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Sustainability is often discussed in the relocation industry through the lens of policies, targets, or long-term environmental impact. Carbon footprints, reporting frameworks, and compliance requirements dominate the conversation. While these elements matter, focusing only on them risks overlooking something essential: the daily human experience of the assignee. When sustainability is framed only as an obligation, it becomes abstract and distant – and its real, everyday benefits are easily lost.
For internationally mobile employees, sustainability does not have to be an abstract concept. It can shape how they live, move, settle, and recover in their new environment. When sustainability is embedded into relocation decisions, it becomes a powerful driver of wellbeing, and a critical factor in supporting the assignee.
The role of local communities
One of the most immediate ways assignees can experience sustainable changes is through their local community. Neighborhood design, local infrastructure, and access to nature influence how “at home” someone feels (1).
These environmental factors are not neutral. They affect sleep quality, stress levels, and the body’s ability to recover, all of which are particularly important during the intense adjustment phase of a relocation.
As an example, the World Health Organization identifies environmental noise as one of the leading environmental health risks in urban areas (3). Even when people feel they have “gotten used to” noise, the body continues to respond physiologically, especially during sleep, when recovery and restoration are essential. Chronic exposure to noise is linked to physical and mental health, and it is associated with sleep disturbance, increased stress hormone levels, cardiovascular disease, reduced cognitive performance, and higher risk of anxiety and depression (2). Noise does not need to be extreme to be harmful; continuous background noise can have a cumulative impact over time.
For assignees already navigating cultural adjustment, new roles, and unfamiliar systems, this additional strain can quickly push daily life from manageable to overwhelming.
Sustainability as a wellbeing enabler
Sustainability is a complex topic encompassing many things, but an important aspect in relocation is creating environments where assignees can function well. Not just work effectively, but live sustainably in a personal sense.
Clean air, reliable public transport, walkable neighborhoods, access to healthy food, and quieter living environments all have a direct impact on mental and physical health. A home close to work, or well connected by public transport, reduces commuting stress. Clear waste systems, simple energy solutions, and local services that are easy to navigate reduce cognitive overload during the settling-in phase. Together, these factors support balance. They free up energy for recovery, social connection, and integration – all essential for long-term assignment success.
Sustainability, in this sense, is not about distant future risks. It shapes how our communities function today, how our neighborhoods feel, and how our daily lives unfold.
Quieter mobility, healthier neighborhoods
Transport is one of the main sources of both urban noise and air pollution, and therefore one of the areas where sustainable choices are felt most clearly in everyday life.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are significantly quieter than internal combustion engines, particularly at low speeds typical of residential areas and city centers. Reduced engine noise contributes to calmer streets, less nighttime disturbance, and improved overall soundscapes in neighborhoods. At the same time, EVs produce no tailpipe emissions, helping to reduce local air pollution.
Choosing quieter and cleaner mobility solutions therefore has a dual benefit: environmental improvement and improved quality of life. For assignees, this can mean better sleep, less daily stress, and a more livable environment during an already demanding life transition.
This is just one example of how sustainable choices can positively affect not only the environment, but also personal wellbeing and the surrounding community.
What this has to do with relocation
At first glance, sustainability may seem peripheral to relocation. In reality, relocation is one of the most powerful moments to influence both wellbeing and long-term behavior.
When people relocate, familiar routines disappear. Commuting patterns, housing, energy use, shopping habits, and daily systems are all reset at once. While this can be stressful, it also creates a unique opportunity: habits are more flexible, and new routines can form more easily.
Behavioral science refers to this as habit-discontinuity – a period after major life changes when people are especially receptive to adopting new behaviors. If you want to read more about the habit-discontinuity effect, see this article. When sustainable options are introduced during this window, they can support assignees not only environmentally, but psychologically and physically. Reduced noise, cleaner air, and simpler routines help people settle faster, sleep better, and move from survival mode toward balance.
Why wellbeing and sustainability rise together
Wellbeing is not a single outcome. It is a combination of emotional, physical, social, financial, and environmental factors. And when one improves, the others often follow.
Sustainable systems tend to simplify life rather than complicate it. When energy use is efficient, costs stabilize. When neighborhoods are walkable, movement becomes part of daily life. When waste systems are clear, decision fatigue disappears. If sustainability shapes wellbeing through daily systems, the next question is how to design those systems intentionally, especially during moments of change. In the next article, we explore how organizations and HR teams can turn this insight into action: how practical onboarding, wellbeing-first mobility choices, and simple sustainable defaults help assignees settle faster, perform better, and reduce the risk and costs of failed assignments.
[1] Ige-Elegbede, J., Pilkington, P., Orme, J., Williams, B., Prestwood, E., Black, D., & Carmichael, L. (2023). Designing healthier neighbourhoods: A systematic review of the impact of neighbourhood design on health and wellbeing. Health & Place, 79, 102954.
[2] European Environment Agency (2025). Health impacts of exposure to noise from transport in Europe
[3] World Health Organization (2018). Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region.
[4] Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N., & Upham, P. (2022). Subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour across countries. Global Environmental Change, 74, 102502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102502
[5] European Environment Agency (2024). Electric vehicles
1 Picture by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash
2 Picture generated by FreePik AI
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