relocation in APAC: cartus insights from WERC 2025

why sustainability is now a business imperative

Relocating an employee can be better for the planet than not relocating. 

Relocation can be a force for good

Katherine Asperin, Cartus’ Director of Global Talent Mobility, delivered an inspiring presentation on sustainability from the perspective of a Relocation Management Company. She spoke about Cartus’ journey towards driving innovation in sustainable mobility practices and demonstrated business impact, and growth, with data and case studies.

Katherine shared a few stand-out points worth noting. 

• Sustainability can drive cost savings. Companies are increasingly factoring sustainability into RFIs and RFPs, alongside cost and employee experience. Initiatives like carbon tax planning, optimized shipping, and net-zero programs can reduce both environmental impact and costs. Apart from this, thoughtful policy changes—like raising the threshold for business class travel or encouraging smaller shipments—can significantly reduce emissions. 
• Data and policy are important driving factors in championing sustainable mobility. To ensure that quantifiable progress is made around sustainability goals, companies need to make concerted efforts to develop strategies that allow for accurate and consistent CO₂ emissions tracking. While challenging, this is essential as data forms the foundation for sustainable mobility. Many organizations are setting baselines using cost and volume data, with a goal of reducing emissions year over year (e.g., 10% annually). 
• The sustainability journey is one that requires ecosystem-wide collaboration. Like many other issues, the pursuit of a more sustainable industry is directly dependent on collaboration from all involved stakeholders – from assignees to corporations to suppliers. While organizations can plan for change on a higher level, in terms of strategic planning and attainable goals, assignees and suppliers also play a vital role. The quality of data matters too, and Katherine shared that “gold standard” data is presented in the form of direct emissions data acquired from suppliers.

From the assignee’s perspective, relocation can serve as a catalyst for behavioral change. Research shows that people are more likely to adopt greener behaviors after relocating. This is due to routine disruption when people move out of familiar places, in turn creating a unique opportunity to instill sustainable habits. With the right policy, training, and support, assignees can also become sustainability ambassadors.

flexibility isn’t a trend—it’s a must

Mobility programs are getting personal
We ended the day with an interactive roundtable session facilitated by Rob Line, Vice President, and Elodie Marques, Global Consulting Leader, APAC, from the Global Consulting team.

The session centered on inclusive, flexible mobility and brought together a room of energized and motivated professionals who engaged in meaningful, multi-perspective conversations, exchanging real-world examples that offered replicable takeaways. Rob and Elodie shared many golden nuggets, but we have the key takeaways from the session.

• There is no one fixed definition of “Flexible Mobility”. Flexible mobility means different things to everyone, depending on your role in the journey, and the lens in which you approach flexible mobility with. However, all perspectives are valuable and play a role in building a robust mobility program, from line managers to HR Business Partners to Mobility Managers to all critical members of the supply chain. 
• Inclusive approaches are not always intuitive. Building on the first point, it can be difficult, at times, to adopt the perspective of a different stakeholder within this ecosystem. As such, it is integral and vital to promote shared learning. We saw in action what we know to be true – people want to connect! This session gave WERC attendees the chance to network, share examples of how flexibility is applied in different scenarios for their organizations, learn from peers and have fun in the process. 
• Transferees today expect their mobility experience to mirror the level of choice, personalization and control they enjoy in other areas of life and customer service. In response, more organizations are embedding greater flexibility into their mobility programs, recognizing that employees increasingly want to take ownership of their career and relocation journeys. By adopting flexible mobility strategies, companies empower their workforce in a way that aligns with modern expectations—offering a more tailored, responsive, and engaging relocation experience. 

In conclusion, the primary insights from the WERC APAC Summit reflect the dynamic transformation within the mobility sector, emphasizing that strategic agility, sustainability, and flexibility are no longer optional, but essential. As organizations navigate an increasingly complex global landscape, it is evident that sustainable practices and flexible mobility programs will continue to shape the future of talent mobility. 

Reach out to the Cartus team to learn more about us and/or how we can partner with your organization and your talent development program.