ESG in business travel — how to reduce the carbon footprint in your company?
Reading time: 3 min
In business conversations, the topic of ESG appears virtually every turn today. And it is no longer just a fashionable trend — but a real business need that affects an organization’s competitiveness. Sustainable development in 2025 is not only about caring for the environment — it is primarily about properly managing the company and its resources, also in the context of business travel. Implementing ESG — compliant solutions benefits the environment, employees, and the company’s budget.
In this guide, you will read about:
- Carbon footprint in travel — why is it important for your business?
- Simple ways to reduce emissions on business trips
- Optimization of means of transport
- Implementation of sustainable travel
- Carbon footprint calculator in practice
- What does carbon footprint reporting look like?
- The future of corporate travel management
Carbon footprint in travel — why is it important for your business?
Remember the days when business travel policy was mainly about cost and efficiency? Today, a new element is on the table – environmental impact. Investors and business partners are increasingly asking about specific ESG actions. And your business travel policy can be a great answer to these questions.
Simple ways to reduce emissions on business trips
Effectively reducing the carbon footprint of business travel requires systematic, step-by-step actions and changes to business travel policies. Here are some proven solutions:
Optimization of means of transport:
- choosing trains instead of planes on routes up to 500 km,
- preference for direct flights,
- use of public transport to the destination.
Implementation of sustainable travel:
- clear guidelines for the choice of means of transport,
- criteria for selecting accommodation,
- carbon dioxide emissions monitoring and reporting system.
Carbon footprint calculator in practice
The worktrips.com platform acts as a carbon footprint calculator and as a practical assistant that shows the impact of different transport choices on the environment and the company budget. The traveling employee receives information on emissions at every stage of the selection process, allowing him to make an informed choice. The carbon footprint report shows where the greatest potential for optimization lies in your company’s travel policy. With the worktrips.com tool, you can:
- compare the carbon footprint of different forms of transport (planes, trains, buses),
- to optimize the route and stops,
- while simultaneously reducing business travel costs and carbon dioxide emissions.
Example? Choosing the Warsaw-Berlin rail route not only reduces carbon dioxide emissions but also increases employee productivity during the journey.
What does carbon footprint reporting look like?
Sometimes, despite the best travel policies, it’s impossible to completely avoid carbon emissions. That’s why WorkTrips has partnered with the myClimate Foundation. How does the carbon footprint reporting and offsetting process work in practice?
- At the end of the month, the WorkTrips team prepares a detailed report listing the flights and trips taken.
- Each item in the report includes the approximate amount of carbon dioxide emitted and the cost of offsetting it.
- Carbon dioxide compensation can be activated individually or systematically – according to the individual customer’s choice.
- WorkTrips specialists transfer funds to myClimate.org on behalf of the client.
- At the end of the process, the client receives a certificate and confirmation of payment in the form of a VAT invoice.
With this reporting system, your company can gain full transparency of its carbon footprint and concrete confirmation of compensation actions that it can use in ESG reporting.
The future of corporate travel management
Both domestic and foreign delegations can be tailored to individual needs, which brings tangible benefits – both for the environment and the company budget. Want to learn more about how to transform your company’s travel policy into an effective ESG tool? Schedule a free presentation of the worktrips.com system - our experts will help you develop solutions tailored to your organization and effectively optimize your carbon footprint.