The very nature of international relocations – travel, removal boxes, associated administration – impacts our environment. From paperwork to packaging, place-of-work to travel pollution … each organisation should be carefully implementing revised business practices to become more environmentally friendly.

Worldwide ERC’s ‘Road to Sustainability’ 2022 research involved participants from a variety of business sectors. Results showed that 90% of multinational firms have adopted a sustainability strategy. A similar percentage (89%) are actively investing in their sustainability goals. Environmentally aware, global organisations seek to work with partners who also support sustainability. 56% of corporations questioned want suppliers to meet specific sustainability criteria. It is interesting to note that, whilst reducing the number of international relocations would help improve organisational sustainability goals, 64% of organisations do not see this as a tenable option.

Workforce mobility is here to stay, so how can international relocation companies promote sustainability?

5 Steps Towards Sustainable Relocation Services

1. Sustainable Supply Chain – ensuring that partners within the global network are working sustainably, or towards sustainability goals.
2. Energy Efficiencies – both office space and warehousing require lighting, heating and ventilation. Adopting renewable energy sources and energy-efficient practices where possible offer long term benefits.
3. Electronic Processes – reducing the amount of paperwork involved with the relocation process. From automation to e-signatures, digitisation was the top priority for many organisations within the research findings.  
4. Hybrid Working – offering employees a mix of office-based and remote working reduces the carbon footprint of each employee. 60% of employers within the ONS Hybrid Working research 2022 offer their workforce the opportunity to work from home.
5. Recycling – the integrity of boxes used during removals is diminished after a single use. The opportunity to be more environmentally aware centres on the use of biodegradable and recyclable materials, such as boxes and packaging.

BTR: Making A Difference

BTR is proud to be working towards sustainability goals and professional accreditations to independently recognise achievements. (Watch this space for updates!) We work closely with our global partners to ensure operations are environmentally friendly wherever possible. In addition, we have reviewed our internal practices to ensure:

• hybrid working, reducing travel and its associated carbon footprint,
• energy-efficient lighting, with office lighting only on when the space is occupied,
• removal of rubbish bins, promoting better recycling, and
• investigation into minimising use of paper, such as adopting e-signature software.

“The global relocation industry is a sector with high environmental impact,” says Abi Flanagan of BTR International. “There is huge potential to improve sustainability, and this is a key focus for BTR. We are committed to making our impact as positive as possible. Optimising  our sustainability is important to our team and our clients.”

Are you responsible for workforce mobility within your organisation?

Would you like your global relocation policy to be as sustainable as possible?

Talk to the friendly team at BTR. There’s no obligation involved, just expert advice and the potential to help our environment.