Practical Knowledge Guide will help companies off the plane

As an internationally active company, you hold the keys to influence the acceleration of sustainable aviation and the reduction of CO₂ emissions. By 2020, companies have successfully adapted to a new way of working. The ease with which many employees and customers adapted to being at home and flying less revealed that those long-held ideas about the need to fly for work no longer hold. To reduce your company's carbon emissions, it is both necessary and possible to adjust the flying behaviour of employees and employers.

A video call, the train or flying after all?

Until the 2020 corona crisis, business travellers were heavily focused on flying. The crisis forced companies to look for other ways to keep international business going. Companies are now investing more in digital communications, making new arrangements with business partners for meetings and adjusting their travel policies accordingly. At the same time, employees look much more positively than before the crisis at communicating virtually and flying less, Ipsos research shows. Even now that our freedom of movement is (largely) back, three in five business travellers fly less than before the pandemic. In fact, almost a quarter of business travellers say they do not fly at all; only 10% now say they get on a plane more often. So plenty of opportunities for effective international working, with a much smaller impact on the environment, climate and people.

Tips & Tricks

To facilitate this trend, the new Sustainable Business Travel Coalition developed a Knowledge Guide. This came about through testimonials, surveys, interviews and discussions with a selection of frontrunners.

In this Knowledge Guide, we provide various options for making your organisation's travel policy more sustainable. Besides information on the benefits, you will find a concrete roadmap for a responsible travel policy. The measures can be reduced to three categories: avoid transport, stimulate alternatives for air travel and reduce the impact of unavoidable transport. For each step, this document elaborates on what an organisation can do, what is already happening and brings a few testimonials for inspiration. A fourth component is behaviour, because measures are only successful if they are followed effectively.

For now, flying will not become cleaner and quieter any time soon. Technological innovations in the aviation sector are too slow for that. So the most effective way to make travel policy sustainable is to fly less. Determine, for instance, under which conditions the train is mandatory (based on travel distance, travel time and/or difference in travel time with flying). Also determine how to deal with exceptions. Increase support by clearly communicating the difference in door-to-door travel time and CO₂ emissions of train, car and flying. Facilitate remote working with sufficiently large virtual meeting rooms. 

Flying cannot always be avoided. But if you must fly, do so as sustainably as possible. Always fly in economy class and set guidelines around exceptions (e.g. based on travel time). A direct flight is also less stressful than a stopover: landing and take-off cause the most emissions and a lot of inconvenience to local residents.

Once you have reduced your air emissions to a minimum, you can 'green' the remaining emissions by e.g. participating in a (bio)fuel programme, compensation or introducing a CO₂ price for air travel (target price: €100/tonne).

Business Travel Pioneers

To take sustainable travel to the next level, Bond Beter Leefmilieu, together with Canopea, The Shift and Climate Neutral Group, is setting up the Business Travel Pioneers. Through the coalition, the companies are part of a rich network and always stay abreast of inspiring practices, new insights and examples from abroad.

Join a coalition of forerunners and make the change with your organisation. The Business Travel Pioneers will help your company make a positive impact.

Discover the Knowledge Guide here