According to a report by the Carbon Trust, increasing the number of people working from home could reduce UK-wide emissions by around 3 million tonnes of CO2. For comparison, it is as if the power plant in Bełchatów has not been operating for almost a month! Such a radical change could positively contribute to the achievement of the goal of climate neutrality in many economies. Recent months, in which many companies have switched to remote work, contributed to the increase in both the popularity and attractiveness of this form of performing their duties. Many employees found that while working from home, their productivity not only did not decline – it improved significantly. Often, home-office has turned out to be much more beneficial for professional and personal life than moving to the office every day.

Last year, the average Pole spent nearly an hour and a half on the way to and from his workplace. By breaking through city traffic jams, we not only contribute to increased CO2 emissions, but also air pollutants that cause nuisance smog. An hour and a half are also a lot, considering that it is often time wasted on unproductive activities. Worse, the main mode of transport for two-thirds of us is a car, in which we cannot read a book, check e-mails, or read an important article. For many people struggling with a permanent lack of time, regaining these 90 minutes could significantly affect their level of rest or help save time to finish reading for a long time.

What about employees who have to meet people in person in their work? Many employees rush from meeting to meeting throughout the day, also contributing to increased CO2 emissions. According to Jakub Abramczyk, Sales Director Eastern Europe at Poly, thanks to videoconferences, a significant part of the meetings could be held virtually. 

“With today's ubiquitous access to broadband Internet, meeting face to face is not a necessity. This doesn't mean we should give it up, but we can do it less often. In the day of new normality, we should rely more on new technologies and remote solutions," Abramczyk said.

(WBJ)