In July, consulting firm Bain & Co. announced plans to reduce its Scope 3 emissions from business travel by 35% for each employee over the next five years. Scope 3 emissions are emissions that come indirectly from the company, including its supply chain.

Every year, Bain gathers emissions data related to travel activities, including every flight, hotel stay and train trip, said Sam Israelit, chief sustainability officer at Bain. The company works with a third party to convert that data into its carbon footprint. In reviewing data from 2019 and 2020, the company realized it had “an amazing opportunity” from the pandemic to curtail emissions through travel, as half of its emissions came from internal travel.

“We all know it’s the right thing to do, but don’t leap into making a commitment without understanding where you are today and what are the levels you need to get to tomorrow,” Israelit said. He also highlighted other initiatives companies are taking to make business travel more sustainable, such as implementing carbon taxes and investing in sustainable aviation fuel.