What Are Clients Asking For?

Every day starts with new questions from our clients. Increasingly, they want to understand not just how much CO2 their business travel generates, but what they can do about it. For example:

• Should we encourage more rail over air, and what’s the trade-off in terms of travel time & costs versus emissions?
• What’s the true impact of using corporate jets?
• Where should we host our next global event to minimise travel emissions?

It's not just about the numbers anymore—clients want actionable insights and scenario modelling to guide real decisions. They're looking for solutions, not just reports.

Navigating Methodology: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Flexibility is key. Most clients default to DEFRA for emissions calculations, but even that isn't as straightforward as it sounds. There are choices to make: include or exclude radiative forcing, how to treat different travel classes, whether to count "well to tank" fuel emissions, and how to define short versus long haul. DEFRA is widely used, making it great for benchmarking, but it's not always the most sophisticated tool for every unique situation.

Some clients bring their own blend of government, third-party, and in-house methodologies. The most important thing is that whatever approach is used, it’s well-documented, applied consistently, and fully auditable. That consistency is non-negotiable.

And the differences can be dramatic. We recently modelled the impact for a client comparing EPA and DEFRA methodologies and found that total emissions could vary by as much as threefold. That’s a huge swing—one that can affect everything from sustainability targets to critical audit outcomes. It truly underscores why getting the methodology right and being clear about it is so vital.

Trends on the Horizon

We’re seeing a clear shift: clients are moving from cost-based to distance-based reporting. For air travel, that’s relatively easy. For ground transport—think taxis—it takes a lot more digging to get accurate numbers. It's a journey, not a sprint, but the direction is clear.

There’s also a move toward scenario-driven analysis. Clients want to see the impact of specific policies, like mandating rail for trips under a certain distance, or limiting the use of business class. And it’s not just about their own reporting anymore: our clients' customers are demanding more granular data to help with their own supply chain emissions disclosures. This means we’re now breaking down emissions at the project, location, or even facility level. Talk about getting into the weeds!

The Data Challenge

Here’s the reality: accurate CO2 reporting lives and dies on data quality. Travel data is messy—refunds, exchanges, cancellations, and the tangle between expense data and travel booking data can all lead to errors. We’ve seen clients accidentally double-count emissions because they didn’t understand the difference between what was paid on a BTA card and what was later expensed. It happens more often than you'd think!

How We Solve It

That’s where our expertise comes in. We’ve developed a suite of workflows and algorithms to clean, combine, and calculate CO2 from disparate data sources. Our approach isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about understanding trends and ensuring that assumptions are applied consistently, so the insights are reliable, even when the data isn’t perfect. We make sense of the chaos.

We also help clients model the impact of switching methodologies, so they can see what would happen if they moved from DEFRA to EPA, or vice versa. This transparency is vital for auditability and stakeholder trust. No surprises, just clear understanding.

What If We Weren’t Here?

Without our help, clients would face a mountain of work—debating methodologies, wrangling messy data, and struggling to draw meaningful insights, especially from historic records. The risk of failed audits or undue scrutiny on travel emissions numbers would be much higher. Imagine the headaches!

We make CO2 reporting easy: we do the heavy lifting on data, advise on best practices, and ensure consistency and audit-readiness. In a world where audit requirements are tightening and supply chain partners are asking tougher questions, that peace of mind is invaluable.

In short: Our days are spent making sense of complexity, turning messy data into actionable insights, and helping clients not just measure—but manage—their travel emissions. And as expectations rise, from both regulators and the market, that work has never been more important.

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