The UK’s New Sustainability Reporting Standards – What They Mean for Travel in Sports, Media & Entertainment
The UK is moving into a new phase of sustainability reporting, and it will directly affect those managing travel in sports, media and entertainment.
The new UK Sustainability Reporting Standards (UK SRS) mean sustainability is no longer just a marketing message. It is becoming a formal, finance-linked process – treated much more like financial reporting.
For travel-heavy industries, this puts extra focus on business travel emissions (Scope 3), with higher expectations around accuracy and transparency.
What are the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards?
Published in February 2026, UK SRS sets out a new framework for how organisations should report on sustainability and ESG risks. It is based on global International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards and aims to make reporting more consistent and comparable.
At its core, it requires organisations to show how sustainability and climate risks affect financial performance, cash flow and long-term resilience.
Rather than a separate report, this information is built into annual reports. Companies must include both narrative and data across governance, strategy, risk and metrics.
For travel, this means:
- Reporting emissions data
- Explaining how it’s calculated
- Linking it to financial impact
The framework is built around two standards. The first, S1, covers general sustainability risks and opportunities across all areas of the business. The second, S2, focuses specifically on climate, including greenhouse gas emissions – spanning Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
From voluntary to expected
UK SRS is currently voluntary, but the direction of travel is clear. The Financial Conduct Authority is consulting on making it mandatory for listed companies, with implementation expected from 2027, while the government is considering extending requirements to large companies through the Companies Act.
Even at this stage, many organisations are feeling the impact as they are already being asked for better sustainability data – especially those that are part of larger supply chains. In practice, this means most organisations will need to align with these standards sooner rather than later. Companies that sit within the supply chains of listed or global organisations are increasingly being asked to provide structured sustainability data.
Why this matters for sports, media and entertainment
Sports, media and entertainment organisations are no strangers to sustainability scrutiny. High-profile events, global audiences and extensive travel have long placed environmental impact under the spotlight. But under UK SRS, organisations are now required to move beyond high-level disclosures and provide structured data that supports decisions and connects sustainability directly to financial performance.
For a sector built on constant movement, this brings business travel – a major source of Scope 3 emissions – into much sharper focus, with greater expectations around data quality, transparency and reduction.
Scope 3: where travel comes into focus
For most organisations, the biggest challenge under UK SRS lies in Scope 3 emissions – those generated indirectly across the value chain.
Unlike Scope 1 and 2, which are relatively contained, Scope 3 spans everything from purchased goods to logistics and supplier activity. Within the sports, media and entertainment sectors, business travel sits at the centre of this challenge. Touring schedules, away fixtures, production travel and global events all contribute to what is often one of the largest sources of emissions.
What makes this more significant under UK SRS is the level of detail required. Organisations will not only need to report Scope 3 emissions, but also explain how those figures are calculated, how reliable the data is, and how it links to financial risk and business strategy. The expectation is that over time, companies will move away from broad estimates and towards more granular, activity-based data.
What this means for travel managers
Travel data is no longer just operational; it is now reporting-grade. This means it must be robust enough to be used in formal, external reporting. Every journey contributes to emissions data that may be disclosed in annual reports, and it needs to be consistent and aligned with recognised methodologies.
Travel managers are central to how organisations measure and manage their environmental impact, often being responsible for tracking business travel emissions and improving the quality of that data over time.
But the role goes beyond reporting. UK SRS puts equal emphasis on reduction, meaning travel managers will also be influencing policy, supplier choice and traveller behaviour. Decisions like selecting more sustainable partners or choosing more sustainable travel options are no longer operational choices – they are part of a wider emissions strategy.
Ultimately, the role is evolving from managing travel to shaping impact – helping organisations understand not just the cost of travel, but its environmental and financial consequences.
As expectations rise, travel managers will likely work more closely with finance, procurement and sustainability teams, with greater scrutiny on data and suppliers.
The question is no longer whether this data will be required – but how ready your travel programme is to deliver it.
How we can support you
As expectations increase, having the right data is essential. We support our clients with accurate, reporting-ready carbon emissions data across all areas of business travel, helping you meet growing disclosure requirements with confidence.
Beyond reporting, we can also help turn that data into smarter decisions – identifying opportunities to reduce emissions, optimise travel programmes and align with wider sustainability goals.
As an ISO 20121 certified organisation and a certified B Corp, sustainability is embedded in how we operate. That means you can rely on us not just for data, but for informed, responsible guidance as you adapt to the evolving reporting landscape.
