PwC imposes travel restrictions to reduce carbon footprint

Restrictions apply for its UK partners flying business class on work trips, as the accounting firm attempts to reduce its carbon footprint and cut costs

It comes as the Big Four accounting firms - Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC - seek to trim costs and as large employers cut back on travel to reduce their carbon emissions, relying more on video calls to conduct meetings. Business-class seats have a higher carbon footprint than economy ones because they take up more room and are more frequently empty.

Key takeaways

• PwC has pledged to cut emissions from its operations to net zero by 2030. Business travel remains PwC UK’s single-largest source of carbon pollution, with flying accounting for more than two-thirds of the firm’s emissions in 2022;
• The new PwC guidance says partners and directors should typically travel in premium economy class if a flight is five hours or more, according to people briefed on the policy;
• Business class can still be used for staff traveling overnight or if there is a “business-critical” reason, such as an employee having a corporate meeting on arrival, they added.

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