Sustainability in corporate travel: Tips for greener business trips
As we all look to reduce our carbon footprint in as many ways as we can, sustainability is no longer a “nice to have” in corporate travel. This has become a top priority for organisations looking to reduce their environmental impact while maintaining efficiency, productivity and a good reputation.
With growing awareness around climate change and corporate responsibility, companies must rethink how they approach business travel and how they embed more sustainable practices into their policies.
However, for some organisations, knowing what to do and where to start can feel tricky, even in 2026. And this is even truer for those who rely on regular and long-haul business trips for productivity.
If this sounds familiar and you’re looking to improve sustainability in your corporate travel, the good news is that small, practical changes can make all the difference. From smarter booking decisions to increased employee awareness, here’s how to make business trips greener without compromising on results.
Why sustainability in corporate travel matters
Corporate travel can significantly contribute towards a company’s overall carbon footprint, particularly if your employees fly a lot for work. As businesses face increasing pressure from the government, stakeholders, clients, and employees to operate responsibly, sustainability in corporate travel has become a key area of focus for many.
Beyond the more obvious environmental benefits, prioritising sustainable travel can also enhance your brand’s reputation, support ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals, and reduce costs, saving your business money in the long-term.
What’s more, companies that take action now are better positioned to meet future regulations and expectations, as these continue to change with the environment. Keeping this in mind, here are some of our top tips for greener business trips.
Choose lower-carbon transport options
One of the most effective ways to improve sustainability in corporate travel is by rethinking your transport choices. Air travel is often the largest contributor to emissions, so reducing flights where possible is a strong starting point. This will most likely mean choosing trains for more local business trips.
That being said, flying is often unavoidable from the UK, so in these cases, opt for airlines that offer greener options to their customers. For example, airlines that:
Prioritise Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Use younger fuel-efficient fleets
Have carbon-offsetting programs
Other ways to choose lower carbon options include booking direct routes rather than connecting flights, as take-offs and landings generate the highest emissions. This, as well as encouraging economy class travel for shorter trips which can also reduce per-person impact and packing lighter or only taking hand luggage to reduce weight.
Work with sustainable travel partners
Choosing the right travel partners will play a critical role in advancing sustainability within your corporate travel policies. You should consider working with responsible:
Travel agents
Group flight specialists
Airlines
Hotels and accommodation
Local travel providers
Look for those offering greener options, such as carbon offset programmes, fuel-efficient fleets and eco-certified accommodation. In particular, when booking group travel, working with a group flight specialist like us can really help to optimise routes and reduce unnecessary emissions, while still keeping costs under control.
Implement a sustainable travel policy
Clear and well-communicated travel policies are essential for all business travel, but especially when embedding sustainability into your organisation’s culture. These policies should outline expectations for employees and provide guidelines for making greener choices at every stage of planning and travelling.
Key elements of your sustainable travel policies might include:
Prioritising rail over air travel for short distances
Encouraging virtual meetings where possible
Selecting eco-friendly hotels and local transport options
Setting limits on premium cabin bookings
Promoting carbon offsetting
By having these practices formally set out in a policy that everyone can easily review and access, businesses can ensure consistency and accountability across all teams and corporate travel activities.
Reduce unnecessary travel
One of the simplest ways to improve sustainability in corporate travel is to travel less if you can. While face-to-face meetings, MICE events and employee trips remain valuable, it is true that not every interaction requires a physical presence.
Advances in video conferencing and collaboration tools mean that many meetings can now be conducted effectively online. Encouraging your teams to assess whether travel is truly necessary before they book can significantly reduce both emissions and costs.
Of course, at BTG Travel, we understand the importance of corporate travel, but taking a hybrid approach like this can strike the right balance between meeting sustainability goals and business needs.
Choose eco-friendly accommodation
Hotels play a major role in the environmental impact of business trips, because they contribute to high energy consumption, waste production and water usage.
Fortunately, many hotels are now adopting greener practices to try and combat this, such as automatic lighting to reduce energy consumption, minimising single use plastic waste, and sourcing local, sustainable products.
When booking accommodation, look for those with recognised sustainability certifications or eco-labels. These indicate that the brand meets certain environmental standards.
What’s more, simple choices, like opting out of daily housekeeping or reusing towels, can also contribute to more sustainable stays when adopted across a large workforce. So make sure to educate your employees on the small choices they can make that will have a big impact.
Encourage responsible behaviour among employees
Even the best policies won’t make as much of a difference without employee engagement. As we briefly touched on above, encouraging your staff to adopt sustainable habits during business trips is a crucial part of the process. This might include:
Using public transport instead of taxis
Minimising single-use plastics like toiletries for each trip
Choosing plant-based meal options where possible
Turning off lights and air conditioning when leaving hotel rooms
Packing light for shorter trips
Providing guidance and raising awareness of even the smallest changes can empower employees to make more environmentally conscious decisions while travelling for work.
Track and measure travel emissions
How can you know if you’re improving your sustainability efforts if you’re not measuring them? To truly recognise if your corporate travel policies are making a difference, it’s important to measure your impact. Tracking emissions allows businesses to identify areas for improvement and set realistic reduction targets.
There are plenty of travel management platforms that offer reporting tools and provide insights into carbon emissions by trip, department or employee. This data can be used to refine policies in the future, adjust travel behaviour, and demonstrate progress toward sustainability goals.
Transparent reporting is also valuable for presenting to stakeholders and can support broader ESG initiatives.
Plan smarter itineraries
Finally, efficient travel planning is a key component of sustainable business trips. Combining multiple meetings into a single trip, choosing centrally located accommodation and minimising unnecessary travel between locations will all reduce your overall emissions.
For group travel, careful coordination can also prevent duplicate journeys and ensure resources are used as efficiently as possible. Again, working with experienced travel providers and group flight consolidators like us can help optimise itineraries for both cost and sustainability.
Are you ready to prioritise sustainability in corporate travel?
There’s no denying that sustainability in corporate travel is no longer optional; it’s an essential part of being a responsible and respected business. As organisations strive to reduce their environmental impact, rethinking how, when and why we travel is vital.
By choosing greener transport options where possible, working with sustainable partners, implementing clear policies, and encouraging responsible employee behaviour, companies can significantly reduce their carbon footprint without sacrificing productivity.
Ultimately, the goal isn’t to eliminate business travel, but to make it smarter, more efficient and more sustainable.
If you need help booking group flights and choosing the most eco-friendly airlines and travel routes, we can help. Get in touch with our expert team of group flight specialists today and start improving sustainability in your corporate travel right away!