Business travel is a frequently underestimated driver of corporate carbon emissions. In some industries, it may account for nearly all of a company’s footprint, with a handful of long-haul routes often responsible for the lion’s share. In our previous article, we broke down transportation’s role in global emissions and showed how business travel constitutes a major source of emissions, but there are solutions for reducing emissions while still doing business.
Here, we dig into what those solutions are.
Before diving into specific strategies, it’s important to establish that this is not an all-or-nothing challenge. In business, some trips are necessary, and just because your company can’t decarbonize every business trip this year doesn't mean you can’t make a meaningful impact. What matters is setting reasonable but ambitious goals and working steadily toward them. Climate-smart decisions compound over time, and the shifts you make today will help create a market for a decarbonized business world in the years to come.
Progress, even if incremental, is what drives real change.
A formula for thinking about emissions
One useful way to frame business travel emissions is through the lens of the Kaya Identity, a famous formula scientists used to calculate carbon emissions as the product of just a few factors. A simplified version looks like this: Energy Emissions = Human Activity × Energy Intensity × Carbon Intensity
As with any multiplication problem, the product would become zero if we put “0” into any of the factors. In practice, reaching “zero human activity” or “zero energy use” would be hard to manage and probably undesirable. More realistically, we can turn the dial on all three factors to find the way to reach our emissions goals while maintaining what’s most important for our societies.
Applied to travel, this means:
Travel Emissions = Number of Trips × Energy per Trip × CO₂ per Unit of Energy
This may look complex, but the takeaway is simple: There’s no single dial to turn. Instead, you have a range of options to bring travel-related emissions down. Let’s consider some examples below.
Each factor in the travel emissions formula (Number of Trips × Energy per Trip × CO₂ per Unit of Energy) points to a specific set of strategies you can use to cut your company’s carbon footprint.
Cutting the number of trips (Activity)
While video calls, hybrid events, and better coordination across teams can reduce the need for out-of-town meetings, a lot of business must be conducted face-to-face. The key here is to take a look at travel practices company-wide and ask where emissions-saving choices can be made. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind:
- Target high-impact routes: Focusing on routes that either emit a lot per trip or are frequently repeated can yield big emissions savings without sacrificing business goals.
- Consider your options: Once you know the highest-emitting trips, evaluate whether some of those journeys could be replaced by virtual check-ins or other remote arrangements.
- Consolidate meetings: Look for the possibility of pivoting from repeated or multi-person journeys to trips that deliver maximum value.
Improving efficiency per trip (Energy Intensity)
Companies can make meaningful progress on reducing travel emissions by setting clear policies that prioritize lower-carbon options without adding unnecessary complexity for employees. For example, when journeys are regional, shifting from short-haul flights to high-speed rail can reduce emissions without major time penalties. Similarly, organizations can encourage employees to use public transportation in destination cities whenever possible.
Air travel may be essential, but even here companies can adopt simple efficiency measures into policy. Direct flights use less fuel because planes consume the most energy during takeoff, and modern aircraft can be as much as 25% more energy efficient than older models. By setting a preference for efficient air travel into company policies, organizations can both lower their carbon footprint substantially.
Reducing the carbon intensity of energy (Carbon Intensity)
The third factor focuses on the fuels and technologies that power travel. Technological advances have made it possible to access the same service (such as driving a car or flying) while emitting less carbon. Using electric cars or buses for local travel emits less than fossil-fuel vehicles, and that benefit grows as electric grids decarbonize. For longer distances, companies can encourage employees to book with airlines investing in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) or more efficient aircraft. Consider these approaches:
- Go electric: The option to choose electric cars for rent and ride services is becoming more and more common. Make a policy of always preferring it.
- Play it SAF: SAF’s lifecycle emissions are up to 80% less than those of jet fuel. Many airlines now blend SAF into their fuel mix and sometimes offer fare buyers the ability to pay a premium for greater SAF use. Paying this premium not only reduces carbon emissions, it also lends crucial support to the SAF market as it scales up to play a bigger role in aviation globally.
The Benefits of #MoveTheTravel
Reducing business travel emissions is not just about making better choices for the environment, it’s also about building stronger, smarter companies. By implementing emissions-reducing changes, organizations also lower costs, reduce employee fatigue, and stay ahead of tightening regulations. Just as importantly, taking climate concerns seriously strengthens reputation, helping companies attract talent, earn customer trust, and reassure investors that they are prepared for a low-carbon economy.
The Kaya Identity shows us that travel emissions aren’t fixed: They’re the product of many choices. Each factor—activity, efficiency, and carbon intensity—offers opportunities for progress. No company needs to be perfect to make an impact. By setting ambitious but achievable goals and taking practical steps now, businesses can shrink their footprint while unlocking a host of operational and financial benefits.
Learn more about #MoveTheTravel:
https://wedonthavetime.org/movethetravel
