Microsoft has taken a bold step to further reduce its impact on the environment by upping the cost of internal penalties for business travel.
The technology giant will raise its carbon emission fees by 567 per cent last this year, in what it has called “aggressive measures” to slash the Scope 3 emissions it produces, with corporate travel falling under this category.
The company currently charges a business travel fee of $15 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (or “mtCO2e”), but from July 2022, this will increase to $100 per metric ton.
The money raised is invested in initiatives that enable Microsoft to become a greener company.
“We are restructuring and increasing our internal carbon fee to help incentivise more aggressive measures to reduce Scope 3 emissions and better match the underlying cost of carbon abatement,” the company said in a blog entitled: An update on Microsoft’s sustainability commitments: Building a foundation for 2030.
Microsoft aims to become a “carbon negative, water positive, zero waste company” by 2030.
Employee travel is one of the business world’s greatest contributors to carbon emissions, dominated by car and air travel. This was clearly demonstrated during the pandemic, which halted most commuting and travel, resulting in global cardon emissions dropping seven per cent, according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Don’t miss the April edition of Business Traveller Middle East, which looks at the steps airlines and Travel Management Companies (TMCs) are taking to help corporates make greener travel choices.
