The Ethical Frequent Flyer: How to Pressure Your Employer for Sustainable Travel Policies
By Beth Rush, Managing Editor at Body+Mind
Business class shouldn’t cost the Earth. Turn your next expense report into a tool for climate justice by promoting sustainable travel policies in the workplace. Even as an employee and frequent flyer, you can press your organization to recognize how business travel can contribute to global carbon emissions.
Can Employees Be Sustainable Travelers?
Yes, employees can engage in sustainable travel. Some may argue that the only way to make travel eco-friendly is never actually committing it. However, taking flights can be quite necessary for certain professions and occasions.
For example, international aid workers must provide humanitarian support to different areas around the world to help them recover from natural disasters, conflict and other circumstances. Travel nurses also need to fill temporary positions in healthcare facilities that may have a weaker workforce, ensuring that there are enough hands to save people’s lives.
Travel will always be a part of the world, especially for certain work industries. However, there are ways to be more thoughtful about your approach to flying frequently. A 2023 survey finds that about 69% of employed adults want their companies to invest in more sustainability efforts. It’s important to voice out those desires to incite change within your organization.
How To Promote Sustainable Travel in the Workplace
Building actionable strategies can be the key to sustainable travel policies at your company. Follow this guide on how you can build a case for your employer.
1. Understand the Current Travel Policies
Before changing the travel policies, it’s important to note what terms and conditions you’re dealing with. You can check company guidelines on business travel and see what procedures can be improved. The HR Department is also your best resource.
Some of the information that you can check is the number of employees sent on flights and how many trips have been taken per year. Are people booking business class or economy? How long is the distance of these trips?
2. Seek Other Passionate Members
While searching for data on flight frequencies in your corporation, you may want to scout for some extra helping hands. After all, many employees may be seeking ways to align their professional lives with their personal values of sustainability.
Strike a conversation with people and share what you’ve found so far in your research. From there, you can potentially brainstorm different ideas on how to get your employer to practice more green travel practices.
3. Leverage Holding Virtual Meetings
Certain topics may need more than an e-mail thread for discussion. However, the issues may require less than an in-person meeting. Rather than booking a flight immediately, open up the idea of having a virtual meeting instead.
Having a web discussion can allow you to reduce unnecessary flights and save the environment from excessive carbon emissions. You could even suggest teleconferencing for certain events like seminars, workshops and other similar events.
4. Suggest Long-Term Assignments
Some people, like entrepreneurs, may fly out for duties that only last for a couple of days or more before returning to their space. For nurses, short travel assignments can be as brief as four weeks, with a standard length of at least 13 weeks or so.
One way employers can minimize their carbon footprint is by working on more long-term assignments. Spacing out the frequency of an employee’s flights reduces emissions. It also gives them more opportunities to immerse themselves in a new location, which can build their career and introduce them to a new network of people.
5. Advocate for Low Carbon Accommodation
Another way to promote sustainable travel in the workplace is by assessing other factors of your trip that you can adjust. For example, some employees have the opportunity to choose their accommodation when going on a work trip.
Seek low-carbon hotels or guest houses. Commercial entities that belong to the World Sustainability Hospitality Alliance will typically meet eco-friendly standards and initiatives in their spaces. You can also look for other signs of sustainability on the premises, such as upcycled furnishing, green airconditioning practices, LED lighting and so much more.
6. Explore Other Modes of Transport
There may be other modes of transportation that can take you from point A to point B. Try to explore whether boats or trains are possible for long-distance travel. For shorter ones, you may want to explore taking a car instead.
That said, you may want to assess each transport’s carbon footprint. Flying would typically have a lower carbon footprint per kilometer than driving alone over a long journey. You can also justify that the carbon footprint is divided between you and other passengers onboard.
7. Adopt Other Eco-Friendly Habits While Traveling
During your work travel, it’s important to exercise eco-friendly habits within that space. For example, avoid using single-use plastics when eating. You can also focus on preventing food waste by planning your meals in advance and scheduling in leftovers.
You can also make a habit of bringing a recycle bag. Very few fast food joints, convenience stores and other establishments provide recycling bins for the public to use. That extra container can help you store materials for future repurposing.
8. Participate in Carbon-Offsetting Programs
It’s important to have ways to compensate for the inevitable emissions of your business travel. Employees can lead the way toward sustainability by participating in carbon-offsetting programs like tree-planting initiatives or clean energy installations.
Some industries can also invest in projects that would directly remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. For example, those within the construction industry can campaign for carbon capture technology to collect and utilize emissions.
9. Propose Incentives for Sustainable Travel Options
To encourage following sustainable travel policies when engaging in business travel, employers can provide incentives that would garner other employees’ attention. Some suggestions include:
- Extra days for SAF use: When undergoing work travel, employees will only have a specific number of journey days to account for the travel from location to destination. Their schedule would only permit a certain number of workdays, too. However, if employees are able to utilize sustainable aviation fuel, you can permit extending their stay for a day or two of leisure.
- Paid carbon offset stipends: Carbon offsetting can encourage employees to participate in programs that would reduce the emissions that they have already utilized. Adding extra compensation can give them further reason to participate in this trading mechanism and ensure that the company is actively engaging in environmental efforts.
- Video-conferencing allowances: Video conferencing is a great way to avoid unnecessary travel while fulfilling work discussions and other communication needs. Employers can provide allowances to cover workers’ software subscriptions, internet bills, hardware costs and other related expenses.
10. Work Out the Financing Options
Building your case for sustainable travel policies will require you to consider the logistics and finances behind it. About 49% of people believe sustainable travel options are too expensive. While almost half are willing to pay a little more, it can be challenging for enterprises to address.
Look for cost-saving work travel options. For example, economy flights are often encouraged since there is more room for passengers, which lowers each individual’s carbon footprint. You can also turn to food suppliers and caterers that source locally over high-end ones.
11. Assess the Other Risks
Consider all possible risks that your employers may find from your pilot policies. For example, they may suggest that not everyone will understand the essence of having sustainable travel policies. Since this issue persists due to a lack of education about climate change, the best way to remedy it is by providing that knowledge and training to other workers.
12. Present the Case to Your Employers
Once you have sample suggestions and policies prepared, it’s time to present the case to your employers. It’s best to request a formal meeting where you can raise your concerns and voice out the need for sustainable business travel. You can suggest trialing the changes for a select number of employees and getting feedback for future widespread deployment.
Why Sustainable Travel Policies Matter
Sustainable business travel is more of a necessity rather than a trend. It can affect numerous aspects of your life, from your surroundings to your own personal peace of mind and more.
Care for the Environment
Green travel policies can help the environment heal. Aviation is responsible for about 2.5% of global carbon emissions, creating an impact on global warming. Employees can make conscious decisions that would scale back their contribution toward that number. Furthermore, actions like carbon offsetting can counter whatever emissions have already been released.
Improve Employee Experience
It can be hard to work when you feel anxious. About 59% of people were worried about climate change in 2021. More than 50% also cited feelings of helplessness and guilt. Frequent flying can contribute to that overthinking, as they begin to question just how much they’re polluting the environment. Thus, sustainable travel policies can provide a deeper sense of security.
Enhance Company Culture
A good company culture is what attracts employees and makes them stay. A shared mission like exercising sustainable travel is a great way to unite everyone. Create a sense of purpose and teamwork by keeping everyone aligned to following sustainable travel policies. Establishing this can provide an environment that opens up even more discussions on eco-friendliness.
Strengthen Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is incredibly important for companies, and demonstrating a commitment to sustainability is a good way to achieve that. In a case study, academic institution EPFL discovered that about 34% of its carbon footprint came from business travel. As a result, they changed and reduced their travel practices to scale down the means of transport used.
Bring the Sustainability Conversation into the Workplace
Reaching sustainable business travel policies begins with awareness and action. Employees can voice their desires to build a more environmentally responsible workplace by following the steps above. With time and your employer’s consideration, positive change will follow suit!
About the Author
Beth Rush is the Managing Editor at Body+Mind and a lover of all things health and wellness. She is a well-respected writer in the personal wellness space and shares knowledge on a variety of topics related to nutrition, fitness, holistic health and disease prevention. In her spare time, Beth enjoys cooking healthy recipes and trying out new fitness trends.