Question Time
Chris Reynolds of 3Sixty Global, aided by Jonathan Green from JMP Consultants, answer a reader's query over additional ways of reducing a company’s carbon footprint
OUR COMPANY is looking to reduce the size of our carbon
footprint and business travel is our main culprit. Other than the obvious strategies of ‘don’t travel’ or switching from air to rail, are there any other techniques you could advise to assist us in achieving our goals?
Chris Reynolds SENIOR PARTNER 3SIXTY GLOBAL Chris, senior partner and co-owner of the specialist consultancy company 3SIXTY Global, offers extensive experience in travel programme optimisation, TMC performance, tender, selection and implementation, and travel procurement strategy and negotiation. He has over 20 years' industry experience, including five successful years as travel manager for Siemens. Chris is a member of the Chartered Institute of Purchase & Supply and former board director of the Institute of Travel & Meetings.
A.
AS THE dust from the financial fallout starts to settle, sustain-
ability and carbon accounting is moving back to the top of the corporate and public sector agenda. There are a number of reasons for this,
" Delve deeper and understand your emissions profile by route, individual business area and even down to the individual traveller"
not least the prospect of mandatory reporting of emissions from FY2012 (created through provisions in the Climate Change Act, 2008). Yes, you read that right – reporting emissions could soon become a 'licence to operate' issue, with businesses required to provide emissions returns to Companies House on an annual basis. Organisations in the public sector, including government departments and the NHS, will have to report emissions, including those from business travel, to HM Treasury from FY2012. And when HM Treasury takes charge of an issue it means things are hotting up for public and private sectors alike. There are five headline opportunities to reduce emissions from business travel, namely: reducing the amount of travel undertaken; better project management and travel planning; substituting carbon intensive modes for lower carbon options; identifying carbon efficiencies within a particular mode; and
examining how alternatives to travel can add value to business operations. These five principles should be applied across the end to end journey, thereby
WILL DRIVE CARBON REDUCTION Q.
A DEADLINE
enabling you to identify opportunities for efficiencies, both in terms of cost control and emissions, as well as productivity. When applying these five principles,
the first step is to establish how your emissions profile is broken down by mode of travel. The next step is to delve deeper and understand your emissions profile by route, by business area and, if necessary, down to the individual traveller. This will enable you to under- stand where the biggest emissions impacts are generated and where the greatest potential lies to change current practices and traveller behaviour. By getting close to managers who
direct business decisions and sanction travel, and individual travellers, you’ll improve your understanding of the need for travel; the reasons that influence travel; and how the travel programme can be designed to support sustainable and low carbon travel choices. This adds further value to the function
of travel management because you’ll be thinking strategically about smarter travel and smarter working practices, and potentially bringing new insights to senior management. The results of emissions reduction initiatives are not necessarily diametrically opposed to
‘traditional’ travel management KPIs like cost control, compliance and duty of care: achieving one element can help achieve the other too. Finally, be clear about your organi- sation’s carbon reporting boundary. A reporting boundary describes entities over which an organisation exercises a level of control (organisational boundary) and those over which it has an influence (operational boundary). If your organisation is looking at emissions in areas where it has an influence, the supply chain will form part of your organisation’s footprint. The inclusion of a supplier’s footprint presents a further opportunity to assess how your footprint can be managed and reduced. Footprinting of the supply chain and of individual products is gaining momentum. Next time you buy a packet of Walker’s Crisps look at the packet – the company has quantified the carbon footprint created by a single packet of crisps from cradle to grave at 80g of CO2 per 30g pack.
IF YOU have a business travel issue you would like advice on from an expert, email us at:
help@thebusinesstravelmag.com
24 I THE BUSINESS TRAVEL MAGAZINE
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