Sustainable business travel tips for CIOs
Business travelers can reduce their carbon footprint in several ways, including considering eco-friendly transportation, choosing green hotels and eating locally.
Climate change is a reality, and sustainability is a priority for many businesses.
As part of their efforts to improve sustainability, many companies are rethinking how they conduct business travel. More than 48% of companies in the U.S. and Europe said they plan to optimize their corporate travel policies to reduce environmental impact, according to the 2025 Deloitte corporate travel study.
For CIOs, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Implementing the right technology stack can manage, measure and cut a business's travel emissions while also reducing travel costs.
What is business sustainability?
Business sustainability -- or corporate sustainability -- is the ethical management of a business's environmental, social and financial aspects to ensure future success. Social and environmental concerns can sometimes conflict with financial goals, but in the long term, going green can reduce a business's energy costs and carbon footprint.
Forty-five percent of people surveyed in Deloitte's 2025 C-suite Sustainability Report said climate change and sustainability were the most pressing challenges to focus on in the next year. Moreover, the same report indicated that 40% of C-suite leaders said transforming the business model to address climate change and sustainability is central to their organization's strategy.
Technology and metrics
Before implementing individual travel practices, CIOs need to adopt a travel management platform to measure and manage sustainable travel. Platforms such as Navan, Perk, SAP Concur and Spotnana can track carbon emissions and help find low-emission travel options.
Key sustainability metrics to track include the following:
- Carbon emissions per trip, employee and department.
- Adoption rates of sustainable options.
- Cost savings from green choices.
- Virtual meeting substitution rates.
CIOs should work with the CFO, chief sustainability officer and chief HR officer to oversee policy development and track progress.
Sustainable business travel tips
Here are some sustainable travel practices that companies can implement to reduce their carbon footprint without giving up business travel.
1. Book business trips selectively and automate policy enforcement
Everyone likes to get out of the office occasionally for a change of venue and to shake up the daily grind. But businesses need to question whether in-person travel is a necessity, as it can greatly increase an organization's environmental footprint.
Businesses can discourage short trips in favor of stringing several trips together. Companies should also consider whether virtual alternatives are a possibility. Many industry conferences offer virtual options through video conferencing tools that let workers attend the same sessions and hear the same speakers.
Beyond being selective about travel bookings, CIOs can implement automated policy engines to enforce sustainability rules, ensuring compliance, without manual oversight. This might include requiring justification for flights under a certain distance, flagging direct flight alternatives and setting carbon budgets.
2. Consider eco-friendly transportation
If the destination isn't too far away, businesses should ask employees to take the train instead of a plane, as rail travel has lower carbon emissions than air travel, according to a study in the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. Trains can also offer travelers better views and more legroom.
But sometimes trains aren't an option. If travelers need to fly, businesses should encourage direct flights whenever possible. Carbon emissions are influenced by takeoff and landing cycles -- and the fuel burned at takeoff and climbing to cruising altitude is high, according to the same study. While flights with layovers might be more economical, they aren't doing the environment any favors.
3. Choose green hotels
Many hotels have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint. When booking hotels, ask what steps they have taken to go green and see if they have any LEED certifications. LEED is an environmental certification program for buildings.
Many hotels now only provide new sheets and towels upon request, helping conserve both energy and water in the washing process. And in some hotels, single-use toiletries are a thing of the past. In their place are bulk items such as shampoo, conditioner and body wash attached to the shower wall, eliminating excess waste in the landfill.
4. Pack light
It takes more fuel to transport heavy objects, so pack only the essentials. Not only is this environmentally friendly, but it is also more cost-effective. Packing light eliminates the need to check a bag on a flight, which usually incurs an additional cost. It also enables travelers to move freely in airports and cities, as they're not weighed down with baggage.
5. Don't print travel documents
Printing boarding passes is a thing of the past. Most airlines today offer mobile apps that let passengers view their trip details and show digital boarding passes to TSA and gate attendants.
Many hotel apps offer the same service, where travelers can view trip details and confirmation numbers. For hotels without an app, travelers should save hotel confirmation emails in a folder on their phones and access the information from there.
6. Encourage reusable products
One of the easiest things businesses can do is provide reusable water bottles to employees. Many airports, hotels and conference facilities have water bottle fill stations for travelers, and this eliminates additional single-use plastic in the landfill. And if it's a logoed bottle, it's free advertising for the company.
7. Consider green ground transportation
Travelers visiting metropolitan areas such as Boston, Chicago, New York and San Francisco should ditch the rental car and consider public transport, such as the subway or bus, while they're visiting. Better yet, travelers should make hotel reservations near the office or event venue they'll be visiting and walk, eliminating carbon emissions completely.
But if a rental car is necessary, travelers should consider an electric vehicle to minimize their carbon footprint. With high gas prices, it is also more cost-effective for businesses.
8. Eat locally
Eating at restaurants that source their food nearby reduces the transportation emissions associated with food production. Travelers should look for locally owned businesses and avoid chains. Farm-to-table restaurants are a great option.
Business case and ROI
While a travel management platform can help a business reduce carbon emissions, it can also yield cost savings through optimized booking.
To calculate the ROI of a travel management platform, follow this formula:
ROI = (Total benefits - Total costs / Total costs) x 100
Total benefits include hard savings, process and administration savings, and rebates and rewards. Total costs include subscription fees, implementation fees and transaction/booking fees.
Sarah Amsler is a senior managing editor for the IT Strategy team at TechTarget.
