Vast Advantages of Remote Work for the Environment

Gunjan thakurOctober 20, 2022

Remote work has many benefits for the employer. These include better morale, higher employee satisfaction, overall higher productivity, etc. But have you ever stopped to consider the positive environmental impact of the remote work model?

Improved air quality

The lack of clean, healthy air is a major concern everywhere, but especially in urban areas. This was demonstrated by the Covid-19 lockdowns. While everyone was at home, the air in cities was clearer than ever before. As soon as people started returning to their offices en masse, the pollution picked right back up again.

Still, the total levels of pollutants stayed remarkably lower than they were before the pandemic. This is because, post-lockdowns, many workplaces allowed their employees to continue working remotely or hybrid.

This enabled people to make healthier lifestyle changes in terms of office setups and commuting. Less drivers on the roads meant a lesser level of air pollution. That presented a huge benefit for both the environment and people’s health.

Regular exposure to air pollutants can have serious medical ramifications. It contributes to various respiratory conditions, like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, etc. It can even trigger or exacerbate skin issues, since polluted air carries various irritants and potential allergens.

Reduced paper waste

Paper waste is one of those byproducts of corporate society that nobody really thinks about. But when you consider the amount of paper material that gets produced and consumed on a daily basis worldwide, it paints a dramatic image.

Try itemizing all the reports, forms, lists, timetables, meeting notes, handouts, booklets, etc. that your business needs for one month. Staggering, right?

No matter your industry, hiring international employees is a great strategy to cut down on wasting paper and paper-adjacent resources. When you operate on a remote, international basis, you by necessity have to migrate to the cloud.

Paper materials simply aren’t practical when everyone is working from out of the office. Either each person has to invest in a printer, or everybody would rely on mail, which is a logistical nightmare. Going digital is two birds with one stone. 

First, you cut tons of unnecessary paper wastage. You also make day-to-day operations exponentially easier at all company levels. As for contracts and other paperwork that require signatures, touchscreens and handwriting text processors make short work of that. 

Reduced fossil fuel consumption

Solar leads the way in transitioning to renewable energy sources, but traditional fossil fuels are still everywhere. They are used for heating, generating electricity, transportation, etc. Unfortunately, they are also the foremost source of environmentally harmful gasses.

The vast majority of commuters still power their vehicles by diesel or petrol. Many also have to travel long distances between home and workplace. Considering the sheer number of people in the global workforce, this is a major contribution to fossil fuel consumption and its negative consequences.

Allowing employees to work remotely also benefits the environment from an energy standpoint. Fossil fuels are the power behind practically all modern-day utilities. When people work from home they might slightly raise their own utility bills. This is mostly due to relatively increased electricity consumption to power their computers and other devices.

However, these increases are drastically smaller than what it would cost to power the same utilities in office spaces. Large commercial buildings require more fuel for their electric grids, heating, air conditioning, etc. when the teams work remotely, there’s no need for any of it. Building owners can safely turn off the power, shutter unused spaces, and save tons on the carbon footprint.

Reduced plastic waste

Plastic is one of the most controversial types of waste nowadays. Single-use plastics are especially under fire for their horrendous environmental impact. Working from home makes it so much easier to avoid them.

Consider all the single-use plastics in a typical office workday: disposable cups, coffee to go, straws, disposable utensils, styrofoam takeout containers, disposable water bottles. Home offices bar all that. Instead, you have your favorite mug, washable cutlery, and regular glasses.

Fewer greenhouse emissions

Perhaps the largest overreaching environmental benefit of remote work is the overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Remote work eliminates the need for daily commuting. This heavily reduces the total emissions of carbon dioxide that drivers generate.

This includes emissions from the public transport system, since the fuel consumed increases with the total weight of the passengers. In addition to carbon dioxide, commuting releases nitrogen dioxide. This is actually the primary pollutant from vehicles.

So, any work model that lets employees skip their commute is greatly beneficial to the environment. Hybrid workplaces are great, but remote work is best. Employees can choose to stay home, or work from a location to which they can commute in an eco-friendly way, e.g. by walking or bicycling.

Conclusion

In conclusion, not only does remote work improve the happiness and efficiency of your employees, it also literally improves the world. By switching to a remote work model, you dramatically reduce several types of waste, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and improve public health, all in one fell swoop.

About the author: Stella van Lane is a passionate traveler and writer, in love with coffee, interior design, books, and good vibes.