As employees, we all have a role to play in making our workplaces more environmentally sustainable. One area that is ripe for improvement is how our companies approach business travel and events. The traditional approach of flights, hotels, and lavish catering often has a high environmental impact. However, there are ways we can work to make our company's travel and events more sustainable.

By lobbying our HR and executive teams to adopt sustainable travel practices, we can have a significant positive impact. Here are some tips to get started:

Start by Assessing Your Company's Current Travel Footprint

The first step is to get a clear picture of your company's current travel and event-related emissions and environmental impact. Work with your HR or sustainability teams to gather data on things like:

- Total flights taken per year, including distance and class of travel

- Hotel nights booked, including star rating and location

- Catering and event supplies purchased

- Ground transportation used, including rental cars, taxis, rideshares, etc.

Analyze this data to understand your overall travel footprint. Look at measures like total carbon emissions (these can be estimated through the use of online carbon calculators), waste generated, and water/energy use. This baseline will help you identify the biggest areas for improvement.

Identify Sustainable Travel Alternatives

Once you understand your current impact, start researching more sustainable alternatives. Some options to consider include:

Flights:

- Prioritize direct flights to reduce emissions

- Book economy class, which has a lower carbon footprint than first or business class

- Offset flight emissions through tangible restorative activities, like partnering with tree-planting organizations.

Hotels:

- Look for hotels with sustainability certifications like LEED, Green Seal, or EarthCheck

- Choose hotels close to event venues to reduce ground transportation needs

- Avoid high-end luxury hotels, which tend to have a larger environmental impact

Ground Transportation:

- Encourage the use of public transit, rideshares, or electric vehicles over rental cars or taxis

- Opt into bike sharing or electric scooter options for local transport

Event Catering and Supplies:

- Work with caterers that use local, sustainable, and plant-based menu items

- Eliminate single-use plastics and opt for reusable or compostable service items

- Donate or compost leftover food and recycle all waste

Present a Business Case for Sustainable Travel

Armed with data on your current travel footprint and ideas for sustainable alternatives, you're ready to present a compelling business case to your HR and leadership teams. Emphasize that sustainable travel is not only better for the environment, but can also benefit the company's bottom line and brand reputation in several ways:

Cost Savings: Sustainable travel options like economy flights, public transit, and locally sourced catering are often less expensive than traditional high-end options. Over time, these savings can add up.

Talent Attraction and Retention: Younger workers, in particular, are increasingly looking for employers with strong sustainability commitments. Showcasing your company's green travel policies can help attract and retain top talent.

Improved Brand Reputation: Consumers and business partners are paying closer attention to companies' environmental impacts. Demonstrating your commitment to sustainable travel can enhance your brand's image and give you a competitive edge.

Risk Mitigation: As environmental regulations and stakeholder expectations continue to tighten, getting ahead of sustainability issues in travel can help your company avoid future compliance problems or PR crises.

Employee Wellbeing: Sustainable travel options that prioritize employee health and wellness, such as direct flights and healthy catering, can boost morale and productivity.

Be sure to quantify the potential cost savings, emissions reductions, and other benefits to make a compelling, data-driven case. Emphasize that sustainable travel aligns with your company's broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.

Suggest a Pilot Program

To get leadership buy-in, propose starting with a small-scale pilot program to test sustainable travel approaches. This allows you to demonstrate the feasibility and value before scaling up company-wide.

For example, you could suggest trialing sustainable practices for your next team offsite or executive retreat or using a sustainable travel provider. Monitor the outcomes in terms of cost, emissions, waste reduction, employee feedback, and more. Use these learnings to refine your approach before rolling it out more broadly.

Enlist Support from Colleagues or Use Outside Help

Don't try to tackle sustainable travel alone. Recruit a team of passionate colleagues to help build momentum and influence decision-makers. Reach out to employees in departments like HR, procurement, marketing, and sustainability to get their buy-in and ideas. Source partners already active in the Sustainable Travel space that have relationships with local sustainable suppliers in the areas you plan to travel.

Consider forming a dedicated "green travel" working group that can meet regularly to strategize, track progress, and share best practices. The more people you have advocating for sustainable travel, the stronger your case will be.

Lead by Example:

As you push for company-wide changes, it's important to also lead by example in your own business travel habits. Make sustainable choices whenever possible, such as:

- Booking direct, economy flights

- Choosing eco-certified hotels

- Using public transit or electric vehicles

- Packing light to reduce emissions

- Utilizing a greater percentage of plant-based catering

- Refusing single-use plastics

Share your experiences and lessons learned with colleagues. Demonstrating that sustainable travel is achievable and beneficial can inspire others to follow suit.

Stay Persistent and Celebrate Small Wins:

Changing travel practices within a large organization can be a slow, challenging process. Be prepared to face resistance or skepticism from those who are used to the status quo. Stay persistent in making your case, and be ready to address any concerns or objections that arise.

Celebrate small wins along the way, such as getting buy-in for a pilot program or implementing a new sustainable supplier. These incremental achievements will keep you motivated and help build momentum for further progress.

Remember that improving the sustainability of your company's travel is an ongoing journey. Even small steps in the right direction can have a meaningful environmental impact. At Proethical, we’re here to help you on your journeys! By working with us and staying committed to the cause, we can help you drive lasting change.

Promoting Sustainable Travel In the Workplace