7 Ways To Ensure That Your Employees Travel In An Eco-Friendly Manner
Travel is an essential part of the business. So much so that you may find that you are sending key employees to the other side of the world more often than you’d like. While these trips are essential for maintaining international business relations and earning you money, you may find that all this travelling isn’t good for the environment.
Sustainability is a key factor as we continue to move into the 21st century, and many eyes are looking toward big companies to see how they are coping with these eco-friendly changes. You don’t have to cancel these business trips to maintain an environmentally friendly appearance, but it may help to make some alterations to reduce the size of your employees’ carbon footprint. Want to find out how to achieve this? Read on to learn more.
Use The Right Airline
There will be times when you must use air travel to get somewhere important. However, more information about the co2 emissions of a standard flight is being discovered as we move toward a more sustainable future. As such, flying is no longer considered an eco-friendly method of travel. This does not mean that you have to give up air travel completely, however.
Most modern airlines are aware of the effect that their planes have on our planet, so they too are keen to make changes to help ensure an eco-friendly future. Whenever you or your employees have to book a flight, make sure you buy a ticket that lets you offset your co2 emissions. These plane tickets signal to the airline that you are happy for them to make an investment in solar/wind energy or plant a tree elsewhere. It may be a small act, but at least this method is trying to promote sustainable thinking.
Stock Eco-Friendly Products
Travelling for work involves removing yourself from daily life for a few days. As a result, you may find yourself using plenty of daily products that you wouldn’t otherwise buy. These include travel soaps, shampoos, tubes of toothpaste, and deodorants, all of which add to the amount of waste you are contributing to the planet.
While it is necessary to remain hygienic on your travels, there are ways to bypass the amount of waste you would normally leave behind. Try to encourage your employees to use eco-friendly products on their travels, such as re-fillable bottles or sustainably manufactured goods. You can even store these items in the office to ensure that they are taken on the road instead of generic store-brand goods.
Leasing Vehicles
Once you land in a new destination, your travel options are often limited. You can either travel the city by booking a taxi or leasing a vehicle for your stay, two travel methods that are known for their harmful co2 emissions. However, one of these options can be much safer for the environment if you approach the situation correctly.
There are plenty of businesses out there that let you lease a car, so make sure you pick one that features electric or hybrid vehicles. A site like LV ElectriX has all kinds of information on why businesses love leasing electric cars, so try to inform your staff about this method of travel to ensure that they arrive at their destination in the most sustainable way possible.
Slow Travel
Getting your employees to their next destination as quickly as possible is a great way to speed up your business practices. As such, your business stands to make an extra profit much faster if your employees finish their business trip in good time. That is why most businesses have used air travel in the past. However, there is now another way to get your employees from a to b, and it is a method that is much better for the environment.
The train may not be the most ideal travel method for employees that are used to flying, but these rail-bound vehicles emit far less co2 than the average airplane. Known as slow travel, businesses are now using the train to ship their employees to key destinations. One reason for this is that the train can bring them closer to their intended destination. What’s more, it is now becoming a common trend for companies to use the slow travel method to help the environment. Therefore, some investors will understand if you arrive via this method as it sends the right message.
Encourage Carpooling
Travelling for work doesn’t always involve shipping yourself or someone else across the globe. All your employees need to make it to the office during a standard work week, and it is this regular commute that is proving the most harmful to the environment. It is estimated that the work sector is responsible for producing at least twenty-four percent of the UK’s co2 emissions. This means that steps should be taken to reduce this amount, and carpooling is a great way to start.
Your employees are all driving toward the same destination, so it is reasonable to assume that some of them will cross paths on this daily journey. As such, they are responsible for emitting unnecessary engine emissions. Try to encourage carpooling among your staff, and you can cut your office co2 emissions in half. It may take some convincing but taking just one car off the roads in the morning will make a huge difference.
Mobility
It may sound strange, but not everyone has the means available to travel as a sustainable individual. You can encourage people to take the train, carpool, or cycle to work every morning, but there are those in society that do not have those options available for one reason or another. For example, a paraplegic employee is physically incapable of cycling to work, and someone that lives in the countryside may not have easy access to a train station. As such, business leaders are being encouraged to support sustainable mobility.
Sustainable mobility involves making sure that everyone under your roof has the necessary services, technology, or data available to travel in an eco-friendly manner. This approach may mean making adjustments for certain employees. For example, an employee who lives in the country may not be able to take the train, but you can still encourage them to carpool. You can only start using sustainable mobility by researching your company and its inhabitants, so try to make sure you are doing everything you can to put these most sustainable procedures in place.
Technology
It seems that modern tech is always trying to keep up with new environmental procedures. As such, you may find that using these devices is much easier than traveling the world. There will be times when a face-to-face meeting is necessary; however, other conversations can now be performed using the internet. A quick video call or direct message from your office could save you hundreds of hours and air miles, so make sure you are using the smart choice to help reduce your company’s co2 emissions.
Summary
It is now simpler than ever to engage in sustainable travel. Almost every business on the planet is trying to reduce co2 emissions, so you should have a good chance at getting where you need to go in the least harmful way possible.
