Situation
Mobility is a fundamental aspect of our daily lives, particularly in the context of work. However, the nature and scale of our mobility contribute to emissions. We’ve observed a significant shift in attitudes and behaviours towards mobility within PwC Germany in recent years. PwC Germany’s #mindfultravel initiative was born out of a critical question: How can we maintain our mobility while also safeguarding the environment during business travel, commuting, and personal travel?
Their journey began with an employee survey. The results showed that out of more than 4,900 respondents, 80% could envision adopting more sustainable practices. The #mindfultravel programme is a key component of PwC Germany’s Climate Ambition. It aims to support their near-term Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) goal of reducing PwC Germany’s travel emissions by half by 2030.
Sustainability is not merely a choice for us, but a strategic imperative and responsibility for everyone of us. We aim to make a significant contribution to protecting our planet, reducing carbon impact in our customers' supply chain, and empowering our employees to drive positive change. Through championing responsible business travel initiatives and mindful resource consumption, we are committed to this cause.
Experience
PwC Germany’s employees and their commitment to sustainability are central to their operations. They have devised a change strategy based on three pillars: ‘show’ (emissions reduction), ‘shift’ (innovative offers), and ‘nudge’ (green mobility incentives). The primary focus is to foster a company-wide shift in mindset towards sustainable practices.
They actively engage their employees from the outset, enabling them to shape PwC’s future mobility landscape. They have established various communication channels to encourage employees to share their innovative ideas. Employees can voluntarily contribute to the core team’s projects or workstreams, and in return, they gain early access to upcoming solutions and offerings for sustainable mobility at PwC. This approach facilitates a collaborative and proactive environment for promoting sustainability.
Impact
PwC Germany has made a significant impact through the introduction of #mindfultravel:
- Their firm-wide mobility survey garnered participation from over 4,900 employees, who shared insightful ideas about future mobility needs and concepts.
- They introduced a company-wide personal carbon dashboard to help individual employees visualise their carbon footprint and encourage sustainable business travel practices.
- They launched a Germany-wide public transport job ticket to enhance commuter mobility. This initiative was a resounding success, with nearly 5,000 employees availing of the offer within the first three months.
- They are committed to the ongoing refinement of our company-wide travel policy, which serves as a guide for making sensible travel choices. This policy is updated periodically to reflect evolving needs and insights.
