Sustainability in mobility has moved fast—from “nice to have” conversations to real expectations around measurement, transparency, and progress. To get a grounded view of what’s happening right now, we sat down with our in-house ESG subject matter expert and Manager of Global Supply Chain, Adam Bowlby. He’s close to the data, close to our supplier ecosystem, and (most importantly) he’s practical about what actually works.

Before we jumped into the “what now?” of sustainability, we asked Adam how he came to this work. He’s been in the mobility industry since 2013 with a deep focus on global supply chain—everything from RFPs and contract negotiations to onboarding, reporting, analytics, and performance management across multiple service categories. In recent years, that scope expanded into sustainability work, including our EcoVadis partnership and his role representing Weichert Workforce Mobility in the WERC Sustainability Advisory Council (beginning in 2025).

Adam’s Take: The State of Sustainable Mobility

  • It’s an evolving business priority. Adam’s first point was simple: sustainability in global mobility isn’t something you “launch” and move on from. It’s becoming part of how mobility programs are designed, run, and continuously improved—just like duty of care, cost management, or employee experience.
  • Mobility emissions are complex—because mobility itself is complex. Unlike a single-facility footprint, mobility touches many services, operations, suppliers, and locations. That means you’re often working across multiple data sources (and multiple definitions) at the same time. Adam’s takeaway: progress starts when you acknowledge the complexity and design a process that can handle it.
  • “Data-driven” isn’t a buzzword anymore. Adam sees an accelerating shift toward emissions measurement that’s built on real activity data, improved quality, and increased transparency. Forget perfection. The goal is building a baseline you trust, then making it better over time.
  • Frameworks like SBTi help turn good intentions into accountability. One theme Adam came back to: structure matters. Initiatives can drift when targets are vague, ownership is unclear, or timelines are flexible. Using an established approach—like Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)—creates a shared “north star” and helps teams plan for long-term, measurable progress.
  • Efficiency + technology is where the near-term wins show up. When Adam talks about momentum, he’s not just referring to big targets—he’s talking about the day-to-day. Operational efficiencies (like reducing rework, tightening handoffs, streamlining processes) and technology-enabled solutions can create measurable impact while also improving service delivery.
  • We’re moving from “add-on” sustainability to built-in sustainability. A practical shift Adam sees: sustainability considerations are increasingly being integrated into how mobility services are designed and delivered (instead of being treated as a separate workstream that sits off to the side). That could mean procurement decisions, supplier expectations, or simply asking different questions earlier in the process.
  • The big unlock is challenging legacy practices and upgrading how we measure impact. Adam emphasized that it’s hard to manage what you can’t see clearly. A lot of “legacy” isn’t bad—it’s just outdated for today’s expectations. Improving how impact is measured across mobility services helps teams spot the real hotspots, prioritize changes, and explain progress with confidence.

If you’re building (or refreshing) a sustainability approach for mobility, Adam’s advice is to start with what’s measurable, be transparent about what’s still messy, and keep the effort connected to how services actually run. Annual check-the-box exercises aren’t meaningful enough to drive real change. Real momentum comes from consistent steps: tightening data, aligning partners, and making sustainability part of everyday decisions.