Business Travel emissions relate to those which arise from the trips made my employees for business purposes.
Primarily, they arise from the transportation of employees (not goods) for business-related activities in vehicles owned or operated by third parties. For instance, this could be travelling between offices for events or travelling to a client's office.
As such, three factors are crucial in determining whether a journey should be categorised as Business travel or another category:
The vehicle used must be operated by a third party (i.e. not company-operated).
The journey must not be between a colleague's home and usual place of work (facility).
The journey must involve moving people, not goods.
For example, if a company uses company-operated vehicles, the journey should be accounted for in either Mobile combustion or Purchased electricity, depending on whether the vehicles have combustion, or hybrid/electric engines, respectively.
If the journey uses a third party form of transport, and is between a colleague's home and usual place of work, this journey should be accounted for in Employee commute.
If the journey uses a third party form of transport, and involves the transportation of goods, this journey should be accounted for in either Upstream transportation and distribution or Downstream transportation and Distribution.
Business Travel also includes any accommodation (e.g. Hotel rooms) stayed in whilst travelling as well as parking or valet services used, however, according to the GHG Protocol, these are optional. Regardless, if you are able to track this data, best practice would be to include it in order to help provide a comprehensive overview of your emissions and open up decarbonisation possibilities.
Business Travel emissions are Scope 3 emissions.
What if my business travel is reimbursed or paid for by another company?
Sometimes, Business Travel is reimbursed or paid for by clients, portfolio companies or partners (etc.). Whilst, technically, these emissions fall under the scope of the paying company and therefore out of your organisation's operational boundary of reporting, we recommend that you (and the paying organisation) include them in your emissions data.
This is because these trips have an operational purpose and business benefits for your organisation, and therefore result in environmental impact as a result of your organisation's operations. By including these emissions, you can also begin to take necessary action towards decarbonising your business model.
Does this category include the travel of non-employees, such as contractors hired for specific activities?
Yes, business travel can include non-employees, such as contractors hired for specific activities, if the reporting company covers their travel expenses.