RIS ECOMOVE: Responsibility in Motion Conference Recap

Responsibility for the problems in our urban mobility systems should be shared equally among individuals (whose daily travel choices can be unsustainable), employers and service providers (as traffic generators), and local governments (as providers of infrastructure and regulation).

This premise framed the Responsibility in Motion conference, held on 16 September 2025 in Zagreb as an outreach event of the RIS ECOMOVE project funded by EIT Urban Mobility.

Dynamic panels, startup pitches and parallel workshops resulted in six key conclusions that we can build on, starting today:

• First, we’re not “stuck in traffic” — we are the traffic. Our individual choices, aggregated across thousands of trips in and out, create the system we have.
• Second, employers — not just the public sector — can make urban mobility better: through parking rules, incentives, organized transport, flexible working hours, and data-driven travel management.
• Third, solutions aren’t black-and-white. A company car or a monthly PT (public transport) pass — especially where public transport is poor — aren’t the only options. We need a palette of measures: from a “mobility budget,” through bike leasing and carpooling, to shuttles and last-mile solutions.
• Fourth, fiscal policy must encourage sustainable choices — without smart tax and accounting frameworks, it’s hard for employers to change habits at scale.
• Fifth, electrifying mobility isn’t just a technology shift; it’s also a change in how businesses operate. This means planning charging infrastructure, managing energy, optimising fleets, setting vehicle-use policies, and prioritising trips.
• Sixth, ESG reporting on mobility-related emissions only makes sense with reliable data. And collecting and analyzing that data costs time and money — so it should be planned as an integral part of a sustainable business strategy, not as an “add-on.”

The RIS ECOMOVE consortium (ERKON and GRINN – Zeleni inovacijski cluster) is grateful for the contributions of all speakers, lecturers, startups and audience visiting the event. Full report and the image gallery can be found on the RIS ECOMOVE website.