A guide to sustainable business travel in the UK

Sustainable business travel is no longer an optional 'nice-to-have' for UK companies and organisations. As the effects of climate change become more evident every day, sustainability has become a key component of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and a commercial imperative that can deliver mission-critical cost savings. Green business travel often means travelling more economically, such as by switching from short-haul flights to ground transportation. With commercial and environmental priorities so closely aligned, the future of business travel is green.

The environmental impact of business travel

Business travel contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, with flights by far the worst offender. Aviation accounted for 2.5% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2023 and is predicted to account for 12% to 27% by 2050.) Hotels are another major contributor, accounting for 1% of global carbon emissions – a figure that is also expected to rise. Aviation and other forms of transport release pollutants that affect human health, while hotels and hospitality establishments can increase pollution by generating non-recyclable waste that ends up in landfills.

A step-by-step guide to creating your sustainable travel policy

By creating a sustainable travel policy, your organisation can consistently choose more sustainable business travel practices. An effective policy should be a roadmap that sets out how your organisation will move towards carbon-neutral business travel, and a guide that helps all employees make more sustainable business travel choices. Here are the key steps to creating a sustainable travel policy that works:

1. Assess your business travel carbon footprint

First, gather as much data as possible on the business trips taken by your employees over a year. Choose the most recent post-pandemic year for which you have data, ideally 2023 or 2024. Work out the distance they have travelled by plane, train, car and boat, and add up their hotel stays. Then use one of the many online carbon footprint calculators available to work out your travel emissions. This will give you a baseline year that you can use to set your emissions reduction targets going forward. If you have an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) team, it's a good idea to get in touch with them first, as they may have already selected a baseline year for other emissions.

2. Identify your emissions-reduction strategies

This data will also give you an overview of your employees' current travel methods and accommodation choices. From this, you can identify your best opportunities to encourage sustainable alternatives, such as electric vehicles, rail travel or energy-efficient hotels. Opting for shared ride services is a great way for companies to reduce their emissions. Promoting rideshare services for employee business travel is a great way for your company to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and reducing the amount of vehicles that need to be on the road.

3. Set clear, achievable targets for emissions reductions

It's a good idea to define clear objectives and put some detail into your desired outcomes, such as a percentage reduction in your carbon footprint for each journey type. With guidance from your ESG team (if you have one), you can set reduction targets and key milestones that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound). As an example, here are Uber's key sustainability milestones and targets.

4. Educate and empower your employees

The strategies you choose to achieve these targets are the most important part of your policy, followed by the way you educate your employees. Ideally, anyone who makes travel decisions or bookings should be empowered with the right resources and support to make environmentally friendly choices. Your policy will only be effective if people follow it, so you may want to offer incentives and rewards for employees or teams who make the most sustainable corporate travel choices.

Make sustainable choices easy

Whatever your policy's aims, it will be most effective if you make it easy for employees to choose sustainable options. One area where all organisations can reduce their business travel emissions is by using low-emissions electric vehicles for taxi journeys instead of traditional cars. An easy way to make this happen is to encourage your teams to choose Uber Green for low-emissions rides that cost no more than a regular UberX journey. This works in the Uber app in exactly the same way as other rides. The only difference is that you'll be riding in a 100% electric vehicle – no hybrids, diesel or petrol. Uber Green is now available for journeys throughout all of Greater London.

Encourage micromobility with Uber for Business

Getting around cities sustainably doesn't have to mean a car journey. Uber for Business also gives your people the freedom to choose other low-emissions options like Lime electric scooters and bicycles. They simply use the Uber app to find their nearest bike or scooter and jump aboard, making them super-convenient for short trips. With Uber Transit integrated in the app, they'll also see public transport options for every journey.

Track and report your business travel emissions with ease

With ESG reporting now a core component of any organisation's CSR commitments, we know how important it is to accurately track business travel sustainability. That's why we've made it easy to set up sustainability-focused travel programmes in your Uber for Business dashboard. Accuracy is really important in ESG reporting, so the dashboard provides clear insights, with climate metrics including total CO₂ emissions, total low-emissions trips, average CO₂ per mile and your overall sustainability progress over time.