EN1.3.1
Business travel: travelling for work (by air)
Environment
- Measuring GHG Emissions
Business travel: travelling for work (by air)
Update- 3 June 2025: We have revised the environmental value EN1.3.1 Business travel: travelling for work (by air) to reflect the recent expansion of our environmental values. For more details on the purpose and scope of this expansion, please refer to our blog post: “Expanding MeasureUp’s environmental values“. Please note that the code of the value is updated to EN1.3.1 which was previously EN3.1.
“Travelling for work by air” refers to flights taken for business purposes, rather than personal travel. This includes domestic and international flights taken by employees to attend meetings, conferences, client visits, training sessions, or other work-related activities. These flights contribute to a company’s Scope 3 emissions (under business travel) since they involve external airline services not owned or controlled by the company.
This value links to the Master Value EN1 GHG Emissions value.
Key Value
£252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e
The monetised value of air travel emissions per average passenger per km is as follows:
- Domestic flights (to/from UK): 8p
- Short-haul flights (to/from UK): 7p
- Long-haul flights (to/from UK): 7p
- International flights (to/from non-UK destinations): 4p
This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted.
Air conversion factors should be used to report Scope 3 emissions for individuals flying for work purposes. For more information about principles for GHG accounting and reporting and three “scopes” of emissions, please visit MeasureUp EN1 GHG Emissions value.
According to the 2021 carbon values from DESNZ/BEIS, Carbon values in £2020 prices per tonne of CO2: central series for 2023 is £252 per tCO2e or 25.2p per kgCO2e. For more information, please visit MeasureUp GHG Emissions value.
UK government’s Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors – 2024 reports the kgCO2e per average passenger per km including indirect effects of non-CO2 emissions for different type of flights. Access the data.
| Type of flight | Unit | KgCO2e | Monetised Value |
| Domestic, to/from UK | passenger.km | 0.27257 | 6.8p |
| Short-haul, to/from UK | passenger.km | 0.18592 | 4.7p |
| Long-haul, to/from UK | passenger.km | 0.26128 | 6.7p |
| International, to/from non-UK | passenger.km | 0.17580 | 4.4p |
Please visit the government conversion factors for greenhouse gas reporting website for further guidance.
This value represents a cost or disbenefit through the creation of the GHGs emitted. The value should therefore not be presented as a positive value or added to an overall social value figure.
NOTE: Aviation emissions contribute to climate change through both direct effects (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) and indirect effects (non-CO₂ emissions such as water vapor, contrails, and NOₓ). To fully account for the climate impact of air travel, organizations should include both direct and indirect emissions in their reporting. For consistency and comparability, organisations should maintain a uniform approach across reporting periods. Avoiding fluctuations—such as including indirect effects in one year but only direct effects in another—helps ensure accurate interpretation of emission trends.
Local Needs Analysis Data Source
Before using this MeasureUp value, we encourage you to assess the local need in relation to the activity or outcome.
Here is the most useful initial data source for assessing local need in relation to this value.
To assess local needs related to the value EN1.1 ‘Business travel: travelling for work (by air)’, you can refer to the Terminal passengers at reporting airports dataset, which tracks air travel activity across the UK. This data, covering activity at UK airports, is published annually and available at the individual airport level. While it captures all passenger traffic, it can be used as a proxy to understand trends in business-related air travel, especially when combined with local economic and employment data. This indicator is useful for monitoring the environmental impact of business travel and assessing progress toward more sustainable work practices.
Bronze
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Bronze level, you should calculate the approximate km travelled by an average air passenger, by type of air travel, as each produces different levels of carbon emissions. Represent the cost or disbenefit of the emissions from air travel.
Step 1: Estimate the number of employees who travel by air for work over the course of a year and the type of air travel (e.g., domestic, short-haul, long-haul)
Step 2: Estimate the approximate flight distances using Air Miles Calculator in kilometres.
Step 3: Multiply the number of passengers and the distance by the corresponding factor to determine the total monetised value for emission.
Consider factoring in hotel accommodation into your carbon emission calculations for business travel. They should be included in any Scope 3 reporting. Refer to UK government’s greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors for hotel accommodation.
Do we add these Scope 3 hotel accommodation numbers here, or in Silver?
Here’s an example
A company aims to report its business travel emissions from air travel.
Step 1: Identify the number of employees traveling:
- 3 employees on domestic flights
- 5 employees on short-haul flights
Step 2: Determine approximate flight distances:
- Domestic flights: 260 km (e.g., London to Manchester)
- Short-haul flights: 329 km (e.g., London to Paris)
Step 3: Calculate the monetised value of emissions:
- Domestic flights: 3 × 260 km × 6.8p = 5304p = £53
- Short-haul flights: 5 × 329 km × 4.7p = 7731p = £77.30
Total Monetised value of air travel for this organisation is £130.3 over a year.
Silver
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Silver level, you should calculate your approximate mileage, by type and class of air travel, as each class produces different levels of carbon emissions.
As per the Bronze level, type of air travel includes:
- Domestic travel:
- Short haul (to/from UK):
- Long haul (to/from UK):
- International (non-UK):
Depending on the type of flight, class of air travel can include:
- Economy
- Premium Economy
- Business Class
- First Class
As per the Bronze level, include any overnight accommodation.
| Haul | Class | kg CO2e per passenger/pr km | Monetised value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic, to/from UK | Average passenger | 0.27258 | 6.9p |
| Short-haul, to/from UK | Average passenger | 0.18592 | 4.7p |
| Economy class | 0.18287 | 4.6p | |
| Business class | 0.2743 | 6.9p | |
| Long-haul, to/from UK | Average passenger | 0.26128 | 6.6p |
| Economy class | 0.20011 | 5.0p | |
| Premium economy class | 0.32016 | 8.1p | |
| Business class | 0.58029 | 14.6p | |
| First class | 0.8004 | 20.2p | |
| International, to/from non-UK | Average passenger | 0.1758 | 4.4p |
| Economy class | 0.13464 | 3.4p | |
| Premium economy class | 0.21542 | 5.4p | |
| Business class | 0.39044 | 9.8p | |
| First class | 0.53854 | 13.6p |
Here’s an example
A company aims to report its business travel emissions from air travel.
Step 1: Identify the number of employees traveling:
- 3 employees on domestic flights in economy class
- 5 employees on short-haul flights in economy class
- 1 employee on long-haul flights in business class
Step 2: Determine approximate flight distances:
- Domestic flights: 260 km (e.g., London to Manchester)
- Short-haul flights: 329 km (e.g., London to Paris)
- Long-haul flights: 6396 km (e.g., London to Chicago)
Step 3: Calculate the monetised value of emissions:
- Domestic Economy flights: 3 × 260 km × 6.8p = 5304p = £53
- Short-haul Economy flights: 5 × 329 km × 4.6p = 7567p = £75.67
- Long-haul Business flights: 1 × 6396 km × 14.6p = 93381p = £933.81
Total Monetised value of air travel for this organisation is £1062.52 over a year.
Gold
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
At the Gold level, you would be expected to
- Measure more accurately using more specific data for your in-scope activities.
- Track the emissions over time. Steps in tracking emissions (choosing a base year and recalculating base year emissions) are explained in detail in the GHG Protocol Chapter 5 – Tracking Emissions Over Time
At this level you should be measuring the actual mileage of each journey, by plane travel type and class.
Refer to UK government’s most recent Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-conversion-factors-for-company-reporting
Here’s an example
A company reports its business travel emissions from air travel in 2023.
- 5 employees Domestic Economy flights: 5 × 260 km × 6.8p = 5304p = £88.4
- 5 employees Short-haul Economy flights: 5 × 329 km × 4.7p = 7731p = £75.67
Total Monetised value of air travel for this organisation is £165.7 over a year.
A company reports its business travel emissions from air travel in 2024.
- 3 employees Domestic Economy flights: 3 × 260 km × 6.8p = 5304p = £53
- 5 employees Short-haul Economy flights: 5 × 329 km × 4.7p = 7731p = £77.30
Total Monetised value of air travel for this organisation is £130.3 over a year.
So, the monetised value of the reduction in greenhouse gas emission from 2023 to 2024 for travel by air is £165.7 – £130.3 = £35.4.
Gold+
Effort
Accuracy
Monetised value:
In the Gold+ level of GHG emission values, you can focus on better management and improvement of your reporting on the GHG emissions.
The following steps could be useful:
- Set clear targets and a target date
- Provide resources to take the actions necessary to meet your target
Environmental Reporting Guidelines: In the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Guidance (SECR) there are two types of targets outlined:
- An absolute reduction target which compares absolute figures in the target year to the base year
- An intensity target based in an appropriate other unit or normalising factor (e.g. kgCO2e per average passenger per km)
For more information please visit Environmental Reporting Guidelines: Including streamlined energy and carbon reporting guidance (SECR).
The actions under Gold+ for the environmental values in MeasureUp are also in line with the eighth Principle of Social Value ‘Be Responsive’ which represents the imperative for organisations to respond to impact measurement or ‘Social Value accounts’ with action to improve positive impact and decrease negative impact. Users of this Standard will create a structured ‘impact management approach’ that can guide decision making at strategic, tactical, and operational levels to optimise impacts on wellbeing.
| Value Type: | Activity |
What's this?
This is the type of value. Some values are outcomes, which means many different interventions might lead to them, others are specific interventions that have a set value. |
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| UN SDG Categories: |
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What's this?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals are global goals adopted in 2015 for all signed up nations to achieve for us to have a sustainable global future by 2030. There are 17 Goals that address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030. |
| 2020 Social Value Models: |
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What's this?
PPN 06/20 Taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts introduced the Central Government Social Value Model in 2020 which all Central Government contracting authorities must use in their in scope procurements. It consists of 5 themes, 8 policy outcomes, and 24 Model Award Criteria which outline key priority areas to achieve more social value. |
| 2025 Social Value Models: |
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Evidence
Measure Up focuses on empowering you to numerically measure the impact you’re having. We recommend that numeric reports are backed up with stories and other types of evidence to help illustrate, in human terms, the impact that’s being made on individuals.
We recommend seeking consent from participants in your intervention to collect and tell their story. This should include a little background on the participant, a summing up of life before the intervention, the human impact of the intervention, and the longer term (if known) impact on the person’s life outside of, and after, the intervention.
Providing photographs, audio recordings, video interviews or even artefacts from the intervention (for example, writing, paintings, music from creative interventions) can add more to the story, and convey the emotional impact of interventions more directly.
In some cases it’s appropriate to anonymise or abbreviate the personal information of case study participants. No story should be published or shared without the recorded consent of the individual(s) it concerns. Individuals continue to own the rights to their stories and if they request you stop sharing the story or making it available online you should do so promptly and without need for justification.
Feedback
Measure Up is open, collaborative and transparent. If you have any suggestions or feedback on our pragmatic, recommended approach to measuring and valuing social value, including wellbeing, economic, and fiscal impact, and effects on our environment, please get in touch so we can share and discuss this at our next Advisory Group meeting.
More help
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If you need any more help, or just someone to do the legwork for you we can help signpost you to software, training and consultancy to help you get to grips with the impact you’re having and value you are creating.
