Substitute commuting for work trips third places The logic has been gaining ground of late. And one suspects that it would tend to reduce the carbon footprint of those involved. All the more so in cities where employees prefer to commute by car rather than by public transport. A study published on 10 May by IWG is nevertheless able to quantify this impact, with some surprising results.
The specialist in hybrid work solutions has turned to the British design office Arup to take a close look at its new hybrid workstations. six cities in the United States and the United Kingdom : New York, Atlanta, Manchester Glasgowbut above all London and Los AngelesThese are the two cities with the highest carbon emissions.
Unsurprisingly, it is US destinations that show the greatest potential for carbon savings. Not only because of the more systematic use of the carBut it is also due to the type of vehicles used, which are larger and consume more fuel. According to figures published by IWG, the transport emissions per capita are 2.5 times higher in the United States than in the United Kingdom. Result: " The US cities with the greatest potential for carbon reductions in transport-related emissions, due to the predominance of car travel, are Atlanta (90 % reduction), just ahead of Los Angeles (87 %) and New York (82 %). These reductions are achieved by organising work locally, split between a local office and home. "say the authors of the study.
Londonwhere a third of those surveyed travel to work by car, is not immune to this phenomenon. Carbon emissions caused by transport would have been reduced by up to 43 % for those who alternate between the head office in the city centre and a local workspace. The figure reaches 49 % in the case of a local organisation format, between local offices and home. A Manchesterthe potential savings would be up to 70 %.
According to IWG, the means of transport and the journey time are not the only factors. Local workspaces generate fewer emissions per square metre of floor space than city-centre offices. What's more, IWG estimates that with intrinsic utilisation rate higherLocal workspaces would enable each employee to generate fewer emissions than in a central office. The difference is estimated at 11% in the case of London.
" Commuting to work in the city centre five days a week has the highest carbon footprint of any other type of working pattern: simply spending less time in the city centre or travelling there less automatically results in lower carbon emissions. "says IWG founder and CEO Mark Dixon. " Enabling people to work close to home, by giving them the opportunity to divide their time between home and a workplace close to home, can reduce an employee's work-related emissions by up to 70 %. ". An observation logically shared by Christophe Burckart. The Managing Director of IWG France: " One of the most important changes we can all make today is to give people the choice to work wherever they want, while reducing the impact on the environment. The results of research carried out with the Arup consultancy clearly show that this is within our reach - right now. ".
