Business Travel (Scope 3 Category 6)
Category 6 of Scope 3 covers emissions from the transportation of employees for business-related activities in vehicles not owned or operated by the reporting company, including flights, rail, taxis, and hotel stays.
What is Business Travel (Scope 3 Category 6)?
Business travel is one of the most visible and frequently reported Scope 3 categories. It includes flights (domestic and international), rail journeys, taxi and ride-hailing, car hire, and hotel accommodation. Some organisations also include meals during travel, though this is less common.
Calculation methods vary by data availability. The most accurate approach uses distance-based data (flight segments with class of travel, rail kilometres, taxi distances) combined with DEFRA or BEIS emission factors. Where detailed data is unavailable, spend-based methods apply monetary emission factors to travel expenditure.
Post-pandemic, many organisations have set business travel reduction targets as part of their decarbonisation strategies, recognising it as one of the most readily controllable Scope 3 categories. Policy measures include virtual-first meeting policies, class-of-travel restrictions, rail-over-air rules for domestic routes, and travel budgeting by carbon rather than cost.
Practical Examples
A consulting firm extracts flight segments from its travel management company, applies DEFRA aviation factors by haul and class, and finds that long-haul business class flights account for 65% of its total travel emissions.
A technology company implements a sustainable travel policy requiring rail for UK journeys under 4 hours, reducing domestic flight emissions by 85%.
A financial services firm includes hotel night emissions using DEFRA’s accommodation factors, adding 15% to its previously reported travel footprint.
How Climatise Helps
Climatise integrates with travel management companies and expense systems to automatically calculate business travel emissions by mode, distance, and class of travel. The platform applies DEFRA factors and produces reports showing trends and the impact of travel policies.
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