Remote Work – A Boon or Bane for the Environment?
While discussing different work models—in-person, hybrid, and remote work—little thought is given to their environmental impact. This article delves into the environmental impact—the positives and negatives—of remote work and telecommuting.
- While discussing different work models—in-person, hybrid, and remote work—little thought is given to their environmental impact.
- Specifically, is remote work good or bad for the environment?
- Check out the positive and negative impacts of remote work and telecommuting on our environment so that you can make an educated decision on your organization’s working model.
Working models have changed much within the last 3-4 years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person work was the norm, which changed to work-from-home (WFH) and remote work during the pandemic. Once the pandemic started receding, hybrid work became the norm. Today, more companies are batting for full-time in-person work.
Ardent supporters and several arguments support and oppose each model. However, what is not discussed much when considering a working model is its impact on the environment, especially the benefits and challenges of remote work and telecommuting. Several studies exist, but not much focus seems to be given to this regard. This article explores a few environmental benefits and challenges of remote work that organizations should consider before deciding on a working model.
See more: Building a Sustainable Workplace: Corporate Environmental Responsibility Is the Need of the Hour
Environment Benefits of Telecommuting
1. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Remote work’s biggest and most obvious benefit is reduced carbon and greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Working from home or a remote place avoids commuting to work, and less commuting leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), CO2 emissions from travel dropped by 15% in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
While electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining popularity worldwide, most people still use fossil fuels for their vehicles. Hence, reducing work-related commuting by even half can significantly reduce carbon emissions, leading to cleaner and healthier air.
2. Reduced energy consumption
Energy consumption comes in various forms, such as consumption from commuter transport and offices. Regarding energy consumption due to commuting, several vehicles still consume fossil fuels. This means much energy is spent producing these fossil fuels. On the other hand, EVs may appear more environmentally sustainable. However, according to Nature, producing lithium-ion battery cells, the primary component of an EV, requires massive amounts of energy. Not only is this expensive, but it also produces greenhouse gases. Further, much of lithium is currently extracted from underground brine reservoirs or hard rock mines. According to Yang Shao-Horn, JR East Professor of Engineering in the MIT Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, for every tonne of lithium mined from hard rock, 15 tonnes of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere.
Regarding energy consumption from offices, workspaces come in various shapes, sizes, and locations. They can also be old, modern, or even eco-certified spaces. While it is challenging to give an accurate estimate of energy consumption per office, a study by Buffer found that if they opened an office in California, it would generate approximately 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per employee in a year. While there is a lack of data on how much energy is consumed working from home, analysis of average consumption figures indicates that it is much less than 2.6 tonnes per member.
All this means that telecommuting has a much lower impact on energy consumption.
3. Improved energy efficiency
One cannot ignore that when employees convert their homes into offices, they may consume slightly more energy and incur higher energy bills. However, remote work motivates them to function more efficiently and identify ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
For example, people tend to be more conscious about leaving the lights and air conditioning on when unnecessary, as ultimately, they need to foot their own electricity bills. Further, according to a recent Bospar study, 47% of respondents reported using more natural and energy-efficient lights. About 66% also said they took proactive measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
4. Reduced food and packaging waste
An important benefit of telecommuting is the reduction in food and packaging waste. Specifically, it can lead to lower usage of single-use plastic, as telecommuters tend to cook more at home than order in.
According to the Bospar study, 55% of telecommuters reported eating more at home than ordering in. About 48% of respondents reported recycling and composting, and 42% eliminated single-use plastics.
About 32% of respondents thought food waste often increases when working from an office. About 58% also thought working from an office typically increases the use of plastics and other environmentally harmful materials. This seems natural, as working from an office increases waste from snacks and takeaway coffee, staples for nine-to-five employees.
See more: 8 Strategies for Green Computing – Reduce Your IT’s Environmental Impact
Environmental Challenges of Remote Working
While telecommuting has significant advantages, it has a few negative environmental impacts. Here are a few key challenges.
1. Increased energy consumption
While the energy consumed while working from home is not as much as when working from the office, it is still higher than usual. Laptops, smartphones, and Wi-Fi all require power, and using these at home for working continuously rather than occasionally naturally increases energy consumption and electrical bills. While this may not impact the environment as much as working from the office, it still contributes to higher energy consumption and carbon emissions.
2. Possible contribution to electronic waste
While certain types of waste, such as food and plastic waste, may be reduced to more at-home cooking and fewer takeaways, telecommuting may lead to increased electronic and electrical waste (e-waste). This may be due to the increased use and discarding of electronic and electrical equipment at home. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), this may amount to 50 million tonnes a year globally, only 20% of which is formally recycled. According to 3stepIT’s 2020 study, 84% of European organizations purchased additional hardware to maintain operations as remote working became a norm. The research further indicated that millions of desktops were set to become obsolete. Moreover, 23% of desktop PCs were not expected to be required in 2021, becoming e-waste.
Besides these challenges, remote work may lead to carbon emissions due to commuting differently. For example, telecommuters may leverage their newfound flexibility to travel more for recreation or other reasons, leading to higher carbon emissions and energy consumption.
Conclusion
Telecommuting undoubtedly has a few environmental benefits, such as lower carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, reduced energy consumption, lesser food and plastic waste, and improved energy efficiency. However, there can also be a few environmental challenges, especially when people use their flexibility to travel more or discard more e-waste. Ultimately, organizations should understand that remote work is a small part of the overall climate action. They should implement policies and encourage employees and stakeholders to reduce the environmental impact and achieve sustainability.
Have you implemented remote work in your organization? What impact on the environment have you witnessed? Let us know on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
Image source: Shutterstock
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