Why Measure Commuting Emissions?
Commuting often represents 5%+ of your organisation's total carbon footprint, and this data can provide context alongside mandatory work-from-home emissions reporting. It can also identify opportunities for reduction initiatives like carpooling or public transport incentives.
Quick Check: Multiply your FTE staff by 0.5-1.0 tCO₂-e. If this is >5% of total emissions, commuting data is material.
Choose Your Survey Type
Rate your organisation on these factors (high/medium/low):
Reporting experience: Have you measured commuting before?
Emissions scale: Large workforce or remote locations?
Change appetite: Will you act on the results?
Survey capacity: Can you handle complex analysis and get good response rates?
Basic Survey (Version A)
Use if: One or more factors rated 'low'
5-minute survey
Typical commute patterns only
Simple transport modes
Basic distance ranges
Detailed Survey (Version B)
Use if: Most factors rated 'high'
Daily journey tracking
Multiple transport modes
Vehicle specifications
Seasonal variations
Key Survey Questions
Days per week commuting vs working from home
One-way distance (2km, 5km, 10km+ ranges)
Primary transport mode
Vehicle fuel type (if applicable)
For more survey and implementation detail, see the MfE Guidelines below.
Inputting the Survey Data into CarbonTrail
Once you have gathered the employee survey data, compile the total kilometres traveled by each transport type per month, and input into the table. To calculate days worked from home, take an average across employee responses per month.