Scope 3 · Category 6
Scope 3 Category 6: Business travel
Scope 3 Category 6 covers employee business travel in vehicles not owned or operated by your company — air, rail, hire cars, taxis and hotels where included in your boundary. Distance, cabin class or spend extracts from booking tools are the usual activity inputs before factors are applied.
Category 6 is employee business travel in third-party vehicles — air, rail, hire cars, taxis and, where included, hotels.
Extract booking-tool or expense data: passenger.km or distance by mode, cabin class for flights, and hotel nights if in boundary. Owned fleet travel is Scope 1, not Category 6.
Well-to-tank of third-party travel fuels is often calculated alongside distance factors — keep methodology notes consistent.
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Frequently asked questions
- Are company cars Category 6?
- Owned or controlled vehicles are Scope 1 (fuel) or Scope 2 (electricity). Category 6 is travel in vehicles you do not operate.
- Should I include hotel stays?
- Many organisations include hotel nights in Category 6 when material. Document whether hotels are in or out of boundary and stay consistent.
- Why does seat class matter for flights?
- Premium cabins occupy more aircraft capacity, so factors allocate more emissions per passenger. Use booking class when known; otherwise choose Average and improve later.
- Is commuting Category 6?
- No. Home-to-work travel is Category 7. Category 6 is travel for business purposes away from the usual commute.
- What if employees book travel themselves?
- Use expense claims and card data tagged as travel, or a staff survey for modes and distances, then improve toward booking-system extracts.