Business travel can multiply your personal carbon footprint, but there are many actions that you can take today. By rethinking when and how you travel, you can minimize that effect.
Travel is one of the biggest (and frequently overlooked) sources of carbon emissions for professionals on the go. If you travel frequently for work and you worry about the climate, you’ve probably noticed that just a handful of long-haul flights can outweigh all your other low-emissions lifestyle choices.
The good news: your choices matter. By making small adjustments to the way you travel, you can significantly cut your emissions.
This isn’t an all-or-nothing challenge. Some trips are necessary, and it’s not realistic to stop traveling altogether. What matters is aiming for progress over perfection. Each smarter choice you make not only reduces your own footprint but also helps push the travel industry toward a lower-carbon future.
A simple way to think about your travel emissions
Scientists often use a formula called the Kaya Identity to understand emissions. Usually, the Kaya Identity looks at greenhouse gases across the economy, but here’s a simplified version focusing just on travel: Travel Emissions = Number of Trips × Energy per Trip × CO₂ per Unit of Energy
We can adjust any of those factors on the right side of the equation to reduce our carbon footprint. In plain terms:
- You can travel less.
- You can choose more efficient ways to travel.
- You can support energy and fuel options.
Let’s explore what that looks like in practice.
Cutting kilometers
The most direct way to lower your travel footprint is simply to take fewer trips. That doesn’t mean canceling everything. It means being more selective and strategic about when it’s really necessary to go out of town.
- Rethink high-impact routes: Many business travellers take the same flight repeatedly throughout the year. If you’re flying the same route often, ask whether all those trips are necessary. Could one trip cover multiple meetings?
- Swap in virtual meetings: Not every catch-up requires a flight or even a train ride. Video calls are more and more becoming the norm. Ask yourself: What would this trip accomplish that couldn’t be done remotely?
- Extend your stay: If you have a list of to-dos at your destination, rather than coming and going, stay for the time necessary to complete all of them. Remote work makes it possible to keep up with your daily tasks, and you’ll save time in the end by avoiding the extra journeys.
Improving efficiency per trip
If you do need to travel, how you get there matters. Some choices dramatically cut energy use without making your trip harder.
- Take the train when possible: While airports lie up to an hour’s drive outside of the city, train stations are usually right downtown, and boarding is far less complicated. Consequently, trains are often just as fast door-to-door as short flights and far more efficient energy-wise.
- Share the ride: Driving alone is the least energy efficient form of ground travel. It’s far better to use public transport in cities, or share taxis/rental cars as each additional passenger reduces the per-passenger energy use for each kilometer travelled.
- Book direct flights: If you must fly, avoid as many layovers as possible. Takeoff is the most fuel-intensive part of a flight, so the more direct your route, the lower the emissions.
Reducing the carbon intensity of energy
Low-carbon technologies that provide similar services to conventional modes of travel are becoming more widely available. And choosing them not only reduces your direct emissions, your support helps more sustainable options scale faster and come down in cost.
- Go electric: Even in regions without much fossil-free energy on their grid, electric vehicles save carbon emissions. Make it a personal policy to always opt for electric rental cars or ride-hailing services where available.
- Support the growth of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF): SAF could offer a way to cut aviation emissions even as the airline industry grows. Some airlines now offer the option to pay a bit more for a higher share of SAF. This not only reduces emissions but also helps grow the market for low-carbon fuels.
Influencing company and partner policies
Your influence can make changes beyond your own footprint. By encouraging your company and the organizations you work with to adopt more sustainable travel policies, you help create an impact far greater than that of your personal choices. Even small nudges, like raising awareness of alternatives or sharing positive experiences, can set the stage for new standards of how business gets done.
Here are a few ways to lead the way:
- Advocate for smarter defaults: Encourage your company to make trains the first option for regional travel and electric vehicles the standard for rentals.
- Promote virtual-first policies: Suggest that video calls or hybrid meetings become the norm unless in-person presence is essential.
- Support sustainable aviation: Recommend partnering with airlines that invest in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
- Bring it into the conversation: Highlight travel sustainability in client meetings and vendor negotiations to signal that low-carbon choices are part of your professional values.
Why #MoveTheTravel Matters for You
There are benefits to traveling smarter beyond lowered emissions. By cutting back on unnecessary trips, you save money and free up resources for the journeys that really matter. Streamlining your schedule means less time lost to airports, delays, and fatigue, leaving you with more energy for what counts. And every thoughtful choice, whether it’s taking a train instead of a flight or opting for an electric car, signals that you’re serious about climate leadership, strengthening your professional reputation in the process. One decision may feel small, but when thousands of travelers make them together, the impact is enormous.
Learn more about #MoveTheTravel:
https://wedonthavetime.org/movethetravel
