Other transportation - mileage capture for CO2 reporting

[AlisonHG]

Hi 

Our company would like to report CO2 emissions for all types of travel outside of personal mileage but none of this is captured in train, bus, taxi expenses.

an option was adding a custom field “from location, to location and mileage” all manually added - however this then shows on every expense type even if not relevant (and duplicates on personal mileage) and also is free text so can be inaccurate as employees typically don’t know distances exactly.

how can we do this? What have other companies done to ensure they can report on sustainability and CO2?

Thanks in advance

[rohanpatil · Accepted solution]

Hello @AlisonHG 

I am not sure how big your company is or how enthusiastic the employees are about detailed reporting. However, asking them to input 'from and to' distances and mileage for train, taxi, and other public transport may not be realistic. Technically speaking, you should be able to introduce additional expense entry forms (professional edition) to the system to have the desired fields only for the target expense types.

Here is a general approach to calculating CO2 emissions with only expense data on trains, taxis, and public transport use by employees:

1. Collect Expense Data

• Gather detailed expense data that includes the type of transport (train, taxi, public transport), the cost, and ideally, any information on distances traveled or fuel types used.

2. Estimate Distance Traveled

• Train: Use ticket prices and typical fare structures to estimate the distance traveled.
• Taxi: Use fare data and average cost per kilometer/mile in the region to estimate the distance.
• Public Transport: Similar to trains, use fare structures to estimate distances if not directly provided.

3. Obtain Emission Factors

• Obtain standardized emission factors for each mode of transport. These factors are usually provided by environmental agencies or organizations such as the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Emission factors are typically expressed in kg CO2 per kilometer or mile traveled.

4. Calculate Emissions

• Use the formula: CO2 Emissions = Distance Traveled x Emission Factor

• Train Example:

  • If an employee's train travel expense is $50, and the average cost per km is $0.10, the estimated distance is (50 / 0.10 = 500) km.
  • If the emission factor for trains is 0.041 kg CO2 per km, the CO2 emissions would be (500 \times 0.041 = 20.5) kg CO2.

• Taxi Example:

  • If an employee’s taxi expense is $30, and the average cost per km is $1.50, the estimated distance is (30 / 1.50 = 20) km.
  • If the emission factor for taxis is 0.185 kg CO2 per km, the CO2 emissions would be (20 \times 0.185 = 3.7) kg CO2.

• Public Transport Example:

  • If an employee’s public transport expense is $15, and the average cost per km is $0.05, the estimated distance is (15 / 0.05 = 300) km.
  • If the emission factor for public transport is 0.05 kg CO2 per km, the CO2 emissions would be (300 \times 0.05 = 15) kg CO2.

5. Summarize Emissions

• Sum up the emissions across all trips and employees to get the total CO2 emissions for the reporting period.

Assumptions and Considerations

• Accuracy of Distance Estimates: The precision of your CO2 calculations depends on the accuracy of the distance estimates derived from expense data.
• Regional Variations: Emission factors can vary by region due to differences in vehicle efficiency, fuel types, and energy sources.
• Data Availability: The more detailed the expense data (e.g., specifying mileage or trip details), the more accurate the emissions calculation.

Tools and Software

• There are specialized carbon accounting tools and software that can automate much of this process by integrating with expense management systems and using built-in emission factor databases.

By following these steps and utilizing standardized emission factors, companies can estimate their CO2 emissions from employee travel even when only expense data is available.

Hope this helps

[AlisonHG]

Thank you - we are a medium sized company.

we have gone down the route of custom fields - it isn’t ideal but unfortunately the reports aren’t the level of reporting currently done which need to look at as much of accurate  start and from location.