What is sustainable travel? Here's everything you need to know.

As the impact of climate change continues to become a more pressing issue, many businesses are implementing measures to reduce their own carbon footprint and help make a positive impact.

In California, for example, a law was passed in 2024 that requires any company making emissions reduction or other climate-related claims to substantiate those claims. It also specifically requires any company making claims based on carbon offsets to disclose relevant information about those offsets publicly.

Focusing on making business travel sustainable is one way to do this, and this can be implemented by travel managers working sustainability into business travel policies. 

This article will provide travel managers with everything they need to know about sustainable travel and the ways it can be implemented for business travel.

What does sustainable travel mean in practical terms?

Sustainable travel essentially mirrors the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's (UNWTO) definition of sustainable development: 

“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities" 

It's all about traveling in a way that minimizes our impact on the planet and everything living on it. So, for business travel, that might mean taking public transport to your accommodation, instead of a private taxi.

Travel, and specifically the way we travel, has a huge impact on our ecosystems, and according to a recent study, travel accounts for 5% of global warming.

It also means meeting legal and regulatory compliance as rules become stricter in many countries. 

By enabling Perk’s Green Trip, travel managers can ensure they comply with the new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework auditing.

Building a sustainable travel policy

To improve the sustainability of those who travel for work, travel managers must build specific sections into the business travel policy that demonstrate to travelers that as much has been done as possible to limit the impact of their itinerary and work towards reducing carbon emissions.

Here is how to build a sustainable policy that keeps the planet safe, and your travelers comfortable:

Data tracking and auditing

Travel managers not only need to ensure current trips are eco-friendly, but that future ones are too. They can optimize for this by tracking distance, routes, costs and CO2 emissions in detail with an all-in-one platform.

And the use of digital expenses means fewer paper receipts, which is not only better for the environment, but also creates an improved process for travelers and travel managers.

Direct, economy flights where applicable

25% of a flight’s total emissions happen during take off and landing, so minimizing the need for stops or layovers, for applicable journeys, can help with this.

It also has the added benefit of a quicker flight, meaning that business travelers can relax knowing that they are arriving as soon as possible.

There should also be insistence that only economy flights are booked, as business and first-class seats generate significantly more emissions due to their larger size, lower occupancy rates, and heavier design.

Encourage rail travel

For business meetings that are happening within the US, or perhaps a multi-city trip in Europe, travel managers should include in the policy that this encourages rail travel. 

The sustainable travel guide from UC Berkeley in California notes to use public and alternative transport where possible, highlighting that Amtrak has a business class option when you book.

There are also numerous benefits for traveling by train for business, including:

• Easier and quicker to get another train if the first one is canceled

• Less restrictions on moving about from your seat, meaning you can chat to multiple members of your team easily

• More baggage allowance as standard

Consider public transport 

When booking onward travel, managers might be tempted to arrange for a private taxi that takes all business travelers straight to their hotel, but insisting on public transport use can really help.

If travelers are arriving at London Heathrow airport, there is the London Underground subway system that takes them straight into central London in an hour. 

Travel managers can detail in the policy that public transport should be used wherever possible, giving examples of situations where it might not be.

For example, if those traveling for work are heading to a more rural location that can’t be reached by train or bus, renting a car is best. But the policy can also state that where car rentals need to happen, they will be with an electric vehicle only, a much greener option.

Choose environmentally friendly hotels

Where possible, travel managers should encourage bookings at hotels that are eco-friendly and more sustainable, ensuring that it still has everything the traveler will need.

The types of these hotels are increasing, as climate change becomes more pressing, and here are some examples for American business travelers abroad:

Note: Rates are indicative and vary based on seasonality and booking windows.

Spend downtime wisely

It’s not all work for business travelers! After those all-important meetings, you might want to sample the local cuisine, unwind at a local bar or even spend some time in the gym.

These choices can also be made with sustainability in mind.

Try prioritizing a restaurant using only locally sourced ingredients, or that focuses on limiting food and water waste. 

Carbon offsetting

Whether traveling by plane or by car, each mode will create a certain amount of carbon emissions.

Investing in corporate carbon offsetting can help your business balance out the CO2 you create with projects that reduce greenhouse gasses elsewhere.

With Perk, travel managers can measure, reduce, and address the carbon footprint of business travel directly during booking with Green Trip.

Measure

Green Trip enables businesses to calculate their carbon footprint, and manage it. 

Perk can provide visibility into travel emissions across flights, hotels, rail, and car hire, which can be broken down into route-level insights to help travel managers identify any of the higher-impact travel decisions. 

Reduce

It tells you what your carbon footprint will be right at the important moment - the booking.

By integrating this directly into the booking system, travel managers can easily compare options not just based on price but also on emissions, all in one place.

Address

Once the trip has been completed, you are able to calculate the emissions and can then select high-quality climate projects to offset. 

The projects invested in as part of Green Trip are certified by VERRA (VCS), Gold Standard or Puro.earth.

Business pain points

When looking to include sustainability in a travel policy, business travel managers might need to address some pain points.

These could include:

It is also recommended for business travel managers to arrange a meeting with those traveling for work to discuss the sustainable parts of the policy, and personally address any issues some team members might have.

Make business travel sustainable

Incorporating sustainable policies into business travel can help businesses reduce their individual carbon footprint and work towards carbon offsetting.

With our guide to sustainable business travel, managers can feel assured that they will have covered all aspects of making those who travel for work do so as eco-friendly as possible.

From prioritizing public transport to opting for direct or economy flights only, every part helps and will contribute towards a successful, sustainable travel program.

Building a sustainable travel program isn't a solo task for a travel manager. It requires a collaborative blueprint combining insights from HR, finance, and risk management teams working from a ‘single source of truth’.

Using Perk’s all-in-one platform to plan and manage itineraries can also result in efficiencies that are both sustainable and make for an improved experience for travelers. 

And Green Trip can help even more by providing visibility into travel emissions across flights, hotels, rail, and car rentals, and integrating carbon visibility directly into the booking experience.

Ready to focus on your international travel and let Perk help to manage everything else? Sign up today for a free demo.