Christian is the CEO and founder of Goodwings. As a serial entrepreneur with a passion for impact, Christian has 20 years of experience with all aspects of sustainability and CSR. Besides holding the title of CEO, Christian has studied philosophy and business, and holds a Master's Degree from Copenhagen Business School, is an ex-army officer, and father of three.
Why business travel sustainability is entering a new era
With growing pressure from climate regulation, SAF shortages, and increasing expectations around Scope 3 accountability, companies are being forced to rethink how they manage corporate travel.
Christian Møller-Holst
May 26, 2026
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Business travel is being pulled into the center of the climate conversation faster than most companies expected.
In just the past few weeks, the EU signaled it may expand its carbon market to cover long-haul international flights departing Europe, not just intra-European routes. That would fundamentally change the economics of corporate travel emissions reporting and airline procurement strategies.
At the same time, airlines are openly warning that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply is nowhere near where it needs to be. IATA says SAF will represent only ~0.8% of global jet fuel consumption in 2026, despite aviation’s net-zero commitments.
This is where things become particularly relevant for corporate travel leaders.
For years, many organizations approached travel sustainability through carbon offsets, annual reporting, or simply reducing travel activity. But that era is ending.
The challenge is no longer only about reporting. It is operational.
How can companies continue enabling global business while climate regulation, fuel volatility, and emissions accountability tighten simultaneously?
What forward-thinking companies are doing
Forward-thinking organizations are already beginning to adapt. We are seeing companies:
Adopt activity-based emissions tracking instead of spend-based estimates
Integrate SAF book-and-claim into travel programs
Prioritize rail on short-haul European routes
Introduce internal carbon pricing for business travel decisions
One statistic stood out to me recently:
Companies investing in SAF are significantly more likely to already track Scope 3 business travel emissions and apply internal carbon accountability mechanisms.
In other words, sustainability maturity is becoming measurable.
The new era of business travel
We see climate scientists and transport researchers becoming much more direct about aviation’s full warming impact, including non-CO₂ effects that many reporting systems still ignore.
The future of business travel will not be defined by who travels less.
It will be defined by who can build smarter, lower-carbon, data-driven mobility systems while still enabling growth, collaboration, and human connection.
That’s the real transformation happening right now.
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