When work calls for
employees to travel to places unreachable by the more carbon-friendly options
of train, bus or car -- they fly. However, flights are a huge contributor to
the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas that
leads to global warming. Carbon offsetting of flights is becoming a popular way
to understand emissions as travellers look to take action for a better future.
Several charities and
programmes are working to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere through
projects funded through donations. Now that it’s easy to generate carbon impact
data through travel management platforms, travellers and their organisations
can see their emissions in tonnes and donate the price equivalent to these
programmes to help offset their carbon footprint.
Carbon offsetting programmes
usually consist of two different kinds of projects: forestry or energy.
Forestry projects stop trees (nature’s carbon solution) from being cut down or
provide for the planting of new ones, and energy projects reduce fossil fuel
consumption by investing in energy efficient products or renewable technology.
It’s important to remember
that donations to these programmes do not instantly offset emissions.
Understanding and utilising these environmental projects truly indicates the
slow process of resolving our carbon impact - so offsetting can serve as a
motivator to help change habits and decision making when it comes to travel.
Choosing Efficient Carbon Offset Programmes
Technology is being improved
all the time and carbon impact data can now even live inside your corporate
travel booking platform. With this data on hand, if employees do choose to
harness that information for offsetting, it’s important to understand how to
select efficient and reliable programmes.
Efficient programmes exist,
just consider these three factors:
●
Additionality:
Carbon offsets must be additive to those planned or expected from existing
projects and initiatives.
●
No
Leakage: The project can’t be increasing emissions somewhere else whilst it’s
reducing them in others.
●
Permanent:
A project where the output won’t be reversed in the future.
Why Enable Employees with Carbon Emissions Data?
Providing your employees
with data on their individual carbon impact enables them to make
environmentally-conscious decisions that can reduce your company’s emissions
overall. It’s not hard to do with advancing travel management platforms
providing carbon impact data now. Additionally, travelling sustainably is often
more cost friendly and might positively impact your T&E spend as a
by-product.
Providing employees with
this information communicates a wider corporate social responsibility (CSR)
message from the business, gaining buy-in and contributing positively from a
company culture standpoint. It enables environmentally conscious employees to
understand the impact of their business travel decisions and gives them an
opportunity to turn that information into aid.
Learn how to make
incremental changes that work towards a sustainable future and still harnesses
the power of in-person communication with TripActions latest eBook - Taking Steps Towards Sustainable Business
Travel. Link: https://tripactions.com/uk/ebook/sustainable-travel
Visit the team at Business Travel Show, stand B322. Register now www.businesstravelshow.com
No comments:
Post a Comment