We all leave a carbon footprint, an invisible trace of destructive emissions created by doing everyday activities. The amount of emissions you create depends on the amount of energy and resources you use.

Business travel the biggest culprit

Business travel produces the highest amount of carbon emissions and as such has a significant impact on the environment. Implementing an automated expenses system provides the means to identify and introduce best practices that minimise the impact on the environment, allowing you to fulfil your commitment to reduce carbon output.

The first step to understand is where your employees travel to and what mode of transport is used, which will help to calculate the carbon emissions being produced. expenses2010 stores all expenses claims and allows you to analyse the information through the reporting suite.

If you are looking to introduce a management programme, you can use the industry average CO2 emission factors to provide an effective method for monitoring and understanding the emissions produced as a result of business travel.

Carbon management

In order to provide in-depth measurements from employee travel, expenses2010 has the ability to capture information by categorising flights into domestic, short-haul and long-haul journeys. For mileage, vehicles can be grouped by type and engine size which is already stored against the employee record.

By understanding this data you can look at ways to reduce or minimise the impact of these journeys through consolidating business meetings or utilising online resources to conduct meetings. Other ways to reduce carbon emissions is to introduce new policies that support environmentally-friendly options available, such as limiting the airlines employees can use to those that offset their passenger’s carbon footprint or use methods of transport which are less detrimental to the environmental impact.

New Government legislation

The Climate Change Act became law on the 26th November 2008 and part of this included a clause stating:

“A requirement for the Government to issue guidance by 1 October 2009 on the way companies should report their greenhouse gas emissions, and to review the contribution reporting could make to emissions reductions by 1 December 2010. Requirement also that the Government must, by 6 April 2012, use powers under the Companies Act to mandate reporting, or explain to Parliament why it has not done so.” Source

This Bill has set targets to reduce carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 and a mammoth 80% by 2050. This could mean stricter restrictions on transport available for business travel as well as the import and export of goods.

The government has already introduced tax incentives in this year's Budget that will benefit organisations who have invested in cleaner more fuel-efficient cars; and there are rumours of further plans to introduce new procedures that will benefit the environment and reward businesses for partaking in these activities designed to reduce carbon emissions.

Ways you can start reducing emissions now

The environment is something we should all be safeguarding and if we all take a few simple steps this can make a huge difference.

1. Online communications With today’s technologies you can communicate just as effectively using online software and telecommunications and whilst the personal touch is preferable, many businesses now appreciate the efforts made by others to reduce the carbon footprint.
   
   
2. Car sharing Ensure employees travelling to the same location travel together.
   
   
3. Environmentally friendly cars Tax incentives introduced in this year’s Budget will benefit firms that purchase cleaner, more fuel-efficient models.
   
   
4. Consolidating business meetings Possibly the biggest savings can be made on ensuring your employees travel in a sensible fashion, group meetings in the same areas rather than randomly travelling around the country.
   
   
5. Flights and travel Many airlines now actively participate in programs designed to offset their passenger’s carbon emissions. By researching the airline you’re using you can find out what their environmental policy is and decide, based on this criteria, which airline you are going to use.

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expenses2010 cuts through the paper process of your employees reclaiming expenses.
Contact us today to discuss how expenses2010 can help your business improve value

CALL: 01522 881300
EMAIL: expenses@software-europe.co.uk