A Practical Guide to Sustainable Business Travel

In today's business climate, sustainability is not just a buzzword; it's a core component of corporate responsibility. For any company with a traveling workforce, the environmental impact of business travel is a major factor in its overall carbon footprint. Customers, investors, and employees are increasingly demanding that companies take meaningful action to address this.

Creating a sustainable travel program isn't just about optics. It can also lead to more efficient, cost-effective, and purposeful travel. This guide provides a practical, step-by-step approach to building a travel program that is both environmentally responsible and good for your business.

Step 1: Measure, Measure, Measure

You can't manage what you don't measure. The first step towards a greener travel program is to understand your current carbon footprint.

The Problem: Calculating travel emissions is complex. It involves factoring in the aircraft type, distance traveled, cabin class (a business class seat has a larger footprint than an economy seat), and even hotel energy consumption.
The Solution: Use a modern travel management platform that has carbon measurement tools built-in. A good platform will automatically calculate the CO2 emissions for every flight, rail segment, and hotel stay booked through the system. This provides you with a baseline and allows you to track your progress over time.
What to Track: Your system should provide you with a dashboard that shows your total travel-related emissions, broken down by department, by trip, and by individual traveler. This data is essential for setting realistic reduction targets and for your company's ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting.

Step 2: Reduce Emissions at the Source

Once you have a clear picture of your footprint, you can focus on strategies to reduce it. This involves empowering your travelers to make greener choices at the point of booking.

Promote Rail Over Air: For short-haul trips between cities with good rail connections (e.g., London to Paris, Boston to New York), train travel produces significantly fewer emissions than flying. Your travel policy and booking tool should actively promote rail as the preferred option for these routes.
Choose Lower-Emission Flights: Not all flights are created equal. Your booking tool should highlight flights that are more eco-friendly. This could include:
- Direct Flights: Avoiding layovers reduces the total distance flown.
- Modern Aircraft: Newer aircraft are generally more fuel-efficient.
- Airlines Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): SAF is a biofuel that can reduce emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.
Select Green Hotels: Encourage employees to book hotels that have credible eco-certifications (like LEED or Green Key). These hotels have demonstrated a commitment to reducing energy and water consumption. Your booking platform should allow you to filter for these properties.
Re-evaluate Trip Necessity: The most sustainable trip is the one that doesn't happen. Encourage a "purposeful travel" mindset. Does this meeting require a cross-country flight, or could it be effectively handled via video conference?

Step 3: Implement a "Green" Travel Policy

Your sustainability goals should be formalized within your corporate travel policy.

Set Clear Guidelines: Your policy can state that rail is mandatory for trips under a certain distance or that employees should choose the flight with the lowest carbon footprint if it's within a certain cost and time threshold of other options.
Build it into Your Approval Workflow: You can configure your approval process to flag high-emission trips. For example, any request for a business-class flight on a short-haul route could trigger an additional level of approval, prompting a conversation about whether it's truly necessary.
Educate Your Team: Communicate your sustainability goals to your employees. When they understand the company's commitment to reducing its environmental impact, they are more likely to make conscious choices.

Step 4: Offset What You Can't Eliminate

While reduction is the priority, some emissions are unavoidable. Carbon offsetting allows you to compensate for these emissions by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gases elsewhere.

How it Works: You can purchase carbon credits from certified environmental projects, such as reforestation initiatives, renewable energy projects (wind or solar farms), or methane capture programs.
Choose Reputable Partners: It's crucial to purchase credits from projects that are verified by internationally recognized standards like the Gold Standard or Verra. This ensures that the emissions reductions are real, measurable, and permanent.
Integrate Offsetting into Your Program: Some travel platforms are beginning to integrate carbon offsetting directly into the booking or expense process. This allows you to automatically calculate the cost to offset a trip and make the contribution seamlessly.

Building a sustainable travel program is a journey, not a destination. It requires a commitment to continuous improvement, driven by accurate data and clear communication. By taking these practical steps, you can create a program that not only reduces your environmental impact but also enhances your corporate reputation and resonates with the values of your employees.

Ready to build a greener travel program?