Close to half of the world’s biggest companies have cut their emissions associated with business travel by more than 50% since 2019, a new study by Transport & Environment has found.
The group’s 2023 Emissions Tracker study found that of 217 companies analysed, 104 have reduced their air travel emissions by 50% or more, with technology giant SAP (-86%), pharmaceutical company Pfizer (-78%) and consulting group PwC (-76%) seeing the biggest reductions.
According to Transport & Environment, this cut in emissions is linked to less flying, more use of rail travel, and increased use of virtual meeting platforms.
At the same time, the study also found that many companies have business travel emission levels that are very close to 2019 levels, including JP Morgan Chase (-13% compared to 2019) and pharmaceutical companies Merck (-17%) and Johnson & Johnson (-28%). Some 21 firms even exceeded their pre-2019 air travel levels.
Business travel emissions from 2019 to 2022 decreased by 51% when consolidating data from 217 major global flyers. The Travel Smart campaign from Transport & Environment is seeking to achieve a minimum 50% reduction in overall business travel emissions by 2025 or earlier.
‘A positive picture’
“Overall it’s a positive picture to see so many companies not returning to pre-2019 levels of flying,” commented Denise Auclair, Travel Smart campaign manager. “Lessons from the pandemic have been learnt: the way forward is collaboration with more online meetings, more travel by train and less by plane. But it’s dismaying to see still too many companies returning to excessive flying for business with so little concern for the planet.
“The start of 2024 is the perfect time for new corporate resolutions to put the old, high-flying days behind us.”
Reducing emissions
As the study found, of the 217 companies examined, 171 lack specific targets for reducing business travel emissions. Despite this, a majority of these companies are already experiencing reduced transport compared to pre-COVID levels. The Travel Smart campaign has urged these companies to draw on the lessons derived from the pandemic and establish a goal for decreasing emissions from business flying.
“The era of uncontrolled business flying is coming to an end. Governments are taking notice and cracking down on unnecessary flights,” Auclair added.
“This makes sense for the planet but also for the businesses themselves, who can cut costs and prioritise the well-being of their employees.”
