CSR guide
Eco-friendly seminar: cut transport CO2, choose the format and the venue
Getting participants there is often the largest part of a seminar's carbon footprint. Per person and per kilometre, the high-speed train (TGV) emits 2.9 g of CO2e and the regional train (TER) 28 g, against 71 g by petrol or diesel car and 38 g by coach.
Emission factors of the Alfred Meeting carbon comparator, taken from ADEME's 2025 data, vehicle manufacturing included.
- 2.9 g CO₂e per person and per km by high-speed train
- 71 g CO₂e per person and per km by petrol or diesel car (2 on board)
- 38 g CO₂e per person and per km by coach (25 on board)
Simulate your group's travel CO2
Choose the departure city, the number of participants and your trip: our simulator compares train, car and coach to the most popular seminar cities. No data is stored.
Enter a number of participants between 1 and 5,000.
| Destination | Distance | High-speed train (TGV) | Petrol or diesel car | Electric car | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivry-sur-Seine | 7 km by road | No known trip | 30 kg CO₂e | 14 kg CO₂e | 16 kg CO₂e |
| Clichy | 8 km by road8 km by public transport | 1.4 kg CO₂e | 34 kg CO₂e | 16 kg CO₂e | 18 kg CO₂e |
| Lille | 226 km by road226 km by public transport | 40 kg CO₂e | 963 kg CO₂e | 454 kg CO₂e | 510 kg CO₂e |
| Angers | 296 km by road303 km by public transport | 53 kg CO₂e | 1.3 t CO₂e | 595 kg CO₂e | 668 kg CO₂e |
| Nantes | 384 km by road390 km by public transport | 69 kg CO₂e | 1.6 t CO₂e | 772 kg CO₂e | 866 kg CO₂e |
| Lyon | 466 km by road433 km by public transport | 76 kg CO₂e | 2.0 t CO₂e | 937 kg CO₂e | 1.1 t CO₂e |
| Strasbourg | 489 km by road441 km by public transport | 78 kg CO₂e | 2.1 t CO₂e | 983 kg CO₂e | 1.1 t CO₂e |
| Bordeaux | 584 km by road545 km by public transport | 96 kg CO₂e | 2.5 t CO₂e | 1.2 t CO₂e | 1.3 t CO₂e |
| Toulouse | 678 km by road806 km by public transport | 142 kg CO₂e | 2.9 t CO₂e | 1.4 t CO₂e | 1.5 t CO₂e |
| Montpellier | 753 km by road738 km by public transport | 130 kg CO₂e | 3.2 t CO₂e | 1.5 t CO₂e | 1.7 t CO₂e |
| Marseille | 776 km by road750 km by public transport | 132 kg CO₂e | 3.3 t CO₂e | 1.6 t CO₂e | 1.8 t CO₂e |
| Nice | 931 km by road970 km by public transport | 171 kg CO₂e | 4.0 t CO₂e | 1.9 t CO₂e | 2.1 t CO₂e |
Median distances between the departure city and the seminar venues of each destination, Alfred Meeting data, October 2026. Train counted as high-speed (TGV); by regional train (TER), count 28 g CO₂e per person and per km. For precise starting points and a finer, leg-by-leg calculation, use our carbon comparator.
CO2 by seminar format
The format shapes your trips: how many, how long and which transport is possible. Our comparator only counts the impact of transport. Accommodation, meals and the venue's energy come on top: for each venue proposed to you, your client area can estimate them too, from your dates, the number of participants and the venue's commitments.
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Study day close to participants
A venue reachable by public transport from the office keeps the trip to a short return, often without a car. It is the most sober format when the team works in the same city.
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Residential seminar
Staying one or more nights adds accommodation and meals. A destination served by train and a venue close to the station keep your transport impact low.
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Teams coming from several cities
The lowest-carbon venue is generally the one that reduces everyone's combined trips, not necessarily the closest to head office. Our carbon comparator lets you rank venues by the transport emissions of the whole group.
Transport, the first lever
The same factors as the carbon comparator, per person and per kilometre. Cars and coaches emit per vehicle: the share of each person depends on how many are on board.
| Mode | Emissions per person | Assumption |
|---|---|---|
| High-speed train (TGV) | 2.9 g CO₂e / km | Per traveller |
| Regional train (TER) | 28 g CO₂e / km | Per traveller |
| Petrol or diesel car | 71 g CO₂e / km | 142 g CO₂e per km and per vehicle, 2 people on board a 5-seat car |
| Electric car | 34 g CO₂e / km | 67 g CO₂e per km and per vehicle, 2 people on board a 5-seat car |
| Coach | 38 g CO₂e / km | 940 g CO₂e per km and per vehicle, 25 people on board a 50-seat coach |
| Plane | 30 kg per flight + 150 g CO₂e / km | Fixed share per person for take-off and landing, then by distance flown |
For 500 km one way, per person: 1.5 kg CO₂e by high-speed train, 36 kg CO₂e by petrol or diesel car, 105 kg CO₂e by plane.
Venue labels and certifications
A label certifies an approach checked by a third party. Labelled venues show an active commitment to reducing their environmental impact.
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Green Key (Clef Verte)
International label for tourist accommodation and restaurants: management of water, energy, waste and purchasing, checked by audit.
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EU Ecolabel
Official label of the European Union, also awarded to tourist accommodation, on energy, water, waste and product criteria.
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ISO 20121
International standard for sustainable event management: it certifies the organisation applying it, venue or organiser, not a given event.
Our eco-friendly venue pages
Limits of the method
- Only participants' transport is counted, as in the comparator: not accommodation, meals or the venue's energy.
- The factors include direct emissions, the production and distribution of fuel and electricity, and vehicle manufacturing.
- The simulator counts a public transport trip at the high-speed train factor, connections included: by regional train, the same trip emits about ten times more (28 g CO₂e per km).
- Occupancy rates are averages: a fuller car or coach emits less per person.
- Distances are medians to the venues of each destination city: a given venue can be closer or further away.
- Last updated: October 2026.
Going further
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Carbon comparator
Compute your event's transport from your participants' real starting points and rank your venues.
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Seminar venues reachable by train
Median train travel times from Paris, Lyon and Lille, city by city.
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How much does a seminar cost
Prices per person and per day, by format and region, with a budget simulator.
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Organise a seminar
The steps from M-6 to D+7, with a downloadable timeline.
Frequently asked questions
What is an eco-friendly seminar?
A seminar designed to limit its impact: a venue reachable without a car, short trips, a format suited to the group, a venue committed to an environmental approach and sober purchasing (meals, gifts, printing).
Which transport mode emits the least for a seminar?
The train, by far: 2.9 g of CO2e per person and per kilometre by high-speed train and 28 g by regional train with the comparator factors, against 71 g by petrol or diesel car with 2 people on board.
Does the simulator count accommodation and meals?
No: like our carbon comparator, it only counts participants' transport, one way or return. For each venue proposed to you, your client area then breaks the footprint down by item: transport, rooms, accommodation and meals.
How do I compute my own event's transport CO2?
Create your event and enter your participants' starting points in our carbon comparator: it computes the routes to each venue considered and ranks them by emissions.
What can Alfred Meeting take care of?
Your project manager contacts the venues, negotiates their offers and puts them in competition, then presents them side by side in a comparison table. They can also book the participants' train tickets and find the caterer, the activities and the other suppliers.
How do I find a venue for an eco-friendly seminar?
Two ways, with no commitment. Choose your venues yourself in our catalogue and ask them for a quote: we contact each venue, negotiate for you, come back to you with the quotes and suggest similar venues to widen your choice. Or describe your project (dates, number of participants, departure cities and any other criterion that matters to you, such as a venue reachable by train or a labelled one): a project manager selects suitable venues, checks their availability, negotiates and sends you the quotes.
Let us find the perfect venue for you - it's free!
- Benefit from a personalized venue search for your professional event. An event expert will guide you from the initial briefing to offer negotiations.
- If you are organizing an event that combines multiple criteria (meeting rooms, team-building activities, accommodations, evening events, etc.), Alfred Meeting conducts a custom venue search for you.