Even a few years after the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are still giving their workers the option to work from home. That’s due to the benefits of this setup for employees and employers.
However, is remote work environmentally friendly? For the most part, the short answer is yes. Remote work is quite environment-friendly.
Because remote work offers a commute-free setup, it lessens individual carbon emissions. In addition, it also affects several companies’ total paper and plastic waste.
Impacts Of Remote Work On The Environment
In this section, we looked at the environmental impacts of remote work in detail. Are the impacts significant to say that this setup is environmentally friendly?
#1. Fewer Carbon Emissions
Because working remotely allows employees to work in the comfort of their homes, it eliminates the need to commute to the office. This ultimately decreases an individual’s average personal carbon footprint from daily commuting.
Data from the Global Workplace Analytics’ State Of Remote Work Report shows that emissions are reduced by over 50 million tons when employees work from home.
This metric is one of the biggest reasons why many people consider remote work environmentally friendly.
#2. Decreased Paper And Plastic Waste
In addition to a decrease in carbon emissions, remote work setups also promote a decrease in paper and plastic waste. Because of the migration to an online workplace during the pandemic, most paperwork is digitized.
This practice is strengthened by the fact that online contracts and e-signatures are all valid and considered legal. The digitization of the usual files that would’ve been printed saves loads of papers and office supplies.
Plus, the absence of in-house cafeterias reduces employee plastic usage.
However, we must acknowledge the possibility of increasing electronic and electrical waste by working remotely. Most remote workers use devices like laptops and tablets as well as the accessories these gadgets come with.
#3. Increased Energy Usage
Impressions on energy usage for remote work setups are a bit more mixed. Some say that a face-to-face setup consumes more energy because office buildings require additional power compared to an employee’s home.
On the other hand, most remote work setups include PCs, laptops, and other devices that allow employees to build a system similar to the one in their office. Since more households now have these setups, energy consumption has risen.
Essentially, this means that while a remote setup does sound more eco-friendly—and in some ways, it truly is—there are other factors at play.
Most importantly, the individual employee’s actions contribute significantly to how much of an environmental impact their remote work setup makes.
Final Thoughts
Is remote work more environmentally friendly? Compared to the conventional face-to-face work setup, it is.
Since a remote work setup lets employees skip the commute and digitize most paperwork, it saves on carbon emissions and paper usage.
However, there are still some ways to make this setup more eco-friendly—such as minimizing electronic and electric waste.
In the end, it’s still dependent on how you, as an individual remote work employee, impact the environment.
