Challenge Accepted – how the ZHAW has almost halved its air travel emissions

Research thrives on cross-border exchange: conferences, collaborative projects and visits to partners. Many of these activities require international travel. And this is precisely where a major sustainability challenge arises: air travel accounts for around a third of the ZHAW’s greenhouse gas emissions. International collaboration and climate protection can therefore pull in opposite directions. “Flying for research is already a dilemma in itself. “And when you work in sustainability and still have to get on a plane, it feels like a paradox,” says Cathérine Hartmann, an environmental psychologist at the ZHAW School of Applied Psychology.

The biggest lever for change

In line with the Canton of Zurich, the ZHAW is aiming to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve “net zero” by 2040, or by 2050 at the latest. Not all of the university's emissions, however, can be reduced so easily. Its buildings fall under the responsibility of the Canton of Zurich. Procurement also depends on external providers, including catering companies for the university's canteens, ICT suppliers, and laboratory equipment vendors. When it comes to air travel, however, the university can largely make its own decisions. For this reason, the ZHAW has set a clear interim target: a 50% reduction in air travel emissions by 2030 compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Smart alternatives instead of sacrifice

The ZHAW is therefore focusing on areas where travel can take place without flying or with lower emissions: wherever possible, priority should be given to travelling by train or bus, while under certain circumstances conferences may be attended in a hybrid format. The number of travellers per event should also be reduced, and, where feasible, overseas engagements can be combined into a single trip. Where flying is unavoidable, staff are encouraged to minimise their climate impact by choosing direct flights, travelling in economy class and staying longer rather than making multiple separate journeys. These approaches are communicated to staff through the Challenge Accepted campaign, which sets out specific courses of action as well as honest opinions and experiences relating to this challenge. As a practical way of encouraging action, the campaign also offers financial support for climate-friendly travel through a mobility fund.

Waiting for technology is not enough

But what if all these measures become unnecessary in the near future as more climate-friendly aircraft offer us new travel options? Michel Guillaume, Head of the Centre for Aviation in Winterthur and formerly involved in the development of the Airbus A380, urges caution. Under current EU plans, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) made from vegetable oils or food waste are set to account for just 6% of total fuel volumes by 2030. At present, they also cost three to five times more than conventional jet fuel. “That doesn’t amount to a 50% reduction. That’s simply not feasible,” he says.

Electric-hybrid aircraft are the second great hope for significantly reducing the climate impact of air travel. However, these require batteries that do not yet exist, and it is not uncommon for the process of obtaining the necessary safety certifications to take decades when new technologies are introduced. Guillaume’s sobering assessment: realistically, new aviation technologies may achieve a reduction of 15 to 20% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. Yet anyone seeking to halve emissions by 2030 cannot afford to wait for such breakthroughs. The reduction will have to come from changes in travel behaviour.

The Schools decide for themselves

Rather than banning or restricting certain flights, the ZHAW works with an annual emissions budget that is allocated to the Schools and central units. How these budgets are used is left entirely up to them: they assess which trips are necessary for research, teaching and collaboration, opt for rail or bus travel where possible, combine activities abroad or send one person to attend events on site rather than several people. They exchange information about their progress on an ongoing basis, while developments are regularly discussed internally and published.

What holds staff back

In everyday practice, however, making these trade-offs is rarely straightforward. Within Europe, many employees consistently opt for rail travel – one member of staff travelled by train and ferry from Zurich to Athens. Yet some destinations stretch the limits of what is practical. “It takes 36 hours to get to Vilnius by train and 2.5 hours by plane – and the flight is cheaper as well,” says Michael Zirkler, Professor and Head of the Psychology of Social Transformation section at the School of Applied Psychology. “Even if I am willing to accept the 36-hour journey, the question remains: is that my personal time?”

A second point that arises time and again in discussions with staff is the effort involved and the need for support. “I’m very much on my own when it comes to booking an Interrail ticket… and I also have to work out where I’m going to stay overnight twice along the way…,” says Regina Betz, Head of the Centre for Energy and the Environment at the School of Management and Law. The general consensus is that careful planning takes a considerable amount of time. What employees would particularly like is support with organising their journeys. To ensure that the lower-emission option is not ruled out due to additional costs, the ZHAW also piloted a sustainable mobility fund designed to offset the cost of more expensive train tickets or an additional overnight stay. 

Although several members of the ZHAW made use of the fund, the pilot scheme, which has since been discontinued, was not fully utilised: one of the biggest obstacles remains the shorter journey times offered by air travel. Unfortunately, this cannot simply be offset through higher travel budgets. The cost of bus and train tickets, together with any additional overnight accommodation, is often higher than the cost of flights.

Approaches that are already making a difference

Some people have long since found solutions that work for them. “Within Europe, I travel exclusively by train,” says Patricia Heuberger, Head of International Relations at the School of Engineering. Others focus less on the mode of transport and more on the scale of their travel. “If I am committed to working with minimal flying, I can still operate internationally without personally travelling around the world,” says Regina Betz.

What many people would also like to see is a clear stance. David Appel, a digital education specialist at the School of Social Work, puts it succinctly: “Take a stand and have the courage to say: yes, we have ambitious climate targets.” Cathérine Hartmann expresses the wish even more explicitly: “I would like the ZHAW to take a ‘train first’ stance. Reducing air travel emissions isn’t about not travelling, but about travelling differently.”

Many ZHAW staff and students have already taken up this challenge wholeheartedly. Through dialogue and shared commitment, the first results are becoming visible: the ZHAW is approaching its air travel emissions target faster than planned: by 2025, emissions had already fallen to the level envisaged for 2029, without any negative impact on international networking.