By now, sustainability is on every mobility request for proposal (RFP) and board agenda. But doing it credibly—without overpromising or leaning on buzzwords—requires sharper definitions, better data, and practical collaboration across the value chain. Three industry voices—Jesper Løvendahl, CEO and founder of ExpatRide International; Dominic Offer, sustainability manager at Harmony Relocation Network; and Andy Conduit-Turner, director of sustainability and strategic development at Cartus—shared what’s working, what isn’t, and where mobility can make measurable progress.
Words Matter: ‘Offsets’ vs. Lifestyle-Based Reductions
A recurring theme from all three leaders was clarity of terms. “Being precise about terminology matters because ‘offsets’ traditionally means buying carbon credits,” Løvendahl says. “If we use the same word to describe lifestyle and behavioral reductions, we risk confusion and credibility issues. By framing the latter as insetting, reduction, or lifestyle-based offsetting, we help the industry clearly communicate that these actions directly reduce emissions within the relocation process.”
At ExpatRide, Løvendahl describes this second approach as “reducing or counterbalancing the carbon footprint of relocation by embedding sustainable behaviors into the assignee’s everyday life”—choices around transportation, housing, commuting, and consumption. In his experience, “if these behaviors are structured into relocation policies, the ongoing emission savings often exceed the CO2 footprint of the move itself.”
From CSR to Strategy, and the Gap that Remains
Offer has watched the industry shift from piecemeal corporate social responsibility (CSR) to more comprehensive programs: “Five or six years ago, almost all companies were doing partial sustainability under the guise of CSR. The Coalition was formed, a strategy put together, free carbon calculators created, training rolled out.” Now at Harmony Relocation Network, he’s focused on creating “holistic, impact-led sustainability agendas” across a 160-member cooperative in 70 countries.
Still, he sees a stubborn gap between ambition and execution: “Sustainability cannot be done at cost of service. We need to be realistic. One company with all of the electric trucks won’t change even 1% of industry emissions. Focusing on broad-scale sustainability by regions’ material issues will probably help move the dial quicker.”
Measure What Matters
For organizations unsure where to start, Offer argues for an iterative, honest path: “Throw yourself in, identify what you don’t know, and then bring in the heads of departments.” Smaller firms can begin with Scope 1 and 2, then “tackle the low-hanging fruit of Scope 3, like business travel and staff commutes, but build to supplier emissions as quickly as you can.” His bottom line: “The biggest thing to remember for everyone: Learn what is involved in the scopes of emissions.”
At Cartus, Conduit-Turner has pursued a dual track of external frameworks and internal tooling. Cartus has “committed to both near-term and net-zero emissions reduction goals validated by SBTi,” discloses annually to CDP, and is evaluated by EcoVadis. In parallel, his team built internal toolkits to overcome early complexity and cost barriers in footprinting. They aim to “support clients with data-driven discussions,” rolling out client-facing impact reporting that showcases ESG performance alongside cost and service.
Data quality is a constant improvement loop. Today, Cartus can produce cost-based impact analysis. The team is transitioning to volume-based calculations (e.g., household goods tonnage) and “targeting opportunities to enable future digestion of direct data for the highest degree of accuracy,” he says. Conduit-Turner plans annual analyses of data maturity and gaps, with an eye toward third-party assurance over time.
Reduction First, Offsets (Maybe) Later—And Only With Rigor
Offer doesn’t mince words on offsets as a primary strategy. He paints a vivid picture: Trapped in a garage with a running car, “what would you do first … turn off the engine or plant trees?” His view: “Using offset strategies should be a small part of a full reduction strategy,” tied to “very well researched projects” that a company understands and can engage with, otherwise “many offset projects are not worth the recycled paper they are printed on.”
Conduit-Turner takes a similar sequencing approach at Cartus: “As of right now, we don’t engage with any offsetting programs, focusing our initial efforts on reduction. However, a robust offsetting solution is something that remains in my long-term strategy as we pursue net-zero goals,” he says, particularly once the company can determine precise residuals to address.
What ‘Lifestyle-Based Offsetting’ Looks Like in Practice
Løvendahl lays out relocation-specific actions that can add up over the life of an assignment:
- Transportation: “Switching from a fossil-fuel company car to an electric/hybrid lease, car sharing, or public transit options.”
- Housing: “Assisting assignees to choose energy-efficient housing, e.g., with green certifications.”
- Orientation: Electric/hybrid chauffeured tours to reduce unnecessary travel.
- Daily lifestyle: Cycling, walking, meat-free days, and adoption of local sustainable practices.
“The key is to make sustainability the easier choice,” Løvendahl says. This includes pre-curated EV/hybrid lease options, green housing and commuting guides, and practical tools like CO2 savings calculators, so sustainability feels seamless rather than burdensome.
Conduit-Turner echoes the integration theme with service design examples: virtual surveys and teleconferencing to cut pre-move trips; discard-and-donate programs and partnerships like Move For Hunger to reduce shipment weight and waste; and post-arrival choices that favor lower-emitting travel. “Our approach centers on ensuring we move better to avoid a future where we simply must move less.”
Building the Ecosystem: Suppliers, Accounting Partners, and Clients
Effective partnerships start with realism about size, resources, and needs, says Offer. “Carbon accounting companies range wildly in price. Understand what you need in terms of handholding, and be honest,” he says. Training matters (“not freebee courses”) and so does data hygiene: “Biggest thing: If you put bad data in, you get bad data out,” he says.
Offer also points to inspiring models that go beyond carbon math. He cites a temporary living company that has supported mangrove projects and does a lot of work developing humanitarian projects in Pakistan, and another moving company that has bought a huge area of land for conservation and owns and operates a community farm: “They have not approached offsets like offsets but as ways to give back. That is how sustainability is done.”
On the client side, Conduit-Turner sees “formality around expectations,” especially in Europe, with SBTi alignment and ESG progress written into contracts and procurement scoring. Maturing data and clearer impact reporting make targets more realistic—and pilot programs more feasible—by putting tangible ESG outcomes next to cost and service metrics.
A Practical Playbook for the First 12 Months
Pulling together the interviewees’ most actionable guidance:
- Start. Don’t wait for perfect data. As Conduit-Turner puts it: “Your first draft is infinitely better than a blank page.”
- Scope. Begin with Scopes 1 and 2, then move quickly to key Scope 3 categories (travel, commuting) and supplier emissions.
- Embed. From Løvendahl: make sustainable choices the default: EV/hybrid packages, green-housing shortlists, public-transport guidance, calculators, and gentle nudges over time.
- Design. Virtualize pre-move steps; optimize shipments via discard-and-donate; connect with community partners to cut waste and add social value.
- Train. Build internal expertise, align suppliers, and choose carbon-accounting support that fits your maturity and budget.
- Report. Track what’s possible now (even cost-based), disclose limits, and publish a roadmap to better data and assurance.
- Sequence. Use offsets last—surgically, with vetted projects and clear logic for residuals after reduction plans are in place.
What’s Next: Dashboards, Policy Nudges, and Positive Impact
Løvendahl anticipates “personalized, lifestyle-focused sustainability solutions,” such as assignee dashboards, AI suggestions for green housing and transport, and policies that “actively reward sustainable decisions (e.g., bonus days off or allowances for choosing EVs/public transit).”
Offer highlights innovations on the horizon—from Maersk green liners and sustainable aviation fuel to faster EV charging—and calls for more regenerative practices in packing materials. At Harmony, he’s exploring a framework with the University of Amsterdam to reduce admin, map sustainable development, and “track and guide reduction strategies” across the cooperative.
Conduit-Turner expects regulation and reporting to push better data, but also sees a chance to add positive impact to traditional benefits. He’s enthusiastic about flexible mobility services that could include “supporting EV charger installation in assignment properties [and] evolving cross-cultural training [to] help employees optimize their shipments or better integrate with their host communities.”
Progress Is a Stack
Progress in mobility sustainability isn’t a single lever. It’s a stack: precise language, credible measurement, service design that favors reduction, and partnerships capable of absorbing and improving real data. As Løvendahl sums up: “Mobility companies are trusted advisers at a critical life juncture. This role turns relocation providers into impact enablers, not just logistics managers.”
And the ethical hierarchy is clear. In Offer’s words, when you’re in the garage with the engine running, the first move is simple: “Learn how to turn off the engine.” Conduit-Turner’s operational translation: move better, not merely less, then use data to make every improvement visible and repeatable