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Scope 1 and 2 emissions are relatively straightforward to track, but Scope 3 is a different beast. It includes supply chain emissions, which are notoriously difficult to quantify, and areas like employee commuting and business travel, which many companies think they have under control.
The reality? Most businesses are relying on rough guesstimates rather than accurate data. Travel emissions, in particular, remain a black hole. Poorly tracked, loosely estimated, and often omitted entirely from reports. Despite the illusion of control, few organisations have the systems in place to capture the real picture. Too many companies are still winging it.
The Data Doesn’t Lie
Recent research paints a concerning picture:
91% of businesses aren’t calculating their full emissions, according to Normative’s Close the Accuracy Gap report. And among the emissions most likely to be skipped? Business travel and commuting, the everyday journeys hiding in plain sight.
A Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) report found that only 20% of companies are currently reporting all their emissions, meaning that four out of five businesses are potentially missing a big chunk of their footprint.
Even at the top end of town, there are issues. The Times reports that nearly half of FTSE 100 companies recently restated their climate scores, citing errors or updates in Scope 3 data, the category that covers business travel and commuting.
These aren’t minor footnotes. Business travel, commuting, and employee mobility often make up a significant share of emissions in service-led industries. But, because the data is fragmented across booking systems, finance tools, and HR records (or not captured at all), most businesses default to rough estimates, spreadsheets, or “spend-based” calculations that don’t tell the full story.
The result? Many companies are essentially winging it, relying on generic averages or out-of-date assumptions, rather than accurate, journey-level data.
Business travel: Aggregated, averaged and often absent.
The challenge starts with business travel. While companies might track flights and hotel bookings, they rarely paint the full picture. What about ride-shares, last minute trains or taxis, mileage claims? They often fall through the cracks, or get lumped into vague categories based on spend rather than actual behaviour.
Even when data is captured, it’s usually aggregated, anonymised, and relies on averages rather than actuals.
This means carbon reporting for travel often becomes a game of educated guesses, with emissions based on cost rather than distance or mode. Transparent, verified travel data? Rare.
Commuting: The forgotten footprint
If business travel is messy, commuting is often ignored completely. Scope 3, Category 7 (employee commuting) remains one of the most under-reported areas in sustainability disclosures.
Post-pandemic, hybrid working has only complicated things further. Some employees are in the office twice a week, others five. Some cycle, some drive, some alternate, and some even commute by private jet…
In fact, research shows that commuting emissions are systematically overlooked, with many organisations lacking even the basic data to start source.
No baseline, no behaviour change. Just a big blind spot where emissions should be.
Why It Matters
There are real risks here. Inaccurate reporting undermines climate targets, erodes investor confidence, and can expose businesses to greenwashing claims.
As regulation ramps up, from CSRD to SECR and beyond, companies will be expected to report with much greater precision.
“Good enough” won’t be good enough for long.
Why TripShift Plays by a Different Set of Rules
We didn’t build TripShift to be “the one tool that does everything.” We built it to be the tool that does what you need it to do.
That means:
– Seamless integrations with your existing HR, expense, and booking systems (or operating as a smart stand-alone if you’re not there yet).
– Modular design so you only use the features that matter to you.
– Custom emissions categories, regional standards, and export-ready reports that work for your business, not some theoretical ideal.
In short: we meet you where you are, and grow with you as your sustainability strategy matures.
The Takeaway?
You can’t reduce what you can’t measure. And you certainly can’t measure what you’re not even tracking properly.
It’s time to move away from spreadsheets and estimates. Let’s stop winging it and start reporting emissions based on actual behaviour, not assumptions.
How TripShift Helps
That’s where TripShift comes in. Our platform automates the capture of business travel and commuting emissions, in real time, and with real accuracy.
TripShift captures business travel and commuting data automatically, using real-time behavioural signals, not manual inputs or spend estimates. Whether it’s a train to a client meeting or a cycle to the office, TripShift follows actual journeys to deliver verified emissions data you can trust.
So if you’re still estimating, or worse, ignoring your travel emissions, now’s the time to stop, and start shifting!
Want to see how TripShift can help? Let’s talk.
