Use trains instead of planes, City accountancy giant tells staff

Grant Thornton is encouraging staff to use trains instead of planes when travelling abroad as part of its effort to contribute to the net zero push.

The accountancy giant has launched a new travel booking system that will “encourage environmentally conscious travel choices”, forming part of its attempt to slash emissions by up to 90c by 2045.

This means employees will be confronted with the environmental impact of different types of transport when booking business trips, including how much carbon each journey would produce.

Bosses have launched the system to help encourage staff to pick eco-friendly options, such as travelling by rail instead of booking a flight.

Grant Thornton, which is Britain’s fifth-largest accountancy firm, previously rolled out a company-wide travel policy that encouraged staff to avoid taking business trips if at all possible.

Instead, they are encouraged to carry out meetings virtually on Microsoft Teams.

Cut emissions

Such measures have been introduced as part of the firm’s plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Business travel currently accounts for about 10pc of Grant Thornton’s emissions, making it the second biggest contributor to global warming behind goods and services it buys from other companies.

In its 2024 annual report, Grant Thornton said it had cut emissions related to business travel and commuting by 48pc compared with 2019 levels, including by taking up hybrid working policies.

More broadly, the accountancy firm has also cut emissions from its offices by reducing the size of its estate and moving into more environmentally-friendly spaces.

The push to cut the size of its property footprint has seen Grant Thornton move its City headquarters to a site that was previously occupied by Rathbones, the investment firm.

The firm, which employs 73,000 staff worldwide, including 5,500 in Britain, said it also expects to save 86,000 kilowatt hours of energy by monitoring the temperatures in its offices.

Grant Thornton’s UK business on Tuesday reported an 11pc increase in revenues to £724m, in what were the firm’s first set of results since its sale to private equity firm Cinven.

Partners at the firm, which was founded in 1924, saw their average individual payouts increase by 6pc to £682,000.