Three Steps to Build Sustainability into Your T&E Processes
As businesses return to travel and settle into flexible working, conversations around climate change and becoming a sustainable business have taken centre stage. What can businesses do to better measure, report and act on their carbon emissions and meet their sustainability goals?
With many countries pledging to hit net zero by 2050, businesses need to stay ahead of the sustainability curve and keep on top of any regulations, so they’re not left playing catch up. For 82% of UK businesses we recently surveyed, sustainability is an integral part of their travel policy, and 70% believe sustainable directives should come from the top.
“Businesses today see the need to integrate sustainability into every facet of their operations – especially their travel and expense programmes” says Maggie Nelson, SAP Concur Director of Sustainability. “From governmental pressure to customer demands to employee encouragement, leaders must build programmes now to stay on top of this important trend.”
So, the question is, in a world that’s continuously changing, how can leaders be sure they can meet sustainability pledges and reduce carbon emissions? The most challenging aspect of becoming more environmentally friendly is knowing where to start. To delve deeper, we held a webinar, “How to Build Sustainability into Your Travel and Expense Processes”, where I had the opportunity to speak with Mark Corbett, Founder of Thrust Carbon, a carbon tracking technology that we partner with.
We discussed some initial steps organisations need to take to become more ecological, set sustainable development goals and stay on track to reach net zero. Let’s take a look in a little more detail.
Step One: Gain Visibility
Mark made a great point in the webinar for businesses looking to tackle climate change when he said, “Becoming net zero is owning your own emissions. It’s being able to measure first and then avoid any wastage, reduce your impact and then look at removing the rest of it.”
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. I know we hear it all the time, but it still rings true, especially when it comes to understanding your carbon emissions and reaching sustainable development goals. At the moment, not everyone has the full picture of the consequences of their actions, so being able to see the impact you make through efficient measurement will help guide you to make improvements.
Step Two: Understand the Problem
You need to understand the landscape you’re in so you can really drive the “why” through your business. “Find where you can make an impact, whether that be in expenses, travel, supply chain or even your buildings. Work together to find ways to make a difference,” suggests Mark.
The key driving factor behind tracking and reducing your carbon emissions is strong leadership. Visionary leaders will know that everyone’s actions make a difference, and they will build a team around them with a common aim of reaching sustainable development goals together.
It’s not just one department’s responsibility either. Everyone in the business – from the employee booking a customer meeting, to HR, Finance, IT and Procurement – are all responsible for embodying the company’s sustainability goals.
Step Three: Implement Directional Tools to Reduce Your Impact
In 2020, incentives were the top way to sell sustainability within a business but now in 2022, I see it being more about using the right technology to drive the adoption of sustainability initiatives. The tone around climate change has shifted from being catastrophic to showing some signs of hope because there are things we can do and solutions that can help us get to where we need to be.
With SAP Concur solutions, Thrust Carbon will take your travel data and convert it in the best way possible so it can show your organisation’s emissions and how they’re being created. Once you’ve got that rich data, you can then get recommendations to reduce emissions.
“Visibility into your carbon footprint is imperative. You can’t show progress unless you have a clear understanding of the data. Only by arming yourself with good information will you have the power to manage your carbon emissions” says Maggie.
Frequently Asked Questions We Hear on Sustainability
Hybrid working is here to stay. How is that impacting businesses trying to deal with sustainability?
Businesses that don’t have sustainability and remote working on their agenda risk frustrating employees and potential new hires. If businesses aren’t making becoming net zero a top priority, it may put potential staff and prospects off working for your organisation.
On top of this, hybrid working could shift a lot of obligation. For instance, commuting to the office is now considered a business trip for those that have switched to home contracts. This could be claimed back on T&E and be reflected on the business’s travel reporting – something businesses on sustainability journeys would like to avoid.
How are organisations measuring their efforts/programmes?
There’s been a lot of big chunky Excel documents, consultants and variable methodologies, which work for some areas, but in others, we just don’t have the data or consistency of reporting. Using technology like Thrust Carbon makes it easier to take that data and present it in a way that’s simple for customers to understand and act on their emissions.
How can I find out more about how the Thrust Carbon app works?
You can fill out a request to get a demo or speak to your Client Engagement Executive to find out more information and set up a call. Once it’s activated, any travel booking or expense logged will go straight into the Thrust Carbon sustainability calculator so you can see emissions immediately. You can read more in our blog here.
While there’s a lot of pressure on businesses to make an impact, it’s not always about trying to make dramatic changes. Start with these practical steps and start today.
Listen to our discussion in full and learn how SAP Concur solutions can help your business to start reaching those sustainability goals sooner rather than later.