The global business travel market is a $1 trillion-plus industry annually, but one that is undoubtedly under the microscope at the moment as the business world looks to become a much more sustainable version of itself. Of course, the pandemic did plenty to temper the flow of business travel through 2020, but now things are returning back to normal and there is potential for widespread travel to resume, the onus is back on businesses to review their travel impact and the carbon footprint that comes with it.
It’s a major challenge to evaluate and overhaul what is often a fundamental facet of your business infrastructure, but there are ways to address your current mobility strategy without interfering with your wider business operation.
Calculate Your Business Travel Footprint
Without knowing where you’re starting from, it’s very difficult to establish where you’re going. Calculating your organisation’s current greenhouse gas emissions numbers will allow you to get that all important starting point as well as identify the areas where the largest carbon dioxide emissions sources lie in your business. From there you can establish an action plan to attack those outlying areas and enact a significant carbon reduction process in your business.
How does one go about calculating something so complex? You can approach a specialist consultancy firm or use specialist tools to track your output. The best course of action will likely depend on the size of your business and the budget you can afford to such a plan.
Create Green Travel Initiatives
More and more companies these days are adopting green travel business programs that look to prioritise the environment in their travel plans. Green travel programs typically outline a company’s sustainable objectives, including an analysis of your current carbon footprint and emission reduction targets, as well as a series of incentives and restrictions for employees within the business.
Some effective green initiatives to promote in a plan include:
• Flying economy over business class
• Avoiding layovers
• Choosing the greenest form of transport based on the circumstances
• Reduction of fuel consumption
• Establishing carbon offsetting projects
Choose Sustainable Travel Partners
Another initiative that could be included on the list above but carries notable weight is to choose the right travel partners for your business. For most businesses with an extended reach, business travel is a necessity rather than a luxury, so ensuring it’s done via the most sustainable route is key.
Much of this boils down to how you decide to travel and who with. For example, if you’ve got a key business meeting in the capital, should you be looking for train times to London rather than flight times into Heathrow? When you do need to fly, which airlines are low-emission airlines? When you need to stay over, what sustainable accommodation partners are there to support you?
Establishing green “allies” as part of your travel plan will be integral to your success in reducing your carbon output.
Better Business Trips
Business travel isn’t going anywhere any time soon, but the way we’re doing it seems to be changing for the better. As a business owner, it’s in your best interests to address your travel sustainability – not only for the sake of your environmental impact, but your commercial image as well.
