Business Travel and Climate Fund

The trade-off between the University’s climate protection obligations and the need for travel in research cannot be answered in general terms. The University has agreed that each traveler is responsible for deciding which means of travel to use for their business trip, taking climate policy aspects into account.

With the entry into force of the new State Travel Expenses Act (LRKG) in January 2022, the aspects of environmental compatibility and sustainability will be given concrete consideration in order to take greater account of the requirements of climate protection with regard to a CO₂ reduction in business trips. For example, business trips should only be carried out if they are necessary and there is no alternative, such as digital communication options.

With regard to the choice of means of transportation, the consideration of climate protection aspects is explicitly mentioned. Rail travel is also possible if the ticket is more expensive or the duration of the business trip is extended and additional accommodation costs and daily allowances are incurred. In addition, the costs for 1st class are reimbursed for train journeys lasting 2 hours or more. At RWTH Aachen University, numerous business trips are made by Deutsche Bahn, as can be seen from the business trip data in the data appendix.

Business Trips

After relatively few business trips took place in 2020, 2021 and the first half of 2022 due to the pandemic, there was a significant increase in the second half of 2022. At 19,926, the total number of business trips in 2022 was still significantly lower than in 2019 (25,422). However, a catch-up effect can be assumed, which does not yet allow any conclusions to be drawn about future travel behavior. In 2020, payment for chargeable virtual events also started to be processed via business trip management. After a share of around 27% for 2021, the share of recorded virtual events in 2022 was around 5%.

It can also be assumed that in future there will be numerous events that take place virtually and may replace one-day business trips, but are not recorded statistically. A comparison of the data collected between 2019 and 2022 shows that one-day trips (domestic and international) fell from 34.4 % to 29.6 %. This could be an indication of the use of virtual formats, especially for one-day events.

Air Travel

With regard to the promotion of sustainability and climate protection, special attention is naturally paid to air travel in the area of business trips. In the years before the coronavirus pandemic, air travel accounted for around a quarter of business trips. The proportion of international air travel rose from around 66% (2017) to around 72% in 2019. The most recent number of flights was 2,942 for 2022 compared to 5,991 for 2019. The development of air travel at RWTH Aachen University for 2021 and 2022 is increasingly influenced by the global coronavirus pandemic. It stands to reason that this has had a decisive influence on the digitalization of (international) exchange. Any long-lasting, verified effects on the travel behavior of University members will probably only be seen in the future. Further key figures on air travel at RWTH can be found in the data appendix.

The Climate Fund

Within RWTH, the aim is to raise awareness of the impact of one’s own mobility behavior on the environment. In addition to active communication that invites people to reflect on their own behavior, internal projects in particular, such as the internal climate fund, are intended to offer opportunities and motivate people to make their own mobility behavior more sustainable.

Following preparations for the Climate Fund pilot project in 2022, the opportunity to counteract the climate-damaging effects of (unavoidable) air travel will be offered from January 1, 2023. Voluntary participation in the Climate Fund is possible for every business trip during the travel application process. The flat rates are EUR 10 for domestic flights, EUR 18.50 for continental flights and EUR 68.50 for intercontinental flights. Participation in the climate fund is voluntary. The respective amount is transferred from the institution’s resources to the fund. Paid-in lump sums are also co-financed by central funds. The money from the climate fund is used for climate-friendly measures on campus. The internal climate fund pilot project will be evaluated after a period of three years.

As of October 2023, 71 out of 260 higher education institutions are already participating in the climate fund. By the reporting date of September 30, 2023, a total of 211 flights had been transferred to the climate fund. Of these, 5% were domestic flights, 63% were continental flights and 32% were intercontinental flights.