Business and international travel

International travel matters to our teaching, research and partnerships - but flying is also a major source of emissions. Since the pandemic, travel patterns have shifted, with hybrid working and collaboration becoming normal. We will lock in these gains and travel smarter.

The University of Sheffield is a global institution. International students, research collaboration and partnerships are central to our mission - and to tackling shared challenges such as climate change, poverty and inequality. At the same time, flying carries a significant carbon impact, so we must be deliberate about when travel is essential and how we minimise emissions.

The pandemic accelerated a long-term shift in how we work. Many meetings, conferences and partnership activities now happen effectively through digital and hybrid formats. We have seen that we can maintain strong international relationships while travelling less, and we want to make that a permanent feature of how we operate.

International student travel to and from our UK campus is responsible for at least 9,000 tonnes CO2e each year, with business travel of a similar magnitude. We have already made significant progress in reducing business travel emissions - from around 35,000 tonnes CO2e in 2018-19 to under 10,000 tonnes CO2e in 2024-25 - and we are committed to continuing this long-term reduction.

We will sustain a global university community while sharply reducing the carbon impact of how we connect. This means prioritising travel with clear academic or societal value, choosing lower-carbon options such as rail where practical, and using hybrid collaboration as the default where it can achieve the same outcomes. We will also strengthen the guidance, tools and expectations that help teams plan travel well - including consolidating trips, avoiding unnecessary flights, and making better use of digital alternatives.

Accurate data is essential if we are to reduce emissions fairly and effectively. We will continue to improve how we capture, analyse and report travel emissions - and use this evidence to guide year-on-year reduction, while protecting the cultural, social and economic benefits of international engagement.