More than half of the kilometres people drive are driven in connection with their employment. This means employers can play a significant role in making passenger mobility more sustainable and limiting CO2 emissions.
The 2019 Dutch Climate Agreement contains a commitment to reduce the CO2 emissions attributable to employment-related passenger transport by 1 megaton by 2030. To achieve this target, the State Secretary of Infrastructure and Water Management introduced new legislation to the Dutch House of Representatives and Senate on 19 April 2022 to move employers to make conscious choices about making business travel and commuting more sustainable.
Based on this decree, employers with 100 or more employees will have to file annual reports on their employees’ passenger transport, with the first report due on 1 January 2023. The reports will focus on the total number of kilometres employees travel on business trips and during their commutes.
Based on this data, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management will monitor whether the target for reducing the related CO2 emissions by 1 megaton by 2030 will be met. If it is clear by 2025 that the target will not be met, a standard will enter into effect for employers with 100 or more employees with regard to business trips, and probably also with regard to commuting travel. In that case, employers will have to ensure that their employees’ CO2 emissions do not exceed the standard that applies to them.
The State Secretary hopes that this will incentivize employers to work on making their employees’ business trips and commuting more sustainable. In our previous article, we provided several tips in this respect, such as:
- Offer employees a higher travel expense allowance if they commute by public transport rather than by car.
- Limit employees’ parking options. For example, only offer parking spaces for employees whose commute to the office would be 30 minutes longer by public transport than it would be by car, or for people who carpool with at least 4 people.
- Ensure that all company cars are electric vehicles.
- Offer a company bicycle scheme, perhaps including e-bikes.
- Encourage your employees to work a certain number of days per week from home.
- Offer flexible working hours so that employees can avoid peak travel hours.
The bill was sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate on 19 April 2022. Both houses will now be afforded an opportunity to respond to the proposal. Naturally, we will keep you apprised if this bill is passed into law and when it will enter into effect.
If you have any questions about how you, as an employer, can make your employees’ business trips and commuting travel more sustainable, please contact Ard Wallast or Noor Sluis.
