Every day, millions of journeys are made around the world, whether commuting to work, travelling for business, or simply moving from one place to another. While these journeys are an essential part of our personal and professional lives, they also have an impact on the environment. 

This is why sustainable mobility is becoming increasingly relevant not only from an environmental perspective, but also from a regulatory one. Several European countries have introduced measures to encourage or require organisations to assess and improve the sustainability of employee commuting and business travel. For example, Italy requires certain employers to develop home-to-work travel plans and appoint Mobility Managers, while countries such as Belgium have introduced mobility schemes that encourage more sustainable commuting choices. In Spain, companies with more than 200 employees per workplace (or more than 100 employees per shift) are required to develop a Workplace Sustainable Mobility Plan, with implementation deadlines set for December 2026. 

Every journey matters:

why every organisation needs a sustainable mobility plan

A sustainable mobility plan  is a strategic framework designed to minimise the environmental impact associated with the movement of people and business activities. It brings together initiatives that encourage more sustainable transport choices, improve travel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At its core, sustainable mobility is about making it easier for people to travel in ways that minimise greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining convenience and accessibility. This can include promoting public transportation, cycling, walking, carpooling, electric vehicles, and flexible working arrangements. For organisations, implementing a sustainable mobility plan is an important step toward reducing carbon emissions from business travel and employee commuting, and also helps supporting employee wellbeing, and fostering a culture of environmental responsibility.

Transportation is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse emissions worldwide, accounting for around 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. Daily commuting and business travel have a significant environmental footprint, making mobility an important area for organizations seeking to reduce their overall impact.

By encouraging more sustainable travel choices, companies can generate benefits for both employees and the environment:

• Reduced CO₂ emissions from commuting and business travel.

• Improved local air quality.

• Lower consumption of fossil fuels.

• Healthier lifestyles through active mobility options such as walking and cycling.

• Reduced commuting stress.

• Potential savings on transportation costs.

• Increased flexibility and work-life balance.

A sustainable mobility plan should be tailored to an organisation's operations, workforce and travel patterns. However, some common measures include:

• Encouraging flexible and hybrid working arrangements.

• Promoting public transport, cycling and car sharing.

• Reducing unnecessary business travel.

• Prioritising sustainable accommodation and transport options.

• Raising awareness and engaging employees in responsible mobility practices.

• Monitoring mobility-related emissions and setting improvement targets.

At HBX Group, sustainable mobility is already part of our journey towards a more sustainable workplace. Through a range of initiatives and programmes, we are helping to reduce the environmental impact of commuting and business travel while encouraging more sustainable mobility choices.

To support sustainable employee mobility, we help reduce commuting-related emissions and provide greater flexibility, with initiatives such as: 

• Flexible and Hybrid working: our flexible working model helps reduce commuting-related emissions, allowing employees to decrease the number of journeys made to and from the office. 

• Work from Anywhere: this measure allows employees to work from any part of the world for a month every year. 

• Raising awareness: Through our Sustainability Hub and our internal social network Workvivo, we continue to share information, best practices and sustainability initiatives that empower people to make more environmentally conscious mobility choices.

Responsible business travel also plays an important role in our sustainable mobility plan, and we empower it through: 

• Sustainable accommodation choices through Perk: when booking business travel, employees can choose from a selection of preferred hotels located close to our headquarters. By prioritizing accommodation near our offices, we help reduce travel-related emissions.

Small changes in our daily travel habits can collectively make a huge difference. This is why organizations can play an important role in accelerating the transition towards more sustainable mobility by encouraging lower-carbon travel options, reducing unnecessary journeys and integrating sustainability considerations into travel-related decisions.

Sustainable mobility is not just how we travel: it is about creating a culture where the journey matters more than the destination. By making conscious travel and embedding sustainability into our mobility practices, we continue contributing to healthier communities and a lower environmental footprint.

Every mobility decision presents an opportunity to make a positive impact. Whether commuting, travelling for business, or making everyday mobility decisions, choosing more sustainable ways to move helps create lasting benefits for people, communities, and the planet.  

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