Over the past few years, hybrid and remote working have become normalised. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform finds that remote working is likely to have a positive impact on the Irish economy and society.
According to the paper 'An Evaluation of the Impacts of Remote Working', published in 2022, emissions savings made from reduced transport usage are likely to exceed any extra household emissions. The paper estimates that remote working has the potential to save 164,407 tonnes of CO2 a year, with an equivalent monetary saving of €7.6m.
One potential benefit of remote working is reducing the need for commuting. This lowers the transport carbon emissions, which helps in achieving the emissions targets as set out in the Climate Action Plan (2021).
In addition, remote work reduces office emissions. The paper by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform found that, depending on people’s behaviour, the environmental impact could be:
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Full period |
|
Reduced transport emissions |
-207,262 | -207,262 | -207,262 | -207,262 | -207,262 | -1,036,310 |
|
Increased household emissions |
49,817 | 49,817 | 49,817 | 49,817 | 49,817 | 249,085 |
|
Reduced office emissions |
-6,961 | -6,961 | -6,961 | -6,961 | -6,961 | -34,805 |
|
Total environmental impact (tonnes) |
-164,407 | -164,407 | -164,407 | -164,407 | -164,407 | -822,036 |
|
Equivalent monetary benefit (€) |
7,562,722 | 8,220,350 | 8,968,207 | 9,646,376 | 10,259,112 | 44,656,769 |
Another benefit of remote working in terms of sustainability is the reduced use of office supplies. Remote working digitalises the exchange of documents between coworkers or external partners, which means a massive reduction in paper use. As well, it will increase productivity due to better time management strategies.
For more information on Sustainability in the Workplace, click here.