CEP Travel and Carbon Offsetting Policy

The Department follows Imperial’s sustainable travel approach. Travellers should consider: 

  • whether a trip is necessary 
  • whether the purpose can be achieved remotely 
  • whether a lower-carbon mode of transport should be used.  

Rail should normally be used where a journey can reasonably be completed in 5 hours or less each way. Where flights are essential and lower-carbon alternatives are not feasible, the Department supports carbon offsetting.  

  1. Travel must be necessary and justifiable 
    Business travel should only take place where it is necessary for the purpose of the activity, project or institutional business, and where the intended outcome cannot reasonably be achieved by remote participation or another non-travel alternative. 
  2. Remote participation should be considered first 
    Before booking travel, staff and students should consider whether the objective can be achieved effectively through online attendance, hybrid participation, video conferencing or other virtual means. 
  3. The lowest-carbon practical mode of transport should be used 
    Where travel is necessary, travellers must select the lowest-carbon mode of transport that is practical and proportionate in terms of time, cost, accessibility and business need. 
  4. Rail should normally be used for shorter journeys 
    Train travel should normally be used instead of air travel where the rail journey is 5 hours or less each way, unless there is a clear justification for an alternative mode, such as accessibility needs, safety, significant operational constraints, or disproportionate overall cost. 
  5. Air travel should be justified where rail is feasible but not chosen 
    Where a flight is booked for a journey that could reasonably be made by rail, the traveller should record the reason why rail was not used. 
  6. Direct flights and economy class should be the default for air travel 
    Where flying is unavoidable, travellers should book economy class as standard and choose direct flights where practical, in order to reduce emissions associated with premium seating and additional flight segments. 

Carbon offsetting

Where a flight is essential and a lower-carbon alternative is not feasible, the Department supports the use of socially and environmentally responsible carbon offsetting as a supplementary measure to mitigate the emissions associated with that journey. Carbon offsetting does not replace the requirement to avoid unnecessary travel or to choose lower-carbon modes of transport wherever practical. 

To support this approach, the Department will include a question on the travel booking form asking whether the emissions from an essential flight should be offset. Where offsetting is requested, the cost may be charged to a research grant or award only if the relevant funder permits this. If the funder does not allow the cost, or eligibility is unclear, the offset would need to be from the individual’s  F account. 

CEP currently purchases offsets through the ‘ProfsWhoFly’ scheme which is available as an Imperial Supplier.  

Carbon offsetting on research grants

Currently the only awarding body identified who permits carbon offsetting as part of their T&Cs is the Wellcome trust. This section will be updated when other awarding bodies are identified who permit this.