seating classes
- Passenger load factor
- Additional freight (Cargo)
- Upstream chain of paraffin production (emissions from the source to the aircraft)
- Non-CO2 emissions
Good data bases exist for all these parameters, which are used for the calculation.
Why are the emission values of KlimaLink in the flight area higher than those of Google Flights, for example?
In addition to the best-known greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), non-CO2 effects are also taken into account in the KlimaLink flight emissions calculation. 2.At high altitudes, these have an even more damaging effect on the climate than CO2.
What are the non-CO2 effects of flying?
In addition to CO2, other climate-impacting emissions are produced during the combustion of fuels in air traffic. While the climate impact of non-CO2 emissions from combustion processes near the ground (e.g. car journeys, train journeys) is negligible compared to the impact of CO2, non-CO2 emissions in higher air layers have a significant impact on the climate when travelling by air. Current studies show that only one third of the climate impact of air travel is attributable to CO2 emissions and two thirds to non-CO2 effects, with contrails and the resulting contrail cirrus being the most significant factor. Non-CO2 emissions and their climate-impacting effects should therefore always be included when analysing flights.
How are non-CO2 effects taken into account in KlimaLink's flight emissions calculation?
As long as the data availability for a specific calculation of non-CO2 emissions per flight is not yet available, KlimaLink will use an "uplift factor" for this purpose. This is based on internationally recognised scientific findings. Based on the current state of research, KlimaLink uses an uplift factor of 3. If relevant new study results become available that enable the precise calculation of non-CO2 emissions for specific flights, the calculation method will be adjusted accordingly. For more information, see Flight method description.
Our member companies, the climate protection organisations myclimate and atmosfair, also include non-CO in their calculations with an uplift factor of 3 for flight altitudes above 9,000 metres.
Why do the KlimaLink emission values in the aviation sector differ in part from the emission values reported by atmosfair and myclimate?
This may have the following reasons:
- Utilisation of various data sources
- Completeness of the list of aircraft
- Missing allocation of aircraft per airline and associated missing equipment features (e.g. seating, winglets, engines)
- Other calculation factors (e.g. proportion of passenger space to cargo, capacity utilisation)
- Different update cycles
Together with the member companies myclimate and atmosfair, we are working to reduce these discrepancies and avoid them altogether in future. KlimaLink currently shows the most accurate values.
What is the basis for calculating emissions for hotels?
The calculation is based on the globally used methodology of the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI). Unlike in the aviation sector, however, the data availability for the specific calculation of hotel emissions is not yet available. Hotel emissions are therefore calculated as an average by star category and energy mix in a specific region. In future, these will be successively replaced by specific values for the respective hotels. You can view our Hotel calculation method here.
Why is an uncertainty surcharge levied on hotels?
The reporting of average values in the hotel emissions calculation means that the data is not hotel specific. Hotel-specific values may be higher or lower than the values shown. As KlimaLink follows a conservative calculation principle, KlimaLink calculates an uncertainty premium on the average values. In this way, KlimaLink aims to incentivise hotels to collect specific data, have it verified by third parties and make it available. As soon as specific, verified data is available, it is used by KlimaLink.
What added value does the KlimaLink emissions data platform offer travel companies and travel agents?
The added value lies in the availability of all relevant emissions calculations in a single data source (one-stop platform). From here, the emissions data can be retrieved manually or transferred via interfaces to the travel industry's standard information and booking systems. Tour operators can use the emissions data to put together more climate-friendly holidays and sales staff can provide targeted advice on more climate-friendly options.
What possible uses are there?
In principle, emissions data can be retrieved manually free of charge via the KlimaLink platform by any company in the sector after registering and confirming the terms of use.
In addition, KlimaLink members can also use automated data transmission channels. For example, the emission values can be integrated directly into the travel sales systems via an interface and automatically transferred to each offer.
Is the emissions data platform only intended for use by companies or also for end customers?
From mid-2025, end customers will also be able to calculate the carbon footprint of their journeys directly on the Klimalink.org website.
For which travel components can I already retrieve emissions data from KlimaLink?
Emissions data is currently available for flights and hotels.
When will emissions data for other travel components follow?
Emissions data for cars and buses will follow by the end of 2024. In 2025, the platform will then be expanded to include emissions data for rail, ships (cruises and ferries) and holiday homes and flats.
How is the emissions data provided in the sales channels?
In future, information about the carbon footprint of trips and travel components - like the price or flight duration - will be sent automatically via the booking systems.
Why is the climate footprint not (yet) visible on all journeys?
KlimaLink members are currently working on displaying the climate footprints of the holidays they offer directly at the point of sale in their booking channels. The number of our members is steadily increasing, so that in the long-term climate footprints will be visible in more and more sales channels.