Travel Sustainability
When you are focused on delivering life-changing programmes, managing your organisation's carbon footprint should not add to your challenges. As a trusted travel partner to over 2,000 humanitarian, academic, and faith-based organisations worldwide, we understand the unique sustainability challenges you face.
With Scope 3 emissions reporting becoming mandatory in many areas, we are hearing a common question from our partners: "What does this mean for us?"
Drawing on our decades of experience supporting organisations like yours, we are here to guide you through what matters most.
Understanding Scope 3 Emissions
The concept of categorising emissions into different scopes originated with the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, established in 1998 through a partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The GHG Protocol exists to create standardised frameworks for measuring and managing emissions.
The three scopes were developed over time to help organisations comprehensively track both their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions.
The Three Scopes Explained
- Scope 1: Direct Emissions: Emissions directly owned or controlled by your organisation.
- Examples include fuel combustion in company vehicles, on-site energy generation. These are the most straightforward to measure and manage
- Scope 2: Indirect Energy Emissions: Emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, and cooling.
- These represent your organisation's energy consumption footprint and can be reduced through renewable energy purchases and energy efficiency measures
- Scope 3: Value Chain Emissions: All other indirect emissions in your organisation's value chain, for example, employee commuting, business travel, waste disposal, purchased goods and services.
- According to CDP and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, for many service-based organisations, including universities, charities, and non-profit organisations, business travel, particularly air travel, ranks among the largest contributors to their overall carbon footprint, often making up a significant portion of Scope 3 emissions.
Though Scope 3 is not limited to travel, if carrying out your mission requires regular journeys abroad, Scope 3 emissions will form a significant part of your organisation's carbon footprint. Understanding these emissions is the first step toward meaningful change.
The 2025 Mandates: What You Need to Know
With mandatory Scope 3 emissions reporting becoming a reality for many large organisations in 2025, we believe in empowering our customers with the knowledge to make informed decisions about voluntary reporting and supporting them by providing the necessary data and tools to do so.
Why Non-Profits and NGOs Should Consider Voluntary Reporting
Although your organisation may not be legally required to report Scope 3 emissions at this time, there are compelling reasons to embrace voluntary carbon reporting:
- Enhanced Trust: Demonstrate transparency to donors and stakeholders. Build stronger relationships through clear, verifiable reporting that shows your commitment to responsible resource management.
- Strategic Advantage: Stand out in grant applications with documented environmental commitments. Support your funding proposals with concrete data that demonstrates both awareness and action in addressing climate impact.
- Mission Alignment: Strengthen your organisation's commitment to environmental stewardship. Show how your travel choices reflect the same care for global wellbeing that drives your core mission work.
- Future Preparedness: Stay ahead of potential future requirements. Position your organisation proactively rather than reactively, ensuring you are ready for evolving sustainability expectations and regulations.
- Impact Measurement: Better understand and reduce your environmental footprint. Transform raw data into actionable insights that help you make informed decisions about your travel programme's environmental impact.
How Key Travel Supports Your Carbon Scope 3 Reporting and Travel Sustainability Goals
Whether coordinating emergency aid deployments, managing research expeditions, or organising faith-based outreach, we understand that our customers focus needs to be on their mission, not on complex emissions calculations. That is why we have developed solutions that do the heavy lifting.
Industry-Leading Carbon Reporting Features
No more manual calculations or data-hunting, instead access real-time data on your Scope 3 travel emissions via our 24/7/365 reporting tool, KT Insights. The KT Insights reporting suite is available free for all Key Travel customers as an inclusive benefit of our service and will lead to collaborative progress in the reduction of emissions within travel. The tool tracks emissions while highlighting areas that cause significant emission production in dashboard formats with raw data as well as providing suggestions on how to reduce travel related CO2.
For example, large quantities of domestic flights will result in the suggestion of a shift to rail where possible. KT Insights will then display the projected decrease of emissions achieved.
Clear, Actionable Insights
In today's complex travel sustainability landscape, data alone is not enough, you need insights that drive action and demonstrate impact. In addition to Carbon Reporting, we have a multi-pronged programme to assist customers in decarbonising their travel. This consists of:
- Use of a proprietary audit methodology Treadlighter™ co-developed with the World Wildlife Fund to benchmark travel decarbonisation activities vs. peers and global best practice, identifying areas for improvement.
- Sustainable travel policy templates adaptable by the customer.
- Detailed carbon reporting and target setting.
- Carbon budgeting and the use of carbon levies and limits.
- The “Green Decision Tree” tools to make informed choices at the point of sale.
- Carbon offsetting through world-leading carbon reduction NGO, Cool Effect.
- Innovative products and services such as Carbon Neutral Hotel Rooms where the cost of offsetting the emissions has no incremental cost to you, the customer.
- Carbon Action Plan (CAP) template for clients at all levels, with a simple set of ‘Options’ that we can immediately implement to drive travel related CO2 reduction and align customers more effectively with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal on Climate Action with regards to their travel activities.
As an innovator in climate and carbon reduction, we have led the way with key initiatives such as:
- First to market with UK Government approved (DEFRA) Scope 3 travel reporting.
- Since 2014, we have had the domestic air/rail toggle on our OBT.
- We have provided carbon data visualisation tools with 1-click analytics targeting travel decarbonisation.
- Created our proprietary carbon audit Treadlighter™ with WWF UK.
Expert Guidance and Sector Specific Support
Our clients benefit from benchmarking data that shows how they compare to similar organisations and best practices. We are able to share best practices learned from working with 2,000+ mission-driven organisations. This is all part of our proactive Account Management support to help you focus resources on behaviours and travel choices that reduce your carbon footprint without undermining your mission and improve overall travel sustainability.
Conclusion: Your Mission, Our Commitment
In a world where environmental responsibility is increasingly important, your organisation's commitment to sustainability matters more than ever. While Scope 3 carbon reporting is not yet mandatory for non-profits, the benefits of voluntary tracking and reporting extend far beyond compliance , they demonstrate leadership, enhance transparency, and support your organisation's important mission.
Key Travel is deeply committed to those seeking positive change when it comes to the health of our shared planet. Beyond reporting, we also offer templates to help shape your policies, carbon-offsetting options through our partnership with Cool Effect, an online booking tool with capabilities to sort by greenest travel option, and more!
We believe that by combining our expertise in travel sustainability with practical tools and genuine commitment, we can help your organisation make meaningful progress toward its environmental goals while maximising the impact of your mission.
Taking the Next Step: Partner with Key Travel for Your Travel Sustainability Journey
Whether you are just beginning to explore emissions tracking or looking to enhance your existing travel sustainability initiatives, Key Travel is here to help you make a meaningful impact. Our team understands the unique challenges faced by mission-driven organisations, and we are ready to support your journey with solutions that make sense for your goals.