Working at home offers many benefits for both employees and businesses.
From increased productivity and better personal management to reduced office conflict and easier inter-departmental collaboration, remote work improves the workplace in many ways.
However, there’s one additional benefit to work from home culture that extends beyond organisational merit: environmental progress.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, global gas emissions dropped by 7%, demonstrating the environmental perks of remote work culture.
If your business is teetering between a hybrid and return-to-work office structure, consider these five environmental benefits that come with remote work for a greener, more eco-conscious workstyle.
5 ways remote work culture benefits the environment
Remote work culture isn’t just good for employee satisfaction and productivity. Research suggests that it can also play a major role in the process of paving the way for a greener, more sustainable future.
When employees work from home rather than travel back and forth to an office, they reduce their fuel consumption, use less electricity, and contribute less to rising pollution levels.
Let’s zoom in on five of the most notable ways that working from home benefits the environment:
1. Decreased greenhouse gas emissions
The first and most definitive environmental benefit of remote work culture is the decreased volume of greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Pittsburgh
highlighted this fact in studies that revealed that in 2020, particulate matter concentrations were 23% lower than expected when stay-at-home orders took effect. Nitrogen dioxide pollution over the US, northern China, and Western Europe also decreased by as much as 60% compared to the previous year.
People working from home rather than driving or otherwise commuting to an office release significantly less greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. This benefits the environment, and it helps businesses meet their carbon emissions targets more easily.
2. Lower natural resource consumption
Teams of people require an abundance of resources in the workplace. Paper, office supplies, food, appliances, and energy are just some of the resources needed to keep a professional work environment running smoothly – but are they all necessary – and is there a way to reduce your office’s consumption level?
Remote work culture says yes. Humans do need resources to live comfortable lives, but their consumption is often much higher than necessary, especially in an office environment.
When people work from home, they generally only use the resources within their own space, alleviating some of the pressure on your company to spend and consume while reducing the business’s overall carbon footprint.
3. Increased energy savings
Offices require a lot of energy to power them. From dawn until dusk (and often much longer), lights, air conditioners, photocopiers, laptop chargers, kitchen appliances, and other forms of office technology all contribute to a large energy bill that isn’t good for the planet or for the company's bank account.
Using tens of thousands of kilowatts worth of energy every month isn’t good for the environment.
The more energy we use, the more money we spend, and the more your business contributes to the planet's degradation. Remote working can increase your energy security and promote more renewable energy sources.
4. Less air pollution, higher air quality
High greenhouse gas emissions lead to low air quality. When people work from home, they spend considerably less time in traffic, helping to mitigate rising air pollution levels and contributing to a cleaner atmosphere from which oxygen can be drawn.
High air quality is important for the planet's health and the people who live on it. Cities with clean air also attract better talent
, have a higher quality of life, and often have happier, healthier employees.
5. Reduced oil consumption
There are so many good reasons to reduce your oil consumption. Not only is the burning of fuel bad for the environment and for our health, but the resource is aggressively harvested from the planet, and exacerbates conflict between different countries and engine wars.
Because remote work doesn’t require employees to drive or commute to and from work daily, the amount of oil your company burns overall can be significantly reduced.
By encouraging people to burn less fuel, employees can also pick up other healthy commuting activities such as jogging, cycling, and walking. Building these habits can have a knock-on effect, as they may encourage people to walk more than drive, especially if they have a pet, further reducing oil consumption.
Why reducing your company’s carbon footprint is important
Making pro-planet decisions for your company is important for several reasons. Not only does it show your ethical commitment to the sustainability of a healthier world for future generations, but it also assists with making your business more culturally relevant and respected. Reducing a company’s carbon footprint indicates that they take sustainability seriously and are willing to make big changes to reach environmental goals. Some other incentives include:
Audience approval: Today's customers and consumers value transparency highly, especially regarding ethical business practices and sustainability. Making decisions that align with these values can build a better brand reputation.
Investment opportunities: Many investors are now making environmental concerns a major priority in their decision-making. Businesses that adopt eco-friendly habits and enact policies that promote a greener future are far more likely to qualify for funds when needed.
Happier employees: Sustainability and environmental consciousness are becoming increasingly important to talent from around the world. Hiring from the Millennial and Gen Z talent pools is much easier when businesses visibly enact green values.
A more sustainable future and planet: Ultimately, the decision to switch to remote working aids the planet in creating a more sustainable future.
Staying home for a greener future
Finding ways to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and cultivate a more sustainable relationship with the planet is a worthy pursuit. Not only does remote work culture result in less pollution, lower energy consumption, and decreased resource consumption, but it also helps employees take charge of their own lives in relation to sustainability and promote healthier ways of living.
