4 How will climate change affect business travel?

Transport is an increasing source of greenhouse gas emissions, and thus a primary driver of climate change. Commuter and business travel accounts for 40% of car mileage in the UK. Reducing excessive vehicle use is a key step for any business wishing to achieve a smaller carbon footprint.

There are four aspects of business travel to consider:

• 1) Those whose main business is that of travel e.g. airlines and haulage companies. Legislation on emissions and shortages of fuel cause these businesses to increase prices as overheads rise. Users, dependent on these services look at less expensive and more sustainable opportunities for essential travel. With a reduction in users these business have to reduce their fleet size, use more eco-efficient vehicles and some companies will not survive.
• 2) Business to meetings and appointments offsite. Some companies run up large business travel bills. As the pressure to reduce their own carbon footprint increases businesses start to look for ways of reducing the number of off-site meetings. For those that are still essential ‘travel policies’ are introduced to use low carbon modes of transport. Typical business changes include:
• • Employees encouraged to use electronic communications and remote conferencing facilities;
• • Restricted travel in own car substituted by car pool systems and renting low emission vehicles;
• • Employees encouraged to attend advanced driver training to drive more efficiently;
• • Use of integrated online calendar to book several appointments on same day, car share and use of public transport;
• • Flying only if other methods are impossible and travel to and from airports by public transport.
• 3) Distribution to and from businesses:
• • Change in emphasis from customer driven to company driven delivery plans;
• • Reduction in frequency of deliveries;
• • Central warehousing to optimise loads per delivery;
• • Computer controlled warehousing for optimum delivery itineraries.
• 4)Travel to and from business:
• • There will be a move away from single occupancy car use to more eco-efficient modes of transport such as car-sharing schemes, use of public transport, walking and bicycles;
• • Working hours will become more flexible to accommodate these routes and on-site parking space will reduce. There will also be more freedom to work at home eliminating any travel to work for several days a week.

More information is available on these websites:

• The climate change charter for businesses;
• Business Link advice on cutting carbon emissions from business travel;
• Case study: Capita on reducing carbon footprint through travel measures;
• Climate Change Corp on business travel.