A Step toward Sustainable Workplace Commute and Business Travel Strategy for your organization: Understanding the Basics

Understand the complexity behind carbon emission documentation before starting the journey towards sustainable mobility for your organisation.

<p>Transforming how we move for work is increasingly <a href="https://www.businesstravelnewseurope.com/Management/Commuting-travel-managements-next-frontier">gaining limelight</a> in the overall discourse on decarbonizing transport across the globe. Especially post-COVID-19 disruptions on workplace travel, many organizations are re-looking at their employees’ daily commute to the offices and their business travel patterns to understand their carbon emission profile in detail. Indeed, it is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211036682">estimated</a> that out of the four key carbon emitting areas within an organization (waste, energy, purchase and transport), transport is a significant contributor, with long-distance business travel alone accounting for a significant portion of vehicles miles travelled (VMT) and Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The broad global commitment to the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement">Paris Agreement</a> and the increasing adoption of the <a href="https://sciencebasedtargets.org/">Science Based Targets initiatives (SBTi)</a> by several organizations are also acting as catalysts for sustainable transportation initiatives essential to address the climate change crisis. Additionally, looking from an individual level perspective, a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2019.03.008">recent study</a> also suggests that sustainable mobility options improve employee productivity, well-being and satisfaction while simultaneously reducing everyday commuting stress in the cities.</p>
<p>Yet, climate science and carbon accounting are complex topics, and for many organizations, documenting and preparing an emission reduction plan can be challenging and may seem like a daunting task. Below are a few pointers that uncover the complexity behind carbon emission documentation that organizations should consider before starting their journey towards sustainable mobility.</p>
<h2>Overview of the GHG Protocol Scopes & Emissions</h2>
<p>Calculating and analyzing an organization’s GHG emissions is usually called GHG emissions inventory. The protocols for maintaining and reporting such inventory are laid down by the <a href="https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard">Greenhouse Gas Protocol</a> (GHG Protocol), the most widely used international standard for corporate accounting. As per the protocol, the following are the ten steps that an organization need to undertake for designing and managing their GHG inventory:</p>
<ol> <li>Setting business goals and inventory design</li> <li>Setting organizational boundaries</li> <li>Setting operational boundaries</li> <li>Identify GHG emission sources</li> <li>Select a GHG calculation approach</li> <li>Collect activity data and choose emission factors</li> <li>Apply calculation tools</li> <li>Roll up GHG emission data to the corporate level</li> <li>Accounting GHG reductions</li> <li>Reporting &amp; Verification of GHG emissions</li> </ol>
<p>Among the various steps mentioned above, identifying GHG emission sources requires a basic understanding of the concept of ‘Scope’. The GHG protocol introduces and defines three key ‘scopes’ to help delineate direct and indirect emission sources and improve transparency. They are briefly explained below in the context of transportation:</p>
<p>Scope 1 and 2 are mandatory for organizations to report. While scope 3 is voluntary, challenging to monitor and usually represents the major proportion of GHG contribution as it includes both upstream (activities occurring before a direct operation such as purchase of goods and services, extraction of raw material, business travel, etc. ) and downstream (activities occurring after a direct operation such as transportation and distribution of goods, waste generated, use of sold products etc. ) activities within an organization’s value chain. The emissions from business travel (from non-company vehicles) and employee commuting fall under scope 3. Let’s understand what all needs to be collected as part of such documentation.</p>
<h2>What data to collect for Business Travel?</h2>
<p>Specific data points are required to document your business travel emissions accurately. These points depend on the chosen calculation method (fuel-based, distance-based, or spend-based) and the transportation mode used (flight, public transport, taxi, etc.). Below is the list of required key data points:</p>
<h2>What data to collect for workplace commute?</h2>
<p>Similar to the business travel emission calculations, for employee commute, depending upon the selected method for calculation (fuel-based/ distance-based/ average-data method), the following are the key data points that are essential for accurate documentation:</p>
<p>The best way to capture data on employees’ daily commutes is to use trip dairy. A trip diary is a tool used by transportation researchers and practitioners for decades to gather detailed information on participants’ travel patterns over a specific period in a structured diary format. This information is then analyzed to understand travel demand, mode choices, trip purposes, origin-destination relationships, and other key aspects of travel behaviour. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211037240">Research</a> has shown that this survey tool is quite reliable when examining overall commuting trends while for investigating individual-level commuting behaviours, passive mobility data are more suitable.</p>
<h2>Establishing Sustainable Workplace Travel Plans (WTPs)</h2>
<p>Irrespective of the tools and calculation methods employed, once insights on work mobility trends are obtained, the next most suitable approach is strategizing ways to reduce carbon emissions through establishing sustainable Workplace Travel Plans or WTPs. It <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trip.2023.100899">contains a list of measures</a> specifically designed for an organization aiming to encourage commuting by sustainable transport modes among the employees and includes the realization of several programs, initiatives, and investments. A sustainable WTP focuses on the movement of people, not on the vehicles they use. The most common measures are:</p>
<ul> <li>Promoting walking, cycling and public transport</li> <li>Car-share and car-pooling</li> <li>Car parking management</li> <li>Using technology to reduce the need to travel (e.g., remote meetings)</li> <li>Flexible working hours and remote work</li> <li>Reducing the need to travel</li> </ul>
<p>The employee may also nominate a designated employee Mobility Manager. The most suitable measures may vary among organizations and depend on the employee requirements, employer willingness and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2023.11.463">site-specific opportunities</a>. WTPs are increasingly gaining popularity across several countries. For instance, in France, WTPs are mandatory for companies with over 100 employees located in population centres with more than 100,000 inhabitants and in cities where Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) are required. Similarly, many cities in the United Kingdom have also started providing guidance on preparing WTPs for organizations and developing regulations for their <a href="https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/workplace-travel-plans">implementation</a>. Overall, if developed appropriately and implemented strategically, WTPs can offer organizations the opportunity to achieve their sustainability targets while taking a step towards net zero green transportation.</p>
<h2>Our work at Cities Forum</h2>
<p>To address the complexities of developing carbon inventory and establishing WTPs, we at CITIES FORUM have developed a carbon emissions calculator tool that captures the emissions from workplace travel and business travel and automatically provides the total CO2 emissions. The Excel-based tool runs on a complex back-end calculation that is user-friendly for participants to fill in their travel diaries and does not need a platform-based subscription. We are simultaneously working on mobile-based applications and other digital survey formats that can assist in capturing emissions more efficiently across the corporate structure in both the Global North and Global South contexts. Considering the organizational sustainability goals and targets, size, structure, boundaries, data privacy laws and work trip frequencies, we deliver tailored solutions centred around flexibility, innovation, and convenience for a net zero future.</p>
<p>For more details on our current sustainable work travel projects and to know more about how we can help your organization reach its transportation sustainability targets, please feel free to reach out at <a href="mailto:info@citiesforum.org">info@citiesforum.org</a>.</p>
<p>Author:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmeghatyagi/">Dr. Megha Tyagi</a>, Senior Transport Planner</p>
<p>CITIES FORUM</p>
<p>Image courtesy: Airam Datoon by Pexels</p>