Understanding Scope 3 Category 6
Business travel covers emissions from the transportation of employees for business-related activities in vehicles not owned or operated by your organization. According to the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard, Category 6 includes:- Air travel: Commercial flights (domestic and international)
- Rail travel: Trains, metro, and high-speed rail
- Road travel: Rental cars, taxis, ride-sharing, buses
- Other transport: Ferries, company events transport
Category 6 vs Category 7
- Category 6 (Business Travel): Trips for business purposes (meetings, conferences, site visits)
- Category 7 (Employee Commuting): Daily travel between home and work
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:- Dcycle API credentials (get them here)
- Completed Step 1: Company Structure
- Travel data: origin, destination, transport mode, dates
- Basic knowledge of Python or JavaScript
Data Map: Category 6 Requirements Overview
Transport Types
Air Travel (Aircraft)
For flights, emission factors are automatically determined by distance:| Aircraft Size | Distance Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
very_short | 0β800 km | Regional flights |
short | 800β1,500 km | Domestic/short-haul |
medium | 1,500β4,000 km | Medium-haul international |
long | 4,000+ km | Long-haul intercontinental |
Automatic Aircraft SizingWhen you specify
transport_type: "aircraft", Dcycle automatically determines the aircraft size based on the calculated distance between origin and destination. You donβt need to specify vehicle_size for flights.Ground Transport
| Transport Type | Description | Emission Factor Basis |
|---|---|---|
car | Rental cars, taxis | Per passenger-km |
bus | Coach buses | Per passenger-km |
train | Rail (intercity, regional) | Per passenger-km |
metro | Urban metro/subway | Per passenger-km |
tram | Trams/light rail | Per passenger-km |
| Vehicle Size | Fuel Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
small | petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid | Compact cars |
medium | petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid | Sedans |
large | petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid | SUVs, luxury cars |
Emission Factor Sources
Dcycle uses business travel emission factors from Ecoinvent:Ecoinvent Database
Ecoinvent Database
Ecoinvent 3.8+ Cut-off
- Comprehensive lifecycle emission factors by transport mode
- Regional variations (country-specific where available)
- Covers aircraft, rail, road, and public transport
- Includes vehicle manufacturing and fuel production (WTW)
Distance Calculation
Distance Calculation
Google Maps API:
- Road distances for car, bus travel
- Direct distance (great circle) for flights
- Rail network distances where available
distance_km directly.Step 1: Create Business Travel Records
π Data Map: Single Trip
π Data Map: Single Trip
| Field | Type | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
origin | string | β οΈ | Departure city/location | "Madrid, Spain" |
destination | string | β οΈ | Arrival city/location | "London, UK" |
distance_km | number | β οΈ | Distance (if origin/dest unknown) | 1250 |
transport_type | string | β | Mode of transport | "aircraft" |
travel_type | string | β | Round trip or one-way | "round" |
travel_number | number | β | Number of trips | 1 |
start_date | date | β | Trip start date | "2024-03-15" |
end_date | date | β | Trip end date | "2024-03-17" |
vehicle_size | string | β | For cars: small/medium/large | "medium" |
fuel_type | string | β | For cars: petrol/diesel/electric | "petrol" |
name | string | β | Trip description | "Client meeting" |
email | string | β | Traveler email | "[email protected]" |
- Either
origin+destinationORdistance_kmmust be provided - If both are provided,
distance_kmtakes precedence
- Origin/Destination: Travel bookings, expense reports
- Transport type: Flight/train tickets, car rental invoices
- Dates: Itinerary, calendar entries
Common Travel Scenarios
Step 2: Bulk Upload Business Travel
For organizations with many trips, use CSV upload:CSV Format
CSV Notes:
distance_kmcan be provided instead of origin/destinationvehicle_sizeandfuel_typeonly apply to carstravel_type: useroundorone_waytravel_number: multiply for recurring trips

