A new study 'Climate mitigation potentials of teleworking are sensitive to changes in lifestyle and workplace rather than ICT usage' suggests that "switching from working onsite to working from home can reduce up to 58% of work’s carbon footprint".
Research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that working from home just one day a week has a negligible effect but that hybrid workers with two to four workdays at home can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11 to 29%. The study focused on employees in the US including Microsoft’s employee data on commuting and 'teleworking' but are likely to be applicable to the UK and elsewhere.
IT and communications technology was shown to make little difference to people’s work carbon footprints, while reduced office energy use and the absence of a daily commute equated to reduced emissions (not to mention lower vehicle congestion helping to improve fuel economy).
In conclusion, the researchers said: “While remote work shows potential in reducing carbon footprint, careful consideration of commuting patterns, building energy consumption, vehicle ownership, and non-commute-related travel is essential to fully realise its environmental benefits.”
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