University recognised for climate conscious approach as business travel emissions fall
The University's carbon emissions from business travel in 2022-23 fell by 35% since their peak in the academic year 2018/19, as new analysis from Transform Scotland recognises the University as a "top performer" for its sustainable travel targets and policies.
Business travel includes any travel carried out on behalf of the University, excluding commutes. Each journey comes with a carbon cost and contributes to the University’s carbon footprint, with flights accounting for most of the University’s business travel emissions.
An independent analysis from Transform Scotland assesses how well Scottish public bodies are doing on business travel emissions, evaluating targets and policies to reduce travel emissions. The University has been recognised as a “top performer”.
Transform Scotland report: Fight or Flight[external]
Emissions from business travel fall across the board
The number of flights undertaken on behalf of the University was generally increasing year on year up until travel restrictions were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Following the lifting of travel restrictions in 2022 and the implementation of the Sustainable Travel Policy, our data indicates a reduction in travel emissions compared to peak levels.
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The total tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) emissions from travel has fallen by 35% from 18,600 tCO2e (2018/9) to 12,159 tCO2e in 2022/23.
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The total number of journeys has fallen to 63,999 in 2022/23, compared to 117,223 in 2018/19.
Carbon emissions from business travel from years 2012-13 to 2022-23
There will be multiple reasons for the reduction in post-pandemic business travel. These may include changing work habits and more people adopting a climate conscious approach to travel, but we can’t directly attribute the changes to either of these factors.
Why have we adopted a climate conscious approach to travel?
What is climate conscious travel?
Climate conscious travel means avoiding unnecessary travel and, where travel is required, choosing transport that reduces negative environmental impacts.
As a globally influential University striving for the highest standards in research and teaching, travel will always be a necessary part of our operations, including international flights.
With the aviation sector unlikely to decarbonise before 2040, some of our emissions from flying will remain unavoidable for the foreseeable future. We are taking steps to reduce our travel emissions as much as possible, and plan to sequester the remaining emissions from unavoidable aviation by restoring forests and peatlands in Scotland.
Climate change and flying (external)
A climate conscious approach to business travel, delivered through the Sustainable Travel Policy, is a key part of the solution.
The key principles of the Sustainable Travel Policy are to:
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promote low carbon travel options, encouraging staff to avoid short-haul flights, avoid carbon-heavy business and first-class flying, and encourage walking, cycling and public transport where possible;
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standardise the booking process to ensure the safety of staff when travelling; and
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sequester unavoidable carbon emissions from flights by restoring forests and peatlands in Scotland.
Read more about the policy principles
It is encouraging to see the fall in carbon emissions across all of our forms of travel since 2018. We are grateful to all colleagues who have already embedded the climate conscious travel approach into their planning.
We still have plenty of work to do to reach our targets, and we look forward to analysing the data again next year to gauge the longer-term impacts of the policy and our approach.
Climate conscious travel in practice
The Undergraduate (UK) Recruitment team in Student Recruitment and Admissions represent the University at various student recruitment events across the UK, from Exeter to Shetland.
Over the last two years the team shifted to a climate conscious approach to travel, carefully considering where to invest time and resource for recruitment activity. Where before the team would have made individual trips to attend school events almost anywhere in the UK, their focus outside Scotland has changed so that high-impact, large-scale events are now prioritised.
Claire Forsman, Head of Undergraduate Recruitment (UK), said:
“We were anxious how this would be perceived by our stakeholders in schools but generally our reasoning for taking this approach has been well accepted and understood. During the pandemic we learned that virtual alternatives were successful for delivering presentations, but these alternatives were a less suitable replacement for large-scale recruitment events.
"We therefore adjusted our approach to focus travel on these flagship events in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland where we can meet thousands of students from hundreds of schools in one journey.”
Travelling by train rather than by plane has increased the average duration of the team’s journeys. However, the team noted that this time enabled them to catch up on other work and emails during the journey far more easily than if they were flying.
The team have also observed that prospective applicants are interested in the University’s climate conscious approach to travel, and that this is clearly important to future students.
Claire commented: “It is not always the easy option – especially when faced with a long train journey home – but it is something that as a team we wish to embrace as much as possible.”
Besides reducing environmental impacts, a climate conscious approach to travel can bring about other benefits for staff.
“The Sustainable Travel Policy has helped us to think about climate conscious partnership development and have a better understanding of the trade-offs generated by international travel. Now we fly less and seek a far higher return on investment before choosing to fly.
Our role is to build global partnerships for the university. These partnerships are built on relationships. While it might be tempting to seek a quick fix by jumping on plane, regular online connections give us space to get to know our partners. The time and money we save from flying less gives us resources we can invest in partnership – and at a personal level, have a better work-life balance”.
Students are increasingly conscious of the emissions associated with their studies. Julia Lisa is recently graduated with an MSc in Environmental Sustainability, and shares her reflections on how travel emissions were factored into the design of her learning experiences:
“Our course lead organised a research trip to the Isle of Eigg in the Inner Hebrides, via bus and boat. I found the idea of staying locally to learn both about my subject and about local contexts to be incredibly valuable. I can see how some subjects may need to be in certain places that may not be reachable without flying, but I think there should first be a search for alternative locations that are accessible with less emissions.”
A climate conscious approach to travel can reduce time spent on unnecessary journeys and improve wellbeing. A good way to get started is to consider the following questions before you plan travel:
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What are the benefits to the individual seeking to travel?
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What are the positive outcomes for the University resulting from this journey?
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Does more than one person need to travel?
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What lower carbon travel options are available?
Take action by adopting a climate conscious approach to travel
How has your team adopted a climate conscious approach to travel? Let us know!
Contact srs.department@ed.ac.uk
The Sustainable Travel Policy is delivered by the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability and the Procurement Office.