Reduce CO2 and increase health and productivity with sustainable commuting

Sustainable commuting will be high on corporate agendas, as CO2 emissions produced by commuting staff will need to be recorded as part of Scope 3 emissions reporting.

But as well as meeting these requirements, there are also much wider benefits of encouraging employees to increase their physical activity by walking or cycling to and from work.

SEE Sustainability Director Dr. Matt Sawyer says that for employers, improved physical and mental health of employees leads to reduced sick days and increased productivity, while also benefiting from better employee health and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.

“There is a distinction between exercise and physical activity,” he adds. “When we exercise we often think we need to buy special clothes or go to a special building like a gym or a football field, and we often see this as a kind of punishment or atonement for our indulgence.

“But physical activity doesn’t need any of that. It’s about moving, it’s about dancing, it’s about gardening, it’s about doing all sorts of things just being physically active.

“I use a standing desk and use it to get at least 250 steps per hour, standing rather than sitting. So you don’t need to go to special places to do these.”

However, while not as strenuous as exercise, the health benefits of physical activity are well documented.

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