Businesses are being urged to look at more cost effective travel planning to help cut their carbon emissions as well as their costs.

Reducing unnecessary travel can help companies cut costs, but according to the British Chamber of Commerce only 6% of businesses offer sustainable travel options.

In an effort increase that number, the Department for Transport (DfT) launched the National Business Travel Network (NBTN) in 2006, part of the Government’s Act on CO2 campaign.

It is a business-to-business network enabling companies to share best practice and promote the business case for travel plans.

It provides information on introducing a travel plan, with particular advice on how to encourage car sharing, home-working, converting a company car fleet to more fuel efficient, greener vehicles and cutting overall business mileage.

BT has introduced travel plans across its organisation and is now working with NBTN to share its successes with other businesses.

“At BT we have implemented flexible and home working at scale across the organisation, allowing people to work in the way that best suits them, their job, their personal circumstances and our customers,” explained Jon Marsh, head of agility at BT Global Sevices.

“As a result we've been able not only to make large financial savings and productivity improvements but also create a more sustainable organisation through reducing travel and CO2 emissions.”

The latest research from NBTN reveals that over half of those surveyed (63%) would take up a work travel plan if their company offered one.

More than one in four (28%) of those surveyed stated that flexible working would also increase their loyalty to an employer and over a fifth (24%) felt it would significantly improve their productivity.

“It is great to see that such a high percentage of employees would consider buying into a work travel scheme and I hope that employers now act on this,” said Heather McInroy, programme director for NBTN.

For further information and advice about work travel plans, visit www.nbtn.org.uk.