Case Study: Scope 3 business travel emissions

CTM enabled its customer to achieve a 39% reduction in Scope 3 business travel emissions over six months period, compared to the same period the previous year, while improving travel policy compliance by 50%.

This progress was driven by CTM’s innovative tools and data-led approach.

Read on to find out how.

Objective

Solutions

Refined travel policy: We collaborated closely with the client to assess and refine travel policies, focusing on encouraging sustainable travel practices. The revised policy includes specific guidelines on the class of travel (Economy, Premium, Business), with a strong emphasis on lower class cabins and SAF AA carriers.

Empowering employees: To address the challenge of encouraging travelers to make sustainable choices, CTM’s Online Booking Tool (OBT), Lightning, was implemented. Lightning seamlessly integrates sustainability metrics into the booking process, giving travelers real-time visibility of carbon emissions with an allocated budget, flight vs. train comparisons, SAF scores, filters for electric or hybrid vehicles, empowering users to make informed and responsible decisions. This approach supports behavioral change without disrupting the traveler’s booking experience.

Data-driven tools: Recognizing the need for clear and accurate carbon data, access to the CTM Data Hub was provided. This hub features DEFRA-aligned carbon reporting, enabling emissions to be tracked by individual traveler and department. To further support visibility, at-a-glance summary snapshots were developed, these insights improve internal accountability and enhance external ESG reporting, aligning with corporate sustainability goals and stakeholder expectations.

Real-time access: The client’s sustainability team was granted real-time access to the CTM Data Hub, ensuring they could continuously monitor sustainability performance throughout the year. This real-time access supports ongoing analysis, proactive adjustments to travel policies, and identification of high-emission areas.

Outcome

• Scope 3 emissions from business travel have been reduced by 39% over a six month period, compared to the same period the previous year.
• Following the introduction of the revised travel policy, the client achieved a 50% increase in policy compliance.