A survey of 500 business travellers, conducted by Opinium* and commissioned by World Travel Protection, a leading global travel assistance organisation, reveals that over two-thirds of business travel (67%) is carbon neutral as organisations carbon offset travel with environmental schemes.

The importance of environmentally conscious travel is clear from the survey as over six in ten business travellers (62%) say they are under organisational pressure to limit their carbon impact when travelling, including avoiding air travel (63%). In addition, 21% have a policy to use rail travel where possible and encourage hiring electric cars (15%). Almost one in five (19%) also say short work trips by air are discouraged.

However, a fifth (20%) say that cost is the biggest priority for their organisation’s travel policy and 16% even think their organisation is greenwashing when it comes to business travel. 11% say their organisation does not consider the environment when travelling for work.

In contrast, a fifth (21%) of business travellers want organisations to make a policy for sustainable work travel a priority, and one in five (20%) say reducing their environmental impact is very important to them.
One in six (17%) choose to avoid unnecessary work travel because of the environmental impact.

Kate Fitzpatrick, Regional Security Director, UK, World Travel Protection said: “It’s clear from this survey that whilst business travel is crucial for many organisations, the majority are putting responsible measures in place to limit their carbon footprint, including encouraging employees to avoid air travel where possible.”

She continues: “It isn’t just about doing your part to reduce environmental impact, but preparing travelling teams for what to do when something goes wrong overseas. Just this summer in Europe, we’ve seen the devastating effect of unpredictable climatic events including wildfires and flooding. When this happens, organisations need to know immediately where their people are, and what they need to do to help them. It’s important to understand that preparing for the known risks is only half of the challenge. In this increasingly uncertain world, it is also crucial to prepare teams for the unknown.”