University-wide procedure for sustainable meetings and travel

PROCEDURE
Policymaker: Sustainability Manager
Valid from: 29 March 2019
Amended as of: 2 February 2023
Registration number: V-2023-0004-14
Responsible division: KTH Sustainability Office

1. Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that environmental and climate issues are taken into account in all business travel in accordance with the guidelines on meetings and travel and the instructions for KTH’s meetings and travel.

2. Scope/delimitation

The procedure covers all travel, both domestic and international, undertaken by employees and non-employees on behalf of KTH.

Fellow-workers’ commutes to and from work are not covered by this procedure, unless the journey is part of a business trip. However, employees are encouraged to travel to and from work in an eco-friendly manner that promotes health.

3. Definitions

OS

Operational Support

HR

Human Resources - Personnel Division

4. Responsibilities

• The Travel Manager bears general responsibility for contracts with KTH’s travel agency and travel suppliers and statistics from the same.

• The University Director for OS/head of school is responsible for travellers’ business trips: this responsibility may be delegated.

• The Sustainability Manager is responsible for central monitoring of sustainability and climate goals, statistics and reporting in respect of business travel. The Head of Sustainability is responsible for ensuring that the business travel process is mapped, and that it is monitored, measured and followed up on the basis of indicators and key performance indicators. All travel is approved by the line manager on the basis of joint planning with the fellow-worker, taking into account needs and environmental impact. Your line manager is responsible for deciding whether your travelling time can be used as working time, thereby promoting more sustainable travel choices.

• All employees at KTH are responsible for following the guidelines and procedures defined for business travel.

5. Implementation

Everyone who travels is responsible for ensuring that meetings and trips are planned and conducted in a manner that minimises environmental and climate impact. Environmental aspects must be taken into account in all decisions, such as the choice of mode of transport and accommodation. This is done as follows:

• The need to travel must always be evaluated, and travel must be replaced by travel-free alternatives such as web, video or telephone conferences as far as possible.
• Trains must be selected by preference for journeys with good rail connections. Contact Egencia Personal Service for assistance with booking international rail travel.
• Trains must always be selected for journeys of less than 500 kilometres, e.g. Stockholm–Gothenburg.
• Air travel of less than 500 kilometres requires special reasons to be approved by the responsible manager (special reasons may include time on routes with poor or no train connections, e.g. Stockholm–Helsinki).
• If possible, avoid booking flights that include stopovers.
• Travel must normally be booked in economy class in order to reduce climate impact.
• Local travel must primarily take place by public transport.
• Taxis and hire cars must be used sparingly, and green cars must be selected when booking.
• Carpooling must be used whenever possible.
• When planning meetings and conferences, meeting times must take into account participants travelling by train or public transport.

All travel bookings must be made via a contracted travel agency: if the trip cannot be booked through the travel agency, it must be booked through another contracted supplier. Taxi and car hire via car hire company, a designated taxi company must be used.

6. Documentation

Guidelines for KTH meetings and travel.
Instructions for KTH meetings and travel

Business travel is monitored and reported against KTH’s sustainability goals and climate goals every year and then reported to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, in the annual report to the government and KTH’s University Board. Monitoring of business travel must be reported to the KTH Sustainability Office no later than 31 January each year.

The Travel Manager is responsible for reporting:

• Number of trips and, if possible, CO2 emissions from business travel

HR is responsible for reporting:

• Business travel by private car

OS and each school are responsible for reporting:

• Machinery and other vehicles

The Sustainability Manager is responsible for compiling the information [1]

[1] Reporting requirements under the Regulation on environmental management in government agencies, SFS 2009:907. To be reported to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

7. Appendices

To make things easier for fellow-workers, the KTH Sustainability Office has devised a checklist for how fellow-workers should think and act to bring about more sustainable meetings that strive at the same time to attain KTH’s sustainability goals. The checklist is formed in chronological order so that all activities are executed in the right order and at the right time in accordance with KTH’s guideline for sustainable meetings and travel.

Appendix 1. Checklist for meetings and travel (pdf 76 kB)

8. Change log